Synopsis:

The Crimson Code tells the story of an FBI agent whose life has been devoted solely to the investigation of the criminal mind and the circumstances surrounding the deaths of their victims. It seems that every chance an opportunity presents itself for him to delve deeper into the actual physical activities that will lead to a capture, he's kept from joining the elite "Red Team" that handles these pursuits. When a fellow agent is taken hostage by a targeted serial killer, Agent Chandler doesn't hesitate to use deadly force and is invited to join the elite "Red Team". A series of "accidents" occur wherein the lives of several Serial Killers are taken. Agent Chandler noticing a pattern in each of the cases launches his own investigation into their deaths. It appears that the serial killers are being murdered one by one. The question is who's killing the serial killers? What Chandler uncovers will have him trusting no one and doing everything to keep himself from becoming the next target in this bizarre murder mystery.

Audio/Video:

The audio is presented in both a DD2.0 & 5.1 platform. The 5.1 is rich in musical surround effect but poor in directional effect. The film features many musical textures that are used in an attempt to propel the feature. While they are nicely produced and presented, they do little to replace the true directional effect that could have added another level of intensity to a thematically intense film. The 2.0 accurately reproduces the audio and keeps everything in the fronts and the center channel. The Director's Commentary featuring Jeremy Hart is full of filmmaking info and is one of the better commentary tracks I've heard. In the track, Hart identifies that the film was shot on location in Winnipeg, Ontario Canada and was used to double the USA. It was further identified that one particular shot had the cast and crew working in –34 degree temperatures resulting in crew members passing out and the freezing of one of the cameras used for principal photography. The point of the film from Hart's perspective is one regarding ethics and vigilantism. He goes to great lengths to identify the plot twists and subtle dialogue hints that establish the film's intent as well as his direction for the film's look and feel. He also identifies deleted scenes that where shot but never made it onto the film or the disc. Screen specific in his commentary, Hart further identifies his themes regarding character development elements that went into forming the meat of the film's story. The film's video content is up to Artisans' usual excellent standards. The colors were well saturated and accurate. The flesh tones where accurate and the chroma noise in the way of scratches and pixellation was minimal. ON the whole it's a pristine full frame print.

Extras:

The extras on the disc are the film's trailer and filmographies for the cast and crew. Just a note, don't watch the trailer before watching the film. It gives away everything there is to give away in the film.

Overall:

The Crimson Code is a decent thriller with bits of hokum. It's a C-list group of actors that are far from convincing in their presentations. The commentary track was actually, the most interesting aspect of the film. Afterall, If someone is killing Serial Killers, who would care enough to find out the why's and what's? That aside, it's an interesting film that will keep your attention even if you have to suspend belief throughout. C. Thomas Howell however has to get great kudos. It's amazing what a shaved head, goatee and menacing glance will do in the way of convincing you that his character is not exactly the guy next-door type! I'd have to say that it's at least a decent rental if nothing else. Its lack of extras and full frame only presentation definitely scream rental as opposed to purchase.

Plusses and Negatives:

On the plus side, visually, the film is an eye catcher. The exteriors are great and the visual textures employed to create the effects of dread throughout are very engaging. The Menus are another great addition to the disc. They are beautifully animated and bear the films' score as well.

On the negative side, the lack of subtitles, full frame only edition and Spartan extras detract from the disc's overall presentation and do not allow me to recommend this film for anything but a last minute Saturday night rental.