Dead in Tombstone (2013)
Studio: Universal
Blu Ray Release: October 22, 2013
Director: Roel Reine
Not Rated
Review by James Klein
It's really tough to find a good western these days. Very few are even made now so when a western finally does see the light of day, either in theaters or blu ray, I jump at the chance to see it. And the key word here folks is "good". A GOOD western is hard to come by. While Dead in Tombstone boasts some likable actors, it is anything but good. In fact, Dead in Tombstone cured my desire to see a western for quite awhile.
While I tried to keep an open mind throughout the film, I knew Dead in Tombstone wasn't going to be a film I would like right from the get go. As a man is about to be hanged and his posse of gunfighters come to his rescue, the editing is so quick and so fast paced, I had no clue what was going on. Then in the middle of a shoot out, the film would freeze frame on a gunfighter and his wanted poster would fly at the screen with fake CGI blood flying all over the place as if we need to be introduced to each character in this fashion. The entire movie is like this. Overly stylish to the point of the nausea, Dead in Tombstone is a film made for short attention span teenagers and 20 year olds.
Danny Trejo stars as Guerrero who saves his half brother Red (Anthony Michael Hall) from being hanged. As the men rob a bank filled with gold, Red decides to start shooting everyone and take over the town. When Guerrero resists, Red and the rest of the gang murder Guerrero which sends him to Hell. As Guerrero is being tortured by Lucifer (Mickey Rourke) he makes a deal with the Devil: give him 24 hours to bring Lucifer the souls of his old gang and let Guerrero have his life back. When Lucifer agrees, Guerrero comes back to life a much more mean and almost invincible gunslinger. With the help of a woman whose husband was murdered by Red (Dina Meyer) each gang member is hunted down and killed one by one.
I am not sure what's more unbelievable: the story line or Anthony Michael Hall being a brother to Danny Trejo. And throughout the entire movie, both actors spout off dialog regarding their relationship so that it is mentioned constantly that these men are brothers. While I hated the editing and stylish direction, the acting is just as awful. These actors are either embarrassed, confused, over the top, or just plain bad. It doesn't help that their dialog is terribly written but none of the actors even seem to try. Rourke looks like he is lost or is about to start laughing any minute. The film makers also thought it would be a good idea to dub his voice over in certain spots. Hall looks like he's having a good time trying his best to be a bad ass which doesn't come off at all. At least Meyer is hot to look at although I miss seeing her nude scenes like in Starship Troopers. And while Danny Trejo is a likable character actor, film makers need to realize that they should limit the amount of dialog he is given.
I will say I did enjoy some of the scenery and sets. I always liked my westerns in the cold winter as opposed to the blinding hot sun so Dead in Tombstone does provide some nice atmosphere when the camera stays still for more than five seconds. The picture on the blu ray looks fine and the sound is really good, spouting off a decent 5.1 surround where one can hear gunshots, explosions, and fist fights all around the room. There is quite a bit of extra features too such as deleted scenes, audio commentary, a making of and two versions in case one would rather watch the R rated cut as opposed to the Unrated version. Universal does a great job with this blu ray but too bad the movie is Dead in Tombstone.
While I enjoy all of the actors who are in this film, they really need to be put in a better movie. Dead in Tombstone is an obnoxious assault to the senses, a mess of a movie that tries to be hip and cool. It goes out of its way to be different when all it really is is a rip-off of The Crow.
Movie [Rating: 1.5]
Blu Ray [Rating: 4]
Blu Ray Release: October 22, 2013
Director: Roel Reine
Not Rated
Review by James Klein
It's really tough to find a good western these days. Very few are even made now so when a western finally does see the light of day, either in theaters or blu ray, I jump at the chance to see it. And the key word here folks is "good". A GOOD western is hard to come by. While Dead in Tombstone boasts some likable actors, it is anything but good. In fact, Dead in Tombstone cured my desire to see a western for quite awhile.
While I tried to keep an open mind throughout the film, I knew Dead in Tombstone wasn't going to be a film I would like right from the get go. As a man is about to be hanged and his posse of gunfighters come to his rescue, the editing is so quick and so fast paced, I had no clue what was going on. Then in the middle of a shoot out, the film would freeze frame on a gunfighter and his wanted poster would fly at the screen with fake CGI blood flying all over the place as if we need to be introduced to each character in this fashion. The entire movie is like this. Overly stylish to the point of the nausea, Dead in Tombstone is a film made for short attention span teenagers and 20 year olds.
Danny Trejo stars as Guerrero who saves his half brother Red (Anthony Michael Hall) from being hanged. As the men rob a bank filled with gold, Red decides to start shooting everyone and take over the town. When Guerrero resists, Red and the rest of the gang murder Guerrero which sends him to Hell. As Guerrero is being tortured by Lucifer (Mickey Rourke) he makes a deal with the Devil: give him 24 hours to bring Lucifer the souls of his old gang and let Guerrero have his life back. When Lucifer agrees, Guerrero comes back to life a much more mean and almost invincible gunslinger. With the help of a woman whose husband was murdered by Red (Dina Meyer) each gang member is hunted down and killed one by one.
I am not sure what's more unbelievable: the story line or Anthony Michael Hall being a brother to Danny Trejo. And throughout the entire movie, both actors spout off dialog regarding their relationship so that it is mentioned constantly that these men are brothers. While I hated the editing and stylish direction, the acting is just as awful. These actors are either embarrassed, confused, over the top, or just plain bad. It doesn't help that their dialog is terribly written but none of the actors even seem to try. Rourke looks like he is lost or is about to start laughing any minute. The film makers also thought it would be a good idea to dub his voice over in certain spots. Hall looks like he's having a good time trying his best to be a bad ass which doesn't come off at all. At least Meyer is hot to look at although I miss seeing her nude scenes like in Starship Troopers. And while Danny Trejo is a likable character actor, film makers need to realize that they should limit the amount of dialog he is given.
I will say I did enjoy some of the scenery and sets. I always liked my westerns in the cold winter as opposed to the blinding hot sun so Dead in Tombstone does provide some nice atmosphere when the camera stays still for more than five seconds. The picture on the blu ray looks fine and the sound is really good, spouting off a decent 5.1 surround where one can hear gunshots, explosions, and fist fights all around the room. There is quite a bit of extra features too such as deleted scenes, audio commentary, a making of and two versions in case one would rather watch the R rated cut as opposed to the Unrated version. Universal does a great job with this blu ray but too bad the movie is Dead in Tombstone.
While I enjoy all of the actors who are in this film, they really need to be put in a better movie. Dead in Tombstone is an obnoxious assault to the senses, a mess of a movie that tries to be hip and cool. It goes out of its way to be different when all it really is is a rip-off of The Crow.
Movie [Rating: 1.5]
Blu Ray [Rating: 4]
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