In the wake of Christopher Nolan’s much-discussed and underwhelming “The Odyssey,” Arrow Video has staked out an ideal time for a revisit with another Homer film rendition, this one adapting the epic “The Iliad.” The film, of course, is Wolfgang Petersen’s 2004 box-office hit TROY (163/197 mins., R; Arrow), which arrived at a fascinating time in Hollywood. Despite receiving mixed-to-positive reviews – including one from this critic two decades ago – time has been kind to the picture and its approach, offering not just scale and scope but well-defined characters and a handful of fine performances to match.
It’s a glorious looking and sounding picture, spectacularly shot by Roger Pratt – attributes I found lacking in Nolan’s “Odyssey,” especially as far as the fall of Troy is concerned – along with being entertaining, well paced and spectacularly assembled in terms of its combat sequences.
Yet the human dimension isn’t neglected either: David Benioff’s script takes its time developing the various factions who ultimately clash, not always intentionally, during the fateful battle for Greece: the great warrior Achilles (Brad Pitt), who fights for himself and his country despite detesting his own king, Agamemnon (Brian Cox); the weary, wise and veteran son, Hector (Eric Bana), of Troy’s more dignified ruler (Peter O’Toole), whose younger son, Paris (Orlando Bloom), falls for the seemingly unobtainable Helen (Diane Kruger); their cousin, a virginal servant (Rose Byrne) to Apollo who catches Achilles’ interest; and even Odysseus (Sean Bean) himself, fighting with his own watchful eye before enduring a lengthy odyssey home.
Petersen’s battle sequences and one-on-one combat fights are all tremendous, especially the Achilles-Hector duel which certainly looks like both stars were involved in its choreography. CGI naturally plays a role but, coming in the early 2000’s, its usage mixed with a physical production that saw both Hollywood’s past and future coming together at the exact same time results in something of a “contemporary old-fashioned” epic. Hundreds of real extras are “enhanced” into the thousands as Greek soldiers storm the beaches of Troy, swords clash, arrows fly, and James Horner’s thunderous score supports it all effortlessly.
Speaking of Horner, his sweeping love theme – quite gorgeous – has indeed aged like fine wine. Compared, again, to the bombast of a Hans Zimmer score or the eclectic elements of a typical Christopher Nolan soundtrack (regardless of the composer), Horner’s effort shows how much more satisfying and effective romantic, dramatic underscoring was back at the time. Face it, we never knew how good we had it, and now that it’s almost completely absent from modern day moviemaking, hearing “Troy” – a score Horner had to quickly write to replace an overly melodramatic original score by Gabriel Yared – is like taking a trip back in time, in more ways than one.
Not every element of “Troy” fulfills its potential – the romance between Paris and Helen is its weakest element, if only because Diane Kruger is just merely serviceable here. She’s outclassed by an early Rose Byrne performance in the same way Orlando Bloom is bested by the efforts of Eric Bana. Brad Pitt, meanwhile, looks and acts the part as Achilles – but he’s also surprisingly soulful in many scenes, and the sequence where Peter O’Toole’s heartbroken King comes to retrieve his son’s body from Achilles is moving and brilliantly played by both.
While “Troy” won’t remind anyone of “Ben-Hur,” it’s a movie that looks, sounds, and feels better now in the rear view mirror than it did upon its initial release, and Arrow’s 4K UHD is only going to add to that feeling, as it presents a spectacular new Dolby Vision HDR (2.39) 4K remaster of the picture. “Troy”’s original Blu-Ray was an ancient high-def master from the HD-DVD era, offering a low bit-rate and tepid, dated encoding. This dazzling new UHD delivers a golden, warm color spectrum with superior clarity and encoding across two UHDs: one with the movie’s far superior theatrical cut (163 mins.), another with the Director’s Cut (196 mins.), one which performed drastic re-edits to Horner’s score, all to the movie’s detriment. On the audio side, the superb 5.1 DTS MA soundtrack reprises the movie’s original mix (a 2.0 DTS MA track is also included).
The third disc in Arrow’s Limited Edition is a Blu-Ray special features platter sporting archival goodies like “In Movie Experience” picture-in-picture commentary, vintage behind-the-scenes featurettes and interviews, an easter egg, and trailers. In short, there’s nothing new here in terms of supplements outside Arrow’s booklet notes by Priscilla Page and Laurie Maguire – it’s the movie itself that’s the star of the show, a picture more than worthy of reappraisal in a winning 4K remaster that ranks as one of the best catalog releases of the year.
