Tweet
Released by: Fireside Releasing LLC
Releaseded on: 9/4/2007
Director: William Kaufman
Cast: Holt Boggs, Mirelly Taylor, Glen Vorhis, Matt Beckham, Diana Lee Inosanto, Lawrence Varnado
Year: 2004
Purchase From Amazon
The Movie:
Truman Fisher (Holt Boggs) is a small time criminal making a living as an enforcer. What Truman doesn't know is that he's being watched, stalked even, by a seasoned killer named Rains who has been following his work for far longer than anyone realizes. Fisher's trusted ally, Ash (Diana Lee Inosanto), warns him about this mysterious man - neither one of them really realize that he's not wanting to kill Fisher so much as he is wanting to take him under his wing.
Made outside the studio system by director William Kaufman, The Prodigy is a slick and stylish crime film with some exciting action set pieces (the opening is fantastic!) and well constructed characters. As the plot goes on the script is smart enough to pull us into the story rather than to depend on little more than ultra-violence as so many action films are apt to do, but at the same time, Kaufman makes sure that the visuals and the intensity hold up throughout - it's a nice mix and the results are very impressive, particularly when you take the small budget into account. This was obviously a labor of love for all involved and while sometimes that's not enough to make a successful film, here the results pay off and we're left with a very impressive piece of work from a bunch of people you've probably never heard of. Don't be surprised if that changes soon, however - there could be big things in store for these guys.
The film makes some interesting connections and allegorical relationships to films like The Invisible Man and The Hitcher and maybe even Leon but it's very definitely its own animal. Every penny of the budget is up on screen and the performances, while not perfect in every single solitary regard, are definitely much stronger than other films of this ilk. The picture is well edited, very well shot, and at times, nicely claustrophobic as Rains and Fisher become more and more alike and things start to close in around the central characters. Effects wise, again, not perfect but certainly much better than you'd probably expect and for the most part they're very effective.
Ultimately, Kaufman's movie isn't going to change the world but those who enjoy a good, smart, tense and violent crime movie ought to give this one a look.
Video/Audio/Extras:
The Prodigy debuts on DVD in a decent 1.85.1 transfer that is, sadly, not enhanced for anamorphic sets. When you take into account that this movie was made fast and cheap, at least by mainstream standards, things actually look pretty good. There are times where some mild compression is evident and there's a bit of grain here and there but aside from that the movie looks pretty good.
The English language Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound mix is reasonably aggressive, just like it should be. Dialogue is clean, clear and easy to follow and the rears are used for the effects and the score quite effectively.
The main extra feature on the disc is a running commentary track with director William Kaufman who is joined by editor Russell White. From there, check out the six deleted scenes that have been included here.
The Final Word:
The Prodigy is an extremely ambitious and impressive feature debut from a filmmaker who shows an obvious passion for the genre in addition to some serious skills behind the camera. The movie isn't perfect, few films are, but it's definitely one of the best low budget action movies to show up in some time - it's definitely worth a look!