Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

What Doesn't Kill You

Collapse
X
Collapse
  •  
    Ian Jane
    Administrator

  • What Doesn't Kill You

    Click image for larger version

Name:	whatdoesn'killyou.jpg
Views:	1
Size:	12.0 KB
ID:	383335

    Released by: Sony
    Released on: 4/28/09
    Director: Brian Goodman
    Cast: Mark Ruffalo, Ethan Hawke, Amanda Peet
    Year: 2008

    The Movie:

    What Doesn't Kill You, from director Brian Goodman, who co-wrote the film with Donnie Wahlberg (yep) and Paul T. Murray, flew under a lot of radars despite a critically acclaimed though very limited theatrical run in 2008. Based on Goodman's own life, the film may at first seem like a cliché ridden 'crook with a good heart needs one last heist to make good' story, there are a few interesting twists and turns that make the story a fair bit more than that. The real reason to watch this film, however, is the acting.

    The picture tells the hard luck story of Brian Reilly (Mark Ruffalo), a young man who grew up on the shitty side of Boston with no money and even fewer opportunities. He and his best friend, Paulie McDougan (Ethan Hawke sporting a bad Celtic tattoo) have made a living robbing and extorting, spending their time and profits on booze and floozies. Brian, however, is married to a woman named Stacey (Amanda Peet) who he has two sons with. Despite the fact that Brian tends to drink too much and likes the crack pipe way more than he should, he does care for his family - though we all know the road to Hell is paved with good intentions, right?

    At any rate, Brian and Paulie decide they're going to rob an armored car. This isn't a good idea, but they do it anyway and thanks to an overzealous undercover cop, Brian winds up doing five years in the state penitentiary. When he gets back, he tries to make things right with his wife and kids but winds up falling back in with the same crowd, the lure of easy money too hard to resist when his family is struggling financially as they have been since he was in the slammer. Paulie thinks they can pull of one big score, he knows they'll get away with it, but Brian's priorities are starting to shift, and he's not so sure it's worth the risk…

    So yeah, the story isn't all that original, even if it is at least partially based on the life of the man who made it, but the performances really more than make up for it. Ethan Hawke is surprisingly believable as the slimy best friend but Ruffalo really steals the show making you wonder why he isn't a bigger 'name' actor than he is. He's good enough in this movie that this should very well be his break through performance. He's completely believable and as his character goes through his various ups and downs, you feel it. When he's smoking crack and drinking himself to death, you're right down there with him and when he's trying to reconcile things with his wife and kids, you can't help but get a little misty eyed.

    A few decent action sequences keep this drama rooted firmly in crime movie territory and the film definitely earns its R-rating but this isn't exploitative at all - it's a well made and incredibly well acted slice of life story, one that's very much seeking out.

    Video/Audio/Extras:

    What Doesn't Kill You debuts on Blu-ray in a 2.35.1 anamorphic widescreen 1080p AVC encoded presentation. Detail levels look pretty strong, especially during facial close ups, but the colors aren't quite as eye popping as you might think as the film uses a fairly gritty and flat color palette. There aren't any noticeable problems with edge enhancement to complain about nor are there any problems with mpeg compression to note. There isn't much in the way of print damage to note either, just a natural amount of film grain, and skin tones look lifelike and natural. Overall, however, the image is pretty good and it doesn't leave a whole lot of room to complain.

    A Dolby TrueHD 48kHz 5.1 track is provided in English only while optional subtitles are provided in English and English SDH. The TrueHD track is pretty strong. The action scenes in particular demonstrate some nice channel separation (you'll notice this during the armored car robbery early on in the movie) and the levels are nicely balanced. Bass response is pretty strong and the score is spread out nicely across the entire playing field. Dialogue stays clean and clear throughout the movie and there are no problems with hiss or distortion to report.

    The biggest and best of the extra features on this disc is a commentary track with writer/director/actor Brian Goodman who is joined by co-writer/supporting actor Donnie Wahlberg. Considering that so much of this story was based on Goodman's personal experiences, he's obviously got a fair bit to say about the film as does Wahlberg, who helped him write it and get it made. They pair talk about the logistics of putting a picture together but also about how their lives shaped the script and the performances. The result is a commentary track that is a fair bit more personal than your average talk, but one that is certainly no less rewarding.

    Aside from that, look for a handful of deleted scenes that don't add much to the movie, and a reasonably entertaining behind the scenes documentary that mixes up some talking head interview clips with some behind the scenes footage. Animated menus and chapter selection are also included.