IDENTITY 4K UHD (90 mins., 2003, R; Arrow): Here’s yet another thriller from the “Shyamalan era” with a big twist that proves to be a predictable cinematic game (or sham, depending on how you look at it) instead of an actual drama with characters you care about.
John Cusack, Ray Liotta, and Amanda Peet are part of a group of stranded motorists who end up at a motel in the middle of nowhere on a dark, rainy night. Soon after, the various individuals assembled there begin to be picked off one-by-one by a killer who may just be one of them. Meanwhile, in a story that Might Just Have Something to Do With What’s Going On (it couldn’t be any more obvious), psychologist Alfred Molina tries to persuade a judge to place a stay on his deranged client’s execution.
It’s almost impossible to review “Identity” — a movie that thinks it’s much smarter than it actually is — without giving away a ton of spoilers, so I’ll just say that most movie buffs will have unlocked the movie’s puzzle after just a few minutes, and once you’ve figured it out, there’s nothing left to sustain viewer interest. The direction by James Mangold is comprised of stock suspense movie cliches, with nothing remotely scary to make you jump out of your seat as the thinly-developed characters are offed one after another.
The work of someone who recently sat through “The Sixth Sense,” “The Cell,” “A Beautiful Mind,” “The Usual Suspects,”and Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None, “Identity” is a hodgepodge of cliches without a voice of its own, capped by a laughable ending that’s trumped by yet another ridiculous twist — but, in hindsight, what more should you have expected from the writer of the “Jack Frost” direct-to-video franchise?
Arrow’s 4K UHD streets on August 25th in a new Limited Edition package (2.35, 5.1 DTS MA) with Dolby Vision HDR for both the Extended and Director’s Cuts. Mangold’s commentary has been brought back here along with another track featuring writer Michael Cooney. New interviews include Pruitt Taylor Vince and producer Cathy Konrad, with deleted scenes and a featurette reprieved from Sony’s original Blu-Ray release.
THE PEOPLE VS. LARRY FLYNT 4K UHD (130 mins., 1996, R; Arrow): Oscar winning director Milos Forman helmed this box-office disappointment chronicling the life and times of the Hustler publisher/provocateur (Woody Harrelson), wrapping itself in a discussion of the First Amendment with a courtroom component that brings out the best in Harrelson along with Edward Norton as Flynt’s lawyer. Still, it was the casting of singer Courtney Love as Flynt’s love interest that generated much of the talk behind this well-mounted studio film scripted by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski which nevertheless failed to find much audience interest despite netting excellent reviews. Arrow’s UHD includes a Dolby Vision HDR (2.39) transfer with 5.1/2.0 sound; new interviews with Harrelson, ex-Columbia execs Lisa Henson and producer Janet Yang, and the writers; plus vintage featurettes, interviews, deleted scenes, a 1997 Charlie Rose interview; archival audio commentaries; and writing by Forman expert Andreas Kalskov among others.
JU-ON [THE GRUDGE] 4K UHD (92 mins., 2002, R; Arrow): The first decade of the 21st century will be remembered for numerous cinematic trends, notably an influx of Japanese horror movies and their corresponding run of American remakes.
One of the first was “The Grudge,” a remake of the original JU-ON, a 2002 thriller likewise directed by Takashi Shimizu. No matter the version you see, however, “Ju-On” and its concept are hampered by their formula, wherein the films show the demises of their lead characters, haunted by spirits killed previously in a fit of rage. Unlike “The Ring,” there’s no real story involved here, but rather a series of flashbacks showing what happened to the characters that triggered the traumatic event at-hand, and the deaths of the missing individuals. In those scenes, sure enough, we get all the standard Japanese horror devices: a restless female spirit with long dark hair, dripping water, and other creepy sound effects.
“Ju-On” offers scant surprises, except how thin its character development and central scenario are, making for a one-trick pony that’s all about the jump scares. What’s more, its standard conclusion sets up what became an endless series of sequels on both sides of the pond.
Arrow’s 4K UHD includes a 4K restoration (1.85) from the OCN with Dolby Vision HDR and 5.1/2.0 DTS MA Japanese audio. Extras include an intro from Shimizu, a commentary by historian David Kalat, plus a commentary with U.S. version producers Sam Raimi and Scott Spiegel. There’s also a 5.1 English dub track; an interview with Shimizu on the series; a talk with star Takako Fuji; archival interviews, vintage cast conversations, deleted scenes, over an hour of behind-the-scenes footage and much more in Arrow’s Limited Edition.
