Reviews & Columns |
Reviews DVD TV on DVD Blu-ray 4K UHD International DVDs In Theaters Reviews by Studio Video Games Features Collector Series DVDs Easter Egg Database Interviews DVD Talk Radio Feature Articles Columns Anime Talk DVD Savant Horror DVDs The M.O.D. Squad Art House HD Talk Silent DVD
|
DVD Talk Forum |
|
Resources |
DVD Price Search Customer Service #'s RCE Info Links |
Columns
|
|
Beast, The
List Price: Unknown [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
Director Kevin Reynolds has become famous for directing several Kevin Costner features ("Waterworld","Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves"), but this mostly excellent 1988 drama unfortunately went largely unnoticed. Based on the play Nanawatai by William Mastrosimone, the film follows a Russian tank crew in the invasion against Afghanistan. After the crew destroys a town of innocent people, the Mujahadeen warriors give chase and it all turns into a tense cat and mouse chase between the two groups.
There's also tension between the Russians. The tank's driver (Jason Patric) finds himself sympathizing with the Afghans and against his brtual commander (George Dzundza). When he's left for dead by the group, he finds himself joining the other side. The Russians do speak English in the film, a choice made possibly for the audience to sympathize with them, but the film does show both sides of the story quite well. The Russian tank crew is hidden within the safety of their machine, but the group hunting them knows the terrain and can (and will) pop up at any time, at any place. The film has been compared to Wolfgang Petersen's "Das Boot" and rightly so; it feels like "Das Boot" on dry land.
Performances are excellent across the board. I've never been too impressed by Jason Patric("Speed 2")'s acting ability, but his performance here is subtle and intelligent. Supporting performances (even Stephen Baldwin isn't too bad) are largely strong, as well. And, working from a screenplay by Mastrosimone, characters are well-developed and engaging. Shot largely in Israel, the locations are excellent and apparently, the tank used in the film is reportedly real.
There are hundreds of films each year that never really make it in theaters or go directly to video. Yet, there's always a number of films in that group that suffer this fate either because of a flawed release or other such problems, not because they are poor or even mediocre films. "The Beast" is definitely one of those pictures, an often outstanding film that deserved a wider audience but apparently got lost in the shuffle.
The DVD
VIDEO: "The Beast" is presented in the film's original 1.85:1 aspect ratio and it is anamorphic, like 99.99% of Tristar's efforts. And, although this isn't quite as outstanding looking as many of their releases, I was still impressed by a great deal of it. Sharpness and detail were both terrific throughout much of the film, and many shots contained a pleasing amount of depth to the image. The cinematography of Douglas Milsome ("Full Metal Jacket", "Breakdown") is excellent, capturing the barren desert landscapes well.
A few flaws popped up throughout the movie, which was unfortunate, because if they had not shown up this would have been a really superb presentation. Some minor pixelation is occasionally noticed, as well as some edge enhancement. The print used seemed free of flaws with the exception of one or two very minor speckles.
As the film takes place in the desert, there's little in the way of colors except for various shades of brown the blue of the sky that seems to stretch onwards for miles. The few colors on display do look clean and natural, though. Overall, a fine presentation - but with Tristar, that's to be expected. A pan&scan version is on the flip side. Subtitles in English/French/Spanish/Portuguese/Chinese/Korean/Thai
SOUND: "The Beast" is presented in Dolby 2.0, which is understandable for a picture that's 13 years old, but unfortunate. With all of the action that's going on throughout the movie, a Dolby Digital 5.1 presentation would have really added to the proceedings a great deal. Anyways, the sound quality for the film as is is quite good. The action is nicely rendered across the front speakers clearly, but not with much force or power.
The score by Mark Isham also comes across well, sounding clear and crisp. Dialogue sounded clear, but occasionally seemed a little bit low in volume. Overall, a decent presentation but could really have been stunning in 5.1.
MENUS:: Menus are non-animated, with very basic film-themed images serving as backgrounds.
EXTRAS: Talent files and trailers for "Savior", "Air Force One" and "Blue Thunder".
Final Thoughts: "The Beast" is a hidden gem; a largely ignored but intelligent and well-acted war drama that I enjoyed a great deal. Tristar doesn't provide much beyond the basics for the DVD release, but they do offer their usual high-quality audio/video presentations. If you're at all a fan of the genre, "The Beast" is definitely worth checking out.
