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Released by: Intervision Picture Corp.
Released on: November 24th, 2015.
Director: Josh Wagner, Thomas Zambeck
Cast: Augie Duke, Patrick Cronen, Jillian Leigh, Sam Boxleitner, Sasha Higgins
Year: 2014
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The Movie:
Josh Wagner and Thomas Zambeck's indie horror/thriller/comedy The Badger Game tells the tale of a woman named Alex (Augie Duke). She's got an idea, a scheme if you will - she's going to kidnap her ex-boyfriend Liam (Sam Boxleitner) and blackmail him for two million in cash. It would seem that Alex has got some rather interesting photos of the two of them that Liam might not want to get out. Why? Because when she was involved with Liam, he kind of forget to let Alex know that he was married and, well, Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. We learn all of this as Alex explains her plan to Shelley (Jillian Leigh), her best friend and confidant and someone in dire need of some quick cash herself. Shelley's part in all of this is to let Alex use her daughter as the type of bait she knows will get Liam right where they want him to make this work.
There's more to it though - another of Liam's burnt bridges in the form of a stripper named Jane (Sasha Higgins) wants payback for the abuse she claims to have suffered at his hands, while Alex's brother Kip (Patrick Cronen) figures he should get a piece of the action as well. Sort of. As the scheme unfolds, however, an unseen figure seems to appear at random times, documenting both their words and their deeds.
You just know this isn't going to end well…
…and it doesn't, but not in the way you might expect. There are, as you could rightly expect, plenty of twists and turns in the story but they almost always take things in a direction you don't necessarily see coming. The basic setup for the film isn't that original - there have been plenty of movies made about jilted lovers trying to get revenge on the man or woman who they feel wronged them in matters of love - but as the plot unfolds and the character arcs progress, there turns out to be plenty of surprises in store for those willing to give the film a shot.
There are moments here where the acting is a little less than perfect, but these are moments rather than constants. Augie Duke is good in the lead, she's attractive but in an interesting way, she has a very unique look to her that works well in the context of her character's personality. We like her enough to want to see where she's going to go with this but at the same time are able to remind just suspicious enough of her true intentions to keep Alex interesting. She and Jillian Leigh have good chemistry here and make for an interesting team. Sam Boxleitner as the object of their ire is also fine in his role, essentially the catalyst for all that happens in the movie.
The cinematography in the picture is decent, if occasionally a bit pedestrian, while the set design and lighting are fairly solid. The movie's style becomes more impressive as the film gets darker, thematically and literally, and we get some interesting costume and lighting choices on display. The editing is also good, the movie goes at a good pace and has no trouble holding out attention. This is worth checking out - it mixes in its humor in more subtle ways than you might expect and it heads into some very twisted territory before it's all over with.
Video/Audio/Extras:
The Badger Game hits Blu-ray in an AVC encoded 1.78.1 widescreen 1080p high definition transfer that would seem to be a pretty good representation of the originally source material. Shot digitally and on a modest budget this isn't a super glossy production but it looks fine here even if it doesn't deliver a reference quality Blu-ray viewing experience. Some crush is evident and shadow detail comes and goes but colors are nicely rendered and when the lighting in the movie is on point, the detail and texture is there.
The English language Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo track, which comes with optional subtitles also in English, isn't as good as a lossless option would have been but it gets the job done. Dialogue stays clean and easy to follow and the mix is properly balanced and free of any hiss or distortion.
Two audio commentary tracks make up the bulk of the supplements on this release. The first track is with the writer/director team of Joshua Wagner and Thomas Zambeck joined by composer London May and the second track features cast members Augie Duke, Jillian Leigh and Sasha Higgins. Both tracks are well paced and pretty informative. The director/composer talk is the more interesting of the two as it's more focused and it really does a good job of just exploring how this project came to originate and the work involved in getting it finished. The cast track has merits of its own, however, as it allows those who worked in front of the camera to swap stories about what it was like on set, their thoughts on the characters that they played and their feelings on the movie itself.
Aside from that, we get some cast and crew interviews shot at the movie's Los Angeles premiere that offer some insight into the creative process behind the movie, menus and chapter selection.
The Final Word:
The Badger Game was a welcome surprise, an indie movie that wears its modest budget on its sleeve but which is generally smart enough not to overextend its reach. The performances are decent if not always perfect and the cinematography effective but it's the story, the pacing and the darkly humorous tone that make this one work. Intervision's Blu-ray presents the movie in nice shape and with some decent extras.
Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!