Also new from Arrow is a Blu-Ray of SHOGUN’S NINJA (117 mins., 1980), a free-wheeling genre effort from Japan’s Toei Company that stars Hiroyuki Sanda, whose character arrives in Japan hoping to exact revenge from Sonny Chinba’s ninja, who killed his father decades before and now – along with his mob – controls the country with an iron fist. Fans of “John Wick” may enjoy seeing one of Sanda’s earlier leading vehicles from his native country, presented here in a 1080p (2.35) transfer with Japanese subtitled sound, an English dub, a new commentary by Chris Poggiali and an interview featuring Clement Rauger.
Coming From Blue Underground
Blue Underground has another attractive 4K UHD Limited Edition Steelbook lined up for release this month as an exclusive to the MVD Shop: CIRCLE OF IRON (97 mins., R; Blue Underground), a 1978 Avco-Embassy release that was initially intended to be an epic for writer-star Bruce Lee.
When the martial arts master prematurely passed away, it became a vehicle for David Carradine, Jeff Cooper, Christopher Lee and guest stars Roddy McDowall and Eli Wallach (who bizarrely essays “The Man In Oil”), who star in this alternately surreal and ridiculous kung fu adventure. Director Richard Moore’s film, scripted by Stirling Silliphant and Stanley Mann from a story credited to Lee, his pal James Coburn and Silliphant, is set in a kingdom where warrior Cooper sets out to find a book belonging to bad guy Lee. Along the way Cooper has to survive a series of trials, mostly involving Carradine, who essays no fewer than four different roles.
A good amount of action helps to compensate for a story that’s a bit muddy, offering ample doses of Lee’s Zen philosophy and mysticism, not to mention numerous goofy sequences. Bruce Smeaton’s fine orchestral score also adds an assist, but it’s martial arts fans who will find this to be of the most interest, and it helps if they also share a taste for the offbeat, which “Circle of Iron” (aka “The Silent Flute”) certainly has its moments of.
“Circle of Iron” has been remastered with Dolby Vision HDR (1.66) and Dolby Atmos sound in Blue Underground’s lovely new Steelbook. The deluxe packaging also houses a similarly remastered Blu-Ray which includes a new commentary from genre authorities Frank Djeng and Chris Poggiali along with a recent interview with co-star Anthony DeLongis and a poster/stills gallery. In addition to the original mono audio and a 5.1 DTS MA mix, the discs include extras from the label’s original release, including an alternate opening, commentary with director Moore, an interview with Carradine, a conversation with producer Paul Maslansky and martial arts coordinator Joe Lewis, an audio chat with Sitrling Silliphant, trailers and TV spots as well.
Van Dammage X2
Two vintage Jean-Claude Van Damme films premiere on 4K UHD this month from MVD via the label’s Rewind Collection, including one of JCVD’s most enjoyable early outings.
That film is LIONHEART (110 mins., 1990, R; MVD), which was produced through Imperial Entertainment and picked up by Universal for a U.S. release early in 1990. While the movie was shortened by a few minutes and did only moderate business, it was enough to further establish Van Damme’s name on the marquee and set the table for higher box-office heights to be scaled not soon thereafter.
Yet on its own terms, “Lionheart” is purely entertaining silliness that could only be cranked out during the heyday of big-screen ‘80s action heroes. Van Damme plays a member of the French Foreign Legion who breaks out of his service and flees to the U.S. in order to help his sister and niece after his brother is brutally burned on the streets of L.A. Encountering an underground fighting ring, Van Damme’s Lyon Gaultier becomes an underdog hero at the same time he tries to evade government agents still on his trail.
With a few minutes of running time restored, “Lionheart” plays even better today, with director Sheldon Lettich playing the material just straight enough for the audience to be invested in its premise, but with a sufficient sense of humor that it’s still light on its feet. John Scott scored most of the picture with a Russian orchestra and it supports the action throughout.
For a lot of reasons “Lionheart” remains an endearingly silly picture (with a script written by Van Damme and Lettich) that understandably remains a fan favorite. MVD’s UHD includes a new HDR10 (1.85) restoration that offers fine grain, and quite a bit of it, due to the nature of the source elements. This is a bright and detailed image even if the colors aren’t overly saturated, with 2.0 PCM stereo sound, a new commentary by Lettich, archival commentary by Lettich and Harrison Page, a 47-minute 2018 documentary, another Making Of, archival interviews, a mini-poster and more grace the two-disc set, which also comes with a remastered Blu-Ray.
