$5 a Day – Blu-ray Review

The Flick:

There are few actors as memorable as Christopher Walken. It doesn’t really matter what role he takes on he makes it his own, and that is never a bad thing. In $5 a Day director Nigel Cole gives Walken an open canvas to express himself, and boy does he express himself. I’m not big on family redemption flicks, but this one grabbed me and didn’t let go.

The story revolves around Flynn (Alessandro Nivola), a down and out thirty-something that receives word that his father is dying. Of course Flynn rushes home to take care of his dying father, with whom he doesn’t have a great relationship. Only when Flynn gets home his father, Nat (Christopher Walken) a con artist that can squeeze one hundred dollars out of a twenty dollar bill in two seconds flat is very much alive and well. It doesn’t take Nat long to convince his son that he is, in fact dying, and that he should travel with him to New Mexico for some experimental treatment. Along the way Nat claims that he can make it to their destination on only $5 a Day.

The acting in this flick is superb. The supporting cast, including Dean Cain, Peter Coyote, Amanda Pete and Sharon Stone are phenomenal, but it’s Walken that carries this picture. His performance is so strong that I’d say it should be labeled as a career high. If everything were taken away but the basic story and Walken and Nivola were all that was left it would still be stellar. Mainly because Walken is just that good. Do yourself a favor and add this flick to your collection because it is positively a killer film.

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video

The audio is loud and clear. The 5.1 DTS_HD mix is crisp and perfectly balanced for this dialogue heavy picture. The video is solid as well, the exterior elements standing out and the interior segments running a close second. Perfectly adequate for this type of movie.

Special Features

Interviews: Nigel Cole and most of the cast, except for Walken are on hand to talk about their process and goings on behind the scenes. Worth checking out, but nothing spectacular.

Still Galleries and a Trailer are also included on this almost bare bones disc.

The Flick: Rating:
The Blu-ray: Rating: