The Movie
Those who don't care much for sports look at professional athletes and question why these people are paid millions to play children's games. While ethically it would make far more sense to pay that kind of money to people who truly provide a benefit to society, like teachers, doctors, firefighters and police officers, the problem is that there's no money to be made by selling tickets to watch those people do their jobs. It's just far more exciting to watch a physically superior human throw a ball over 100 miles an hour. That's why Fastball, an exploration of the hardest throwing pitchers in baseball history, exists. There's something fascinating in that speed and power, particularly when it's put up against a batter who's equally as skilled.

Narrated by Kevin Costner, the film checks off a list of the greatest hard-throwing pitching legends, including Walter Johnson, Bob Feller, Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, Goose Gossage, and Nolan Ryan, and compares them to New York Yankee Aroldis Chapman, the modern standard for flamethrowers. Through a host of archival footage and interviews with contemporaries (including greats like Hank Aaron, Derek Jeter, Johnny Bench, Wade Boggs, Ernie Banks, Eddie Murray, Al Kaline, George Brett, Tony Gwynn and more), journalists and baseball and scientific experts, the pitchers' legacies and techniques are explored, as well as the unique methods by which their power was measured, including an amusing newsreel pitting Feller against a motorcycle cop (and, through modern technology, modern hurler Justin Verlander.)

As interesting as it is to watch as the game's greatest are pitted against each other for the title of the hardest throwing pitcher in Major League Baseball history, and discover the science behind their power, the most memorable part of the film features a forgotten name: Steve Dalkowski. A legend in baseball circles, and the inspiration for a famous film character, Dalkowski's story is one of promise and heartbreak, and its presence here is the perfect counterbalance to the celebration of excellence that makes up the majority of the film, reminding viewers that for all the ability these athletes have, they are still humans (a fact made all too real by the passings of several of the participants thankfully captured here for posterity.)

The Quality
The 1.78:1, AVC-encoded 1080p transfer on Fastball mixes material from a variety of sources and eras, so it's not the most consistent-looking film, but the new material looks terrific, with appropriately vivid color and a wealth of fine detail. Even the archival footage is impressive, though anything from pre-HD video suffers from the deficiencies traditionally found in the format. Other than that, you're looking at a gorgeous, sharp image that's free of any concerns about digital distractions.

The big standout element of the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track is easily the low-end, as the bass of the music rumbles throughout, giving some oomph to the presentation. Otherwise, it's a simple, clear, center-focused mix that keeps all the voices easily understood, with the surrounds offering support to fill out the room. No problems here.

The Extras
There are a few extras to check out, starting with 31:15 of extended interviews with many of the people seen in the main feature, including Banks, Schmidt, Ford, Aaron, Ryan and more. There are some great anecdotes here that go a bit outside the subject matter of the film, not to mention a surprising tantrum thrown by Ford.

"Hall of Fame Outtakes" (2:23) is a spray of clips from a conversation between several Hall of Fame hitters--Brett, Morgan, Bench, Kaline, Murray, Gwynn--who are having a good reminiscing about the pitchers they faced. It's followed by an extended (11:42) version of the film's segment on Dalkowski, which goes into more detail on his sad story. In this format, it becomes a fantastic short film unto itself.

A 2:07 trailer wraps things up.

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*The Reviewer's Bias section is an attempt to help readers use the review to its best effect. By knowing where the reviewer's biases lie on the film's subject matter, one can read the review with the right mindset.