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Uncle Sam
Blue Underground // R // June 29, 2004
List Price: $19.95 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
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Following their collaboration on the Maniac Cop series, Uncle Sam reteams Lustig with writer Larry Cohen. The movie opens in Kuwait as a two-man military team investigates a crashed helicopter that appears to have been downed by friendly fire. As a soldier investigates the wreckage...hey! Those smoldering remains are alive and kickin', or at least kickin'. Sam Harper couldn't satiate his thirst for blood in life, so he's continuing his cheerful murder spree in death. Somehow the army manages to ship his reanimated corpse back home to a mostly disinterested family. Sam was so abusive to his wife and sister that both of them almost feel relieved upon hearing the news of his charbroiling. The only person really grieving is nephew Jody (Christopher Ogden), who idolized his uncle Sam and plans to march in his military footsteps. After, oh, forty minutes of setup, Sam emerges from his living room coffin, and the murderously patriotic zombie starts to tally a body count of draft dodgers, tax cheats, sleazy politicians, and tone-deaf sackracers. The only forces that stand in Sam's way are Jody, his disabled buddy Barry, and peg-legged veteran Jed Crowley (Isaac Hayes...damn right), and property values in Twin Rivers will never be the same.
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Video: At least it looks nice: Uncle Sam's 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen video is up to Blue Underground's usual visual standards. The image is sharp and extremely colorful, sporting a bright, vivid palette in keeping with its summer afternoon setting. Contrast and shadow detail are both excellent. Speckling and assorted wear are too light to really warrant a mention, and the heavy film grain that infrequently pops in thankfully hasn't been artificially smoothened out.
Audio: The featured soundtrack is a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix (448Kbps), and Uncle Sam sounds about as good as it looks. A bunch of sound effects are accompanied by a hefty low-frequency boom, and there's quite a bit of stereo separation across the front channels. The eerie score and Sam's undead labored breathing also creep into the surrounds, doing a better job at building atmosphere than the visuals or the screenplay. The rears are constantly chattering with action, and Uncle Sam definitely makes the most of the six channels on-hand. A stereo surround track is also provided, although no subtitles or closed captions are present.
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Conclusion: I want you...to heed my advice and stay far, far away from Uncle Sam. At best, it's a mediocre slasher with a muddled message, and at worst, it's...I'll just let that sentence trail off. If you're determined to see Uncle Sam, I'd recommend sticking with a rental. For Blue Underground completists only.
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