Director Kevin Reynolds has become famous for directing several Kevin Costner features ("Waterworld","Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves"), but this mostly excellent 1988 drama unfortunately went largely unnoticed. Based on the play Nanawatai by William Mastrosimone, the film follows a Russian tank crew in the invasion against Afghanistan. After the crew destroys a town of innocent people, the Mujahadeen warriors give chase and it all turns into a tense cat and mouse chase between the two groups.
There's also tension between the Russians. The tank's driver (Jason Patric) finds himself sympathizing with the Afghans and against his brtual commander (George Dzundza). When he's left for dead by the group, he finds himself joining the other side. The Russians do speak English in the film, a choice made possibly for the audience to sympathize with them, but the film does show both sides of the story quite well. The Russian tank crew is hidden within the safety of their machine, but the group hunting them knows the terrain and can (and will) pop up at any time, at any place. The film has been compared to Wolfgang Petersen's "Das Boot" and rightly so; it feels like "Das Boot" on dry land.
Performances are excellent across the board. I've never been too impressed by Jason Patric("Speed 2")'s acting ability, but his performance here is subtle and intelligent. Supporting performances (even Stephen Baldwin isn't too bad) are largely strong, as well. And, working from a screenplay by Mastrosimone, characters are well-developed and engaging. Shot largely in Israel, the locations are excellent and apparently, the tank used in the film is reportedly real.
There are hundreds of films each year that never really make it in theaters or go directly to video. Yet, there's always a number of films in that group that suffer this fate either because of a flawed release or other such problems, not because they are poor or even mediocre films. "The Beast" is definitely one of those pictures, an often outstanding film that deserved a wider audience but apparently got lost in the shuffle.
The DVD
VIDEO: "The Beast" is presented in the film's original 1.85:1 aspect ratio and it is anamorphic, like 99.99% of Tristar's efforts. And, although this isn't quite as outstanding looking as many of their releases, I was still impressed by a great deal of it. Sharpness and detail were both terrific throughout much of the film, and many shots contained a pleasing amount of depth to the image. The cinematography of Douglas Milsome ("Full Metal Jacket", "Breakdown") is excellent, capturing the barren desert landscapes well.
A few flaws popped up throughout the movie, which was unfortunate, because if they had not shown up this would have been a really superb presentation. Some minor pixelation is occasionally noticed, as well as some edge enhancement. The print used seemed free of flaws with the exception of one or two very minor speckles.
As the film takes place in the desert, there's little in the way of colors except for various shades of brown the blue of the sky that seems to stretch onwards for miles. The few colors on display do look clean and natural, though. Overall, a fine presentation - but with Tristar, that's to be expected. A pan&scan version is on the flip side. Subtitles in English/French/Spanish/Portuguese/Chinese/Korean/Thai
SOUND: "The Beast" is presented in Dolby 2.0, which is understandable for a picture that's 13 years old, but unfortunate. With all of the action that's going on throughout the movie, a Dolby Digital 5.1 presentation would have really added to the proceedings a great deal. Anyways, the sound quality for the film as is is quite good. The action is nicely rendered across the front speakers clearly, but not with much force or power.
The score by Mark Isham also comes across well, sounding clear and crisp. Dialogue sounded clear, but occasionally seemed a little bit low in volume. Overall, a decent presentation but could really have been stunning in 5.1.
MENUS:: Menus are non-animated, with very basic film-themed images serving as backgrounds.
EXTRAS: Talent files and trailers for "Savior", "Air Force One" and "Blue Thunder".
Final Thoughts: "The Beast" is a hidden gem; a largely ignored but intelligent and well-acted war drama that I enjoyed a great deal. Tristar doesn't provide much beyond the basics for the DVD release, but they do offer their usual high-quality audio/video presentations. If you're at all a fan of the genre, "The Beast" is definitely worth checking out.
|
Popular Reviews |
Sponsored Links |
|
Sponsored Links |
|
Release List | Reviews | Shop | Newsletter | Forum | DVD Giveaways | Blu-Ray | Advertise |
Copyright 2024 DVDTalk.com All Rights Reserved. Legal Info, Privacy Policy, Terms of Use,
Manage Preferences,
Your Privacy Choices
|