Opposite Robert Guillaume and Cynthia Gibb, Van Damme quickly got back into the saddle with DEATH WARRANT (89 mins., 1990, R; MVD), which MGM produced and released in the Fall of 1990.
This one – an early script by future comic book movie (and Christopher Nolan) scribe David S. Goyer – finds Van Damme as an undercover cop from Quebec who comes to an L.A. prison where he poses as an inmate in order to catch a killer. Russell Carpenter’s solid cinematography aids this serviceable if forgettable JCVD outing helmed by Deran Sarafian and scored by Gary Chang.
MVD’s 4K UHD includes a new 16-bit scan of the OCN resulting in another satisfying, if a bit grainy, HDR10 (1.85) transfer with 2.0 PCM sound. Extras include commentary by Sarafian and interviews with Cynthia Gibb and Art LaFleur, plus a Van Damme trailer gallery and mini-poster.
Quick Takes
Visual Vengeance has a 25th Anniversary Collector’s Edition Blu-Ray due out for LAURIN (84 mions., 1989), an unusual, atmosphere-heavy thriller from Germany about a young girl who has visions of local children who have gone missing in a rural village. Hard to find in the U.S., this is as much a character study than it is a horror film, with Robert Sigl’s picture having achieved some cult interest in Europe. Now U.S. viewers get the chance to see the film, which has been presented in a 2K transfer (1.85) with both an English dub and German subtitled audio; commentary by Troy Howarth; a VHS rough cut from Sigl’s own collection; a Making Of; interviews with cast and crew, plus historian Jonathan Rigby; a mini-poster, booklet notes and much more.
Unearthed has gifted Japanese horror fans a Blu-Ray of TETSUO: THE BULLET MAN (71 mins., 2009), the third and final film in the Tetsuo trilogy from director Sinya Tsukamoto. Employing the same grizzly body horror formula as its predecessors, this entry follows an American office worker (Eric Bossick) whose son is killed, transforming him into a mech-man hybrid hellbent on revenge. Tom Mes and Bossick provide the commentary in Unearthed’s Blu-Ray (1.77, 5.1 DTS MA).
88 Films’ newest is a Special Limited Edition of PING PONG (114 mins., 2002), the Japanese drama about a brash ping pong prodigy (Yosuke Kubozuka) readying for a major tournament while suffering from a losing streak. Lots of table-tennis action spice up director Fumihiko Sori’s adaptation of the manga series, on Blu-Ray with a 1080p (1.78) transfer, 5.1 DTS Japanese subtitled audio, commentary by Zack Davisson, an interview with Michael Arias, and a video essay by Jasper Sharp.
Version 1.0.0
MVD brings Francesco Lucente’s PARADISE BUNGALOWS (90 mins., 1987, PG) to Blu-Ray – the story of a high schooler who takes a bet to bring a beautiful classmate to “Paradise Bungalows.” After failing to impress, he enchants the girl for real – at least until she finds out about his bet with the class bully – in this independent outing, remastered from the original 16mm negative. MVD’s two-disc set includes a Blu-Ray (4:3, 5.1/2.0) and the soundtrack on CD…Cleopatra’s latest is a DVD of PORTRAITS OF THE APOCALYPSE (75 mins., 2025), a brief anthology film following a virus’ outbreak in Buenos Aires from the point of view of several different characters. English and Spanish language options are included in Cleopatra’s DVD.
Also New & Noteworthy
PRESSURE 4K UHD/Blu-Ray (100 mins., 2026, PG-13; Universal): Taut, character-driven adaptation of David Haig’s stage play of the same name – co-scripted and directed by Anthony Maras – finds Brendan Fraser’s Dwight D. Eisenhower and group captain James Stagg (Andrew Scott) attempting to plan the logistical nightmare of D-Day. Excellent performances and solid history make for a compelling view now on 4K UHD from Universal featuring Dolby Vision HDR (1.85) and Dolby Atmos sound along with the Blu-Ray, two behind-the-scenes featurettes, and a Digital HD code.
NEXT TIME: POPEYE in 4K! Until then, don’t forget to drop in on the official Aisle Seat Message Boards and direct any emails to our email address. Cheers!