    The Final Word:

    A surprisingly intelligent, moving, and well acted crime drama that really took this viewer by surprise, What Doesn't Kill You receives a strong Blu-ray debut from Sony.
      Posting comments is disabled.

    Latest Articles

    Collapse

    • Hot Spur (Severin Films) Blu-ray Review
      Ian Jane
      Administrator
      by Ian Jane


      Released by: Severin Films
      Released on: April 30th, 2024.
      Director: Lee Frost
      Cast: Joseph Mascolo, Virginia Goodman, John Alderman
      Year: 1969
      Purchase From Amazon

      Hot Spur – Movie Review:

      Director Lee Frost and Producer Bob Cresse's film, Hot Spur, opens in Texas in 1869 with a scene where a pair of cowboys wanders into a bar where they call over a pretty Mexican waitress and coerce her into dancing for them. She obliges, but
      ...
      03-22-2024, 11:53 AM
    • Death Squad (Mondo Macabro) Blu-ray Review
      Ian Jane
      Administrator
      by Ian Jane


      Released by: Mondo Macabro
      Released on: April 9th, 2024.
      Director: Max Pecas
      Cast: Thierry de Carbonnières, Jean-Marc Maurel, Denis Karvil, Lillemour Jonsson
      Year: 1985
      Purchase From Amazon

      Death Squad – Movie Review:

      Also known as Brigade Of Death, French sleaze auteur Max Pecas’ 1985 film, Death Squad, opens with a night time scene outside of Paris in the Bois de Boulogne Forest where cars pass by a small gang of transsexual
      ...
      03-22-2024, 11:46 AM
    • Roommates (Quality X) Blu-ray Review
      Ian Jane
      Administrator
      by Ian Jane


      Released by: Quality X
      Released on: February 28th, 2024.
      Director: Chuck Vincent
      Cast: Samantha Fox, Vernoica Hart, Kelly Nichols, Jerry Butler, Jamie Gillis
      Year: 1982
      Purchase From Amazon

      Roommates – Movie Review:

      Directed by Chuck Vincent and released in 1982, Roommates opens with a scene where a young woman named Joan Harmon (Veronica Hart) gets a hotel room with an older man named Ken (Don Peterson, credited as Phil Smith),
      ...
      03-15-2024, 01:10 PM
    • Night Of The Blood Monster (Blue Underground) UHD/Blu-ray Review
      Ian Jane
      Administrator
      by Ian Jane


      Released by: Blue Underground
      Released on: March 26th, 2024.
      Director: Jess Franco
      Cast: Christopher Lee, Maria Rohm, Dennis Price
      Year: 1970
      Purchase From Amazon

      Night Of The Blood Monster – Movie Review:

      Directed by Jess Franco, The Bloody Judge (or, Night Of The Blood Monster, as it is going by on this new release from Blue Underground) isn't quite the salacious exercise in Eurotrash you might expect it to be, and while it
      ...
      03-15-2024, 01:07 PM
    • Phase IV (Vinegar Syndrome) UHD/Blu-ray Review
      Ian Jane
      Administrator
      by Ian Jane


      Released by: Vinegar Syndrome
      Released on: March 26th, 2024.
      Director: Saul Bass
      Cast: Nigel Davenport, Michael Murphy, Lynne Frederick, Alan Gifford, Robert Henderson, Helen Horton
      Year: 1974
      Purchase From Amazon

      Phase IV – Movie Review:

      Saul Bass’ 1974 sci-fi/thriller Phase IV is an interesting blend of nature run amuck stereotypes and Natural Geographic style nature footage mixed into one delicious cocktail of suspense and
      ...
      03-15-2024, 01:02 PM
    • The Bounty Hunter Trilogy (Radiance Films) Blu-ray Review
      Ian Jane
      Administrator
      by Ian Jane


      Released by: Radiance Films
      Released on: March 26th, 2024.
      Director: Shigehiro Ozawa, Eiichi Kudo
      Cast: Tomisaburo Wakayama, Minoru Ôki, Arashi Kanjuro, Bin Amatsu, Chiezo Kataoka
      Year: 1969-1972
      Purchase From Amazon

      The Bounty Hunter Trilogy – Movie Review:

      Radiance Films gathers together the three films in Toie Studios’ Bounty Hunter Trilogy, starring the inimitable Tomisaburo Wakayama. Here’s how the three movies in this
      ...
      03-13-2024, 11:30 AM
    Working...
    X