The DVD

Video:
Adrenaline Cowboys is presented in a letterboxed 1.66:1 format that, even aside from the fact that it's non-anamorphic, has some major issues. Many of the problems with this transfer may be the result of poor source material, but some are just inexcusably distracting. I didn't expect a perfect visual presentation for a documentary such as this, but I also didn't expect to see blooming colors, pixelation, motion artifacts, and a myriad of other blemishes all over the film. Some of the film is intentionally made to look like vintage, stock footage - complete with scratches and spots - but it's clearly intentional when this appears. I'm not sure what the excuse is for the rest of the film looking so poorly. The opening sequences with Bo Derek are so bright and shimmering that they are nearly unwatchable. Whites bloom so badly that the rest of image actually looks washed out. That's not to say, however, that this transfer is a complete and utter mess. Some of the action scenes of the bull riders in the arena look nice. They even appear to have a touch more detail than the rest of the film. Sure, this isn't a visually stunning film to begin with, but a better effort could have been made with this transfer. The film is definitely watchable, but this sub-par visual presentation becomes quite irritating at times.

Sound:
The audio on this disc is presented in a Dolby 2.0 stereo format that also has its fair share of problematic areas. Dialogue is mostly clear and concise throughout, though there is a low-level hiss that becomes apparent several times during the film. The opening sequences with Derek - the same sequences that look horrendous - sound pretty horrible as well. Not only is her speech slightly muffled for a portion of the segment, but also the overwhelming sound of wind blowing is very distracting. This annoying ambient sound makes another appearance later in the film as Kelly Armstrong is driving his big-rig to an event. The soundtrack, for the most part, is loud and well balanced with the rest of the track. Even though I hated the actual soundtrack of the film, it is presented fairly nicely on this audio track. Louder moments in the film also become a bit muffled at times, and are sometimes accompanied by a slight rumbling. Despite all these shortcomings, this audio presentation succeeds in that it does exactly what it needs to for a film like Adrenaline Cowboys. Dialogue is always discernable (no matter how distractingly muffled) and, for a documentary, that is paramount.

Extras:
There are only two short extra features on this disc. The first is a very brief featurette on Mike White that basically gives the viewer a few extra tidbits about the life of Mike White. Some of this information is actually repeated from the film, so there's little to be gained here. It would have been nice if this feature had actually delved even more deeply into the life of White.

Also included on this disc is another short featurette that details the life of a cowboy. This feature (vaguely titled "DVD Extras" on the Special Features menu) also retreads some of the same ground covered in the film itself with a little extra emphasis on what's important to leading the cowboy lifestyle. What we have here is another feature that has the potential to be very insightful, but ultimately ends up being too brief and fleeting.

Final Thoughts:
Nearly everyone, undoubtedly, has seen those wacky sports bloopers shows at one point in their life. It seems like every installment has to have at least one clip of some poor bull rider being thrown up in the air and gorged by a bull. For those unfamiliar with the sport of Professional Bull Riding, these clips (and the ever-present baseball-to-the-groin) are always a source of hilarity. Watching a film like Adrenaline Cowboys, however, will change your viewpoint on those clips forever. The documentary not only shows the obvious risks of such a dangerous sport, but also provides a glimpse into the lives and families of the people who absolutely love risking their lives on the back of a bull. Not only will you learn a lot about the sport and its competitors, but you'll also never look at bull riding the same way again. With such a sub-par audio-visual presentation, and the lack of any very significant extra features, I was tempted to tell you to skip this disc. The power of the film itself, nevertheless, is what makes this disc worth at least a rental.