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Formula 51
Columbia/Tri-Star // R // February 4, 2003
List Price: $27.98 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
Not much of a success either in the US or overseas (where it was called "51st State"), "Formula 51" is a loud, chaotic action movie that, despite the presence of two terrific lead actors, only occasionally is it very funny or thrilling. The film stars Samuel L. Jackson as Elmo McElroy, a brilliant pharmacology student who runs into a little trouble with the police on the same day he graduates. Years later, he's turned his skills towards the illegal, working as a chemist for a drug ring.
When Elmo comes up with a wonder drug, he attempts to get out from under the crime boss he works for, "The Lizard" (Meat Loaf). Unfortunately for Elmo, the Lizard escapes the trap he's set and sends a hitwoman (Emily Mortimer of "Lovely and Amazing", suprisingly good in a very different role than anything she's done before) to follow him. Elmo heads off to England, where he's to meet with Felix DeSouza (Robert Carlyle), who will help him sell off the drugs and who also happens to know Dakota, the hitwoman.
Obviously, "Formula 51" is an attempt by filmmaker Ronny Yu to combine elements of Quentin Tarantino's work with the style of British director Guy Ritchie's "Snatch". The film does succeed at taking elements of both into play, but what it doesn't quite do is offer anything too new. The film's attempts at dark comedy occasionally play well, but mostly, the slapstick or bathroom humor isn't too entertaining. For an action/comedy, there's not a whole lot of action, but what action there is is fairly well-played and choreographed.
What does work works largely because of the chemistry of Carlyle and Jackson, who make for a pretty good comedy/action team. The script - which offers a certain four-letter word in every other sentence - doesn't do the talent of either justice, but they do what they can with the material. Overall, "Formula 51" ended up as a decent time-waster - it doesn't live up to the films its trying to take from or really bring anything new to the genre, but a few laughs, a few action scenes and a few decent performances pull the 92 minute running time through quickly. Not quite as bad as I'd expected, but the film isn't memorable and could have been better, given the cast.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Formula 51" is presented by Columbia/Tristar in both 1.33:1 pan & scan and 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. The picture quality, aside from a few stretches, delivers the kind of image quality the studio usually does with new releases. Sharpness and detail are somewhat above-average, as while the picture doesn't appear finely detailed, it never looks soft or hazy, either.
The presentation's most noticable problem is edge enhancement. While it's never particularly strong and only appears fairly briefly, it was slightly distracting on a few occasions. The print wasn't entirely perfect, either: while no major instances of wear appeared, there were a few specks spotted on occasion, as well as some traces of dirt. No pixelation or other faults were noticed.
The film's somewhat subdued color palette was nicely presented, with the occasional bright color standing out nicely. Black level remained solid, while flesh tones looked accurate.
SOUND: "Formula 51" offers a respectable Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack that's aggressive, but rather inconsistently so. Zippy sound effects are occasionally heard in the surrounds, while the rear speakers also offer some fine ambience and reinforcement of the music. Strong bass is present on a few occasions, while dialogue is clear (although some may have a bit of a problem with the accents).
EXTRAS: A brief Cinemax "making of" special and trailers for "Formula 51", "XXX", "Bad Boys", "Half Past Dead" and a trailer for "Snatch" in 5.1, with a whole lot of surround effects.
Final Thoughts: Maybe a rental, at most, for fans of the actors. Those looking for a good similar film should seek out Guy Ritchie's "Snatch", instead. Columbia/Tristar's DVD edition provides little in the way of supplements, but decent video/good audio quality.
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