Horseman (Blu-ray Review)
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Loading ...'The Horseman' is not (repeat NOT) a western.
Revenge films are among the most basic and often among the most satisfying genres in all of moviedom. It doesnt take long to set up a situation where we find an emotionally devastated protagonist (usually the relative of someone who has been slain, or at the very least kidnapped), give him the tools to enact his justice on the perpetrators, and then simply sit back and watch the chips (and broken bones) fall into place. When the modern revenge film found its voice with the Death Wish s...
Video
The Horseman is not going to win any videophile awards for its VC-1 encoded 1080p image (with a 1.78:1 aspect ratio), and yet it is perfectly evocative of director Kastrissios vision, Im sure, especially considering the films paltry budget. What were greeted with here, aside from the ubiquitous use of post-processing (more about which later), is a rather grainy stock with blown out contrast that gives the film a perfect indie verité quality, which is exactly what I bet Kastrissios wa...
Audio
On the other hand (and/or ear), The Horsemans staggeringly robust DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix will leave you ducking for cover as thumps, cracks, moans and groans fly about the room as all sorts of mayhem is unleashed. This is a really bombastic soundtrack that takes no prisoners and delivers a lot of sonic punch, especially considering the films relatively small budget. While the smaller, more dialogue driven moments of the film are delivered with crispness and clarity, its in the e...
Supplements
Aside from two quite excellent Commentaries, one with the director, and the other with cast and crew, The Horseman also offers these SD supplements:
- The Making of The Horseman (35:58), is a cut above the typical EPK-fest, with some nice background on the lesser known talents in front of and behind the camera.
- Deleted Scenes (9:08) presents three scenes, including some extended as opposed to totally deleted items. Nothing really earth-...
Final Words
Make no (broken and twisted) bones about it, The Horseman is violent, bloody, gruesome and often gasp inducing in its absolute mayhem. That said, there's just an inkling of some actual moral consciousness running beneath the surface of the gore which augurs well for Kastrissios once he becomes a bit more mature as a writer and craftsman. This certainly isn't family fare, or for the even moderately squeamish, but if you're a fan of this kind of vengeance flick, The Horseman is rec......
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Horseman (Blu-ray Review)
(4.67 out of 5)
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