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Gangland
Other // R // March 30, 2004
List Price: $9.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
THE MOVIE
The packaging for the DVD of Gangland is a masterpiece in deceptive advertising. First, Ice T and Coolio get both top billing and a pair of headshots, even though both their characters die in the first five minutes of the film. Terminator 3's Kristanna Loken also gets front box cover billing, although her character has about five minutes of screen time as well.
Which leaves us with Costas Mandylor as the star of the film, as one of the sane humans left on earth after World War III has occurred and crazy biker gangs have taken over the neighborhoods (think Mad Max…without the fun).
The only entertaining moments in the film are the ones provided by Ice T and Coolio at the very beginning, as they play a pair of police officers who come across a diseased citizen (oh, I didn't mention the world was infected by a plague too? ) and a few of the biker dudes. Both rappers-turned-actors ham up their dialogue…but at least they provide some spark to an otherwise boring film.
There are a lot of fight scenes in Gangland, so I suppose if you're looking for some mindless action, this isn't the worst title to add to your rental list. I especially enjoyed a fight early on in the movie between two brothers, who at first seem like preppy college types, yet seem well versed in judo, karate and kung-fu when the bad guys attack them.
Fans of low budget B-flicks will also no doubt enjoy the appearance by Tim Thomerson (Trancers), playing a scientist working on the cure for the plague, who gets kidnapped by the leader of the motorcycling thugs, named (appropriately enough) Lucifer.
THE DVD
Video:
The video is presented in the full-frame format (which may be the way it was shot, since I believe this is a direct-to-video release). Not much to comment on here – the picture wasn't much better than a good VHS release, and therefore, not at all outstanding for DVD.
Audio:
The audio is presented in 2.0 Dolby, and like the video, there isn't much to compliment it on. It's passable, with no noticeable dropouts or glitches, but otherwise not noteworthy at all. There's also an option to listen to the film in Spanish.
Extras:
The back of the box for Gangland states that there is a behind the scenes segment and interviews with the director and cast on the DVD, but I could find no such thing on the version of the disc that I received. What was on the disc was pretty bare-bones, with four Trailers (including one for Gangland), some text Biographies, and the standard chapter selection menu.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Gangland is not a very good movie, and its entertainment value is pretty low – even if you're just looking for a flick for you and your college buddies to make fun of on a Saturday night. Unless this is the only thing left on the rental shelf, I'd give it a pass.
The packaging for the DVD of Gangland is a masterpiece in deceptive advertising. First, Ice T and Coolio get both top billing and a pair of headshots, even though both their characters die in the first five minutes of the film. Terminator 3's Kristanna Loken also gets front box cover billing, although her character has about five minutes of screen time as well.
Which leaves us with Costas Mandylor as the star of the film, as one of the sane humans left on earth after World War III has occurred and crazy biker gangs have taken over the neighborhoods (think Mad Max…without the fun).
The only entertaining moments in the film are the ones provided by Ice T and Coolio at the very beginning, as they play a pair of police officers who come across a diseased citizen (oh, I didn't mention the world was infected by a plague too? ) and a few of the biker dudes. Both rappers-turned-actors ham up their dialogue…but at least they provide some spark to an otherwise boring film.
There are a lot of fight scenes in Gangland, so I suppose if you're looking for some mindless action, this isn't the worst title to add to your rental list. I especially enjoyed a fight early on in the movie between two brothers, who at first seem like preppy college types, yet seem well versed in judo, karate and kung-fu when the bad guys attack them.
Fans of low budget B-flicks will also no doubt enjoy the appearance by Tim Thomerson (Trancers), playing a scientist working on the cure for the plague, who gets kidnapped by the leader of the motorcycling thugs, named (appropriately enough) Lucifer.
THE DVD
Video:
The video is presented in the full-frame format (which may be the way it was shot, since I believe this is a direct-to-video release). Not much to comment on here – the picture wasn't much better than a good VHS release, and therefore, not at all outstanding for DVD.
Audio:
The audio is presented in 2.0 Dolby, and like the video, there isn't much to compliment it on. It's passable, with no noticeable dropouts or glitches, but otherwise not noteworthy at all. There's also an option to listen to the film in Spanish.
Extras:
The back of the box for Gangland states that there is a behind the scenes segment and interviews with the director and cast on the DVD, but I could find no such thing on the version of the disc that I received. What was on the disc was pretty bare-bones, with four Trailers (including one for Gangland), some text Biographies, and the standard chapter selection menu.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Gangland is not a very good movie, and its entertainment value is pretty low – even if you're just looking for a flick for you and your college buddies to make fun of on a Saturday night. Unless this is the only thing left on the rental shelf, I'd give it a pass.
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