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Released by: Lionsgate
Released on: April 8th, 2014.
Director: Douglas Aarniokoski
Cast: Paz de la Huerta, Judd Nelson, Katrina Bowden
Year: 2013
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The Movie:
Directed by Douglas Aarniokoski, Nurse (or Nurse 3D if you prefer) introduces us to a tall, leggy femme fatale named Abby Russell (Paz de la Huerta) who works as a nurse but moonlights as a serial killer. Her prey of choice? Philandering men, the kind that hide their wedding rings in their pockets at bars to pick up pretty women in hopes of nailing them on the rooftop. When one such victim tries to buy Abby a drink, she takes him away and goes as far as she can to give him the impression that he's going to get lucky, before slicing him where no man wants to be sliced and tossing him off of said rooftop.
From there, with Abby's character well and truly established, we meet a pretty young blonde named Danni (Katrina Bowden) who has just started at the hospital Abby has worked at for some time. She's having a rough go of it, freezing at the sight of her first accident victim, a faux pas that sees her on the receiving end of a tongue lashing from doctor in charge Morris (Judd Nelson). Abby, a mentor to Danni, sees this happen and invites her out for a drink to help her unwind. Before you know it, Danni's drink has been spiked and she's not only fooling around with the guy at the bar but with Abby too. Danni wakes up the next morning confused - after all, she loves her boyfriend Steve (Cobrin Bleu) even if she doesn't want to move in with him until she sorts out a few personal issues.
As the movie progresses, Abby becomes jealous. She wants Danni for herself and isn't keen on her getting closer to Steve. Her true nature, the one we saw reveal itself in the opening scene, comes to light and when Danni's stepfather, a shrink named Larry (Martin Donovan), winds up dead from a car accident after taking Danni on as a client for sex addiction, she starts to wonder who or what Abby really is.
Director Aarniokoski, who recently helmed The Day with some decent results and who worked as an assistant director on a lot of Full Moon projects in the nineties, paces this one well and delivers a film that delivers exactly what the audience wants from it. The script, as heavily laced with pitch black humor as it is, provides ample opportunity for sex and violence and the movie makes no qualms about reveling in such exploitative qualities and it's all the better for it. Some may recall the advertising campaign that featured a naked de la Huerta with a nurse's hat on covered in blood? Yeah, that's some serious truth in advertising right there. This one earns its R rating and wears it like a bloody badge of honor. It's not a film concerned with realism and it doesn't even bother to try to stay within the realm of possibility, instead it amps up the gratuitous factor to ridiculously awesome levels and just goes for it.
The script, however, does abide by some clichés (it's basically Single White Female in a hospital setting with some lesbianism thrown in for good measure). The twist is fairly easy to see coming and the ending is more than a little bit predictable, at least by the time we get to the one hour mark. If the movie plays to clichés, however, at least it does it with a straight face and a gleefully exploitative spirit that makes all of this a complete blast to watch. Much of this stems from the performances. Pretty Katrina Bowden, of Piranha 3DD and Tucker And Dale Vs. Evil, plays her naí¯ve newbie nurse with plenty of charm. She's cute and sexy and her character means well, which counts for a lot once it's time to sympathize with her. She does well and her character's relationship with Corbin Bleu's Steve works well. Additionally we get an aging Judd Nelson sleazing it up as a doctor only too happy to initiate the new nurses in his own way - dirty old man style. Hiding behind a bushy moustache and some thick glasses he seems to be having fun in this part and he too is well cast. Niecy Nash deserves mention too. She plays the 'sassy black nurse' in the film and while she's not necessarily reinventing that stereotype, she's responsible for some of the most effective humor in the movie and she makes the part her own.
The real scene stealer here, and this should come as no surprise to anyone, is Paz de la Huerta. The striking actress plays the part with the right mix of vampish aggression and a bizarre detachment from reality, creating a memorably bizarre character with her take on Abby Russell. Her work here is brave, bold, brash and frequently free of the restraints of clothing and after watching the movie it's hard to imagine anyone bringing the type of screen presence to the role as de la Huerta was able to here. She proves quite fearless, strutting about naked but for a coating of fresh gore. From the moment when she seductively informs us that 'there no cure for the married cock… except me' before drawing first blood in that opening scene to the inevitable massacre she embarks on before the finale, she owns the movie. Bring on the sequel.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Nurse arrives on Blu-ray framed at 2.39.1 widescreen in AVC encoded 1080p high definition. Shot on high end digital video, the image is obviously free of any dirt or damage. Detail is typically excellent and color reproduction is bright and bold without ever becoming oversaturated. The reds in the movie are strong but don't look artificially boosted. Skin tones look nice and natural and there are no issues with noise reduction or edge enhancement issues. All in all, this is a crisp, clean and nicely detailed picture.
Audio chores are handled by an English language DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that is pretty much flawless. Surround activity is plentiful not just during the more action oriented scenes such as the car crash or the big hospital attack finale, but during the more subdued bits as well. The club scene features some really powerful bass once the music erupts but the low end stays strong throughout the movie. Dialogue is always easy to understand, even when de la Huerta speaks in some slightly hushed tones. A Spanish language Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound track is also included as are optional subtitles in English, English SDH and Spanish.
Aside from both 2D and 3D versions of the movie, there are a few other extras on the disc starting with an audio commentary track from director Douglas Aarniokoski. It's a solid track that gives a lot of information about what went into getting the movie to look the way it did and about what it was like working with the different cast and crew members on this picture. He covers some of the effects work, the visuals, and of course, the casting choices. It's well paced and worth listening to. He also talks about some of the odd issues that happened during the shoot, such as a certain lead showing up unusually tanned, as well as what was improvised on the shoot and what was done strictly by the script. He also covers the film's unique look, the cinematography that played and important part in creating that look, and the use of music.
Outside of that we get a nine minute behind the scenes segment that interviews Aarniokoski, de la Huerta, Nelson, Bowden and others. It's not particularly in-depth but it offers some insight into the characters, the costuming and the more horrific elements that make up the picture. Five minutes of video diaries in which Bowden and Bleu goof around are also found on the disc as are previews for a few other Lionsgate properties. Menus and chapter stops are included, an insert inside the case contains a download code for a digital copy of the movie and the case comes housed inside a slipcase.
The Final Word:
Lionsgate's Blu-ray release of Nurse is a good one. There are a few decent extras and the presentation is top notch. As to the movie itself? It's a kick. Paz de la Huerta brings such a weird psycho-sexual vibe to her character that she's impossible to take your eyes off of, making the fact that the story is a bit on the predictable side easier to look past. This is slick, sick, and all kinds of naughty fun.
Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!
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