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Bulletproof (HD DVD)
Universal is dipping into their vaults and releasing some of their catalog titles on HD DVD. This is a nice trend to see, but some of their choices are a little questionable. Case in point: Bulletproof. This mid-90's buddy flick stars Adam Sandler and Damon Wayans, and while both of those actors have talent, they don't show it in this rather lame and formulistic picture. Add to that the fact that the image is only average and that there are no extras and you have a rather mediocre HD DVD release.
Archie Moses (Adam Sandler) and Rock Keats (Damon Wayans) are a pair of small time car thieves. Archie also moonlights as someone who keeps tabs on who is on the take for the biggest drug lord in the western part of the US, Frank Colton (James Caan). (Why someone in that position should waste his time stealing cars is a mystery.) After boosting cars for a while with Keats, Moses takes him in to meet Colton and gets his friend hired. The only problem is that Keats is really a cop named Carter who is working undercover. When it comes time to bust up Colton's operation, Archie accidentally shoots Carter, nearly killing him.
After he recovers, Carter is assigned to bring Moses in back to LA from some Arizona burg after Archie has agreed to turn state's evidence against Colton in exchange for a reduced sentence. Both people feel betrayed, but when Colton sends a group of hit men to take them both out they have to rely on each other in order to get back to safety.
Okay, the 'two guys who hate each other are forced to help one another' plot has been done to death but in this case...well, it's actually pretty predictable and uninspired. With Wayans and Sandler staring in the film, you'd think that there would be some pretty snappy dialog, but there really isn't. This movie's idea of a joke is when Moses observes "This is a '70s porno. You know how I can tell? Because the guy's dick has sideburns."
There are a couple of funny gags, but they are just too few and far between. To make matters worse, if you think about the movie even a little it starts to fall apart. (After Carter was shot he couldn't even walk and had to go through months if not years of physical therapy. In all that time Moses can't make it to Mexico?) It's obvious from the beginning, though nonsensical, just who is betraying the main characters, and there isn't a plot twist that isn't telegraphed well in advance.
The biggest problem with the film is that it just never gels. Viewers won't relate or care what happens to Moses and Carter, the jokes mainly don't work and action sequences aren't thrilling. Part of the reason for this is that the two stars just have no on-screen chemistry, which is surprising. They both seem to walk through their roles, with Sandler over-acting much of the time.
The HD DVD Disc:
Video:
The 2.35:1 widescreen image just isn't that stellar. While it doesn't look bad, it isn't as finely detailed or clear as it could be. Grain is visible through a good part of the film though it is light. The scenes in the Arizona desert were particularly bad. There is some color bleeding in a few places too. The colors are okay, but the blacks are not as solid as they could be. There wasn't much eye-pop either, and the picture was a bit on the soft side.
Digitally, things look really good. Aliasing is nonexistent. Even the scene with the Arizona Highway Patrol, where the cops have hats with fine lines up the side, didn't show any traces of stairstep effects. Posterization also wasn't a problem. Overall, this disc looks fine, and surely better than the SD release, but not outstanding.
Audio:
This disc has a DD+ 5.1 soundtrack in English, as well as a stereo French dub. The soundtrack wasn't exciting, but then again neither was the movie. Most of the soundtrack was centered on the screen, with the surrounds only kicking in during action scenes and when they felt the need to include some obnoxious music. Like the video, the movie sounds okay, but not outstanding.
Extras:
Commentaries? Deleted scenes? Making-of featurette? Nope. There aren't any extras. Nada, zilch, zero. For a disc that retails for $30, they could have at least included a theatrical trailer.
Final Thoughts:
There were a couple of laughs in this film, and some of the scenes were a bit interesting, but by no stretch of the imagination could you call this a great film. This type of buddy picture has been done before and after this 1996 film, and often much better. The average picture and lack of extras make this an even harder pill to swallow. Still, it's worth a rental for the few moments when the film works, but not more than that.
Note: The images in this review are not from the HD DVD and do not necessarily represent the image quality on the disc.
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