Drive Angry – Blu-ray Review

[Note: This review was taken from Jason Bene's 3D viewing of theatrical release, and while his views remain the same, this Blu-ray review is for the 2D version only.]

The Film:

Anyone who saw My Bloody Valentine in theaters will tell you nothing compares to the awesomeness that was director Patrick Lussier and screenwriter Todd Farmer’s re-imagining of the Canadian slasher My Bloody Valentine. It was such a risk remaking a flick that is loved by horror fans everywhere. They improved upon George Mihalka’s 1981 heart-wrencher with more gore, more T & A, and they even added all-around bad-ass Tom Atkins (Maniac Cop, Night of the Creeps) to the 3D experience that was so eye-popping amazing, that I stayed in my seat right until the credits ended.

Milton (Nicolas Cage) is a man who has escaped from the abyss of Hades to avenge the death of his daughter and save his kidnapped granddaughter from the man who is responsible for both – cult leader Jonah King (Billy Burke) – who plans on sacrificing the child under the moon in order to bring forth hell on Earth. The devil doesn’t like prisoners who try to jump ship early, so he unleashes The Accountant (William Fichtner) to bring him back home. Along the way to his ultimate mission, Milton crosses paths with tough-as-nails waitress Piper (Amber Heard), who just quit her job and looks for more from life than having her man (Todd Farmer – getting naked once again) cheat and beat on her. A pact is made and our modern day Bonnie and Clyde are ready to die to save the life of an innocent as blood is spilled across the open road.

If you are looking for a structured story then you are barking up the wrong tree because the screenplay doesn’t require a whole lot of brain matter. This is exploitation trash at its finest as A-list actor Nicolas Cage gets into full B-move mode and hams it up like only he can. He is one of the few people in the business who knows where he came from and speaks openly in interviews about Vampire’s Kiss and Valley Girl – fan favorites that entertain and don’t take themselves seriously. Well, he’s back! Take the scene where he is slamming his salami into former NYPD Blue star Charlotte Ross with a cigar in his mouth, a bottle of Jack Daniels in one hand and a gun in the other, while blowing away the bad guys and still staying hard and delivering the Big O. Amber Heard is hot as usual as she sports the sexiest pair of Daisey Dukes since Jessica Simpson in The Dukes of Hazard. Tom Atkins once again portrays the long arm of the law and is slowly catching up with John Saxon on how many times he’s been a flatfoot.

Shot in Real 3D, Drive Angry is the bastard brood of the 70′s road thrillers Race with the Devil and Two-Lane Blacktop with the lone gunman western approach of Clint Eastwood’s High Plains Drifter.

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video: Summit Entertainment delivers a knockout. The image is razor sharp in its details and clarity, while featuring dark, thick black levels and eye-popping colors. The DTS 5.1 track is damn good, as it’s lively, active, and bass (and I mean bass) heavy. That’s its only issue: the bass is so thick and loud, it sometimes drowns out other effects.

Access: Drive Angry: This picture-in-picture track is quite good, as it branches off into interviews and other tidbits about the making of this film.

Commentary: Director Patrick Lussier and writer Todd Farmer offer up a solid yak track, full of insights, while having a sense of fun about it all. Fans should dig it.

Finally, Deleted Scenes (with optional commentary) and Trailers round out the extras.

The Film: Rating:

The Blu-ray: Rating: