The Story:
Relentless is one of those thrillers that lets you know from the very beginning who the serial killer is. And in this case, it's Judd Nelson. His technique is to kill people brutally while making it look like they did themselves in…then defeating the purpose of that unique style by leaving a taunting message for the cops at each crime scene.

Assigned to the case is detective Sam Dietz (played by Leo Rossi, who has a knack for these roles—you'll know him when you see his face). But Dietz is a rookie compared to his veteran partner (Robert Loggia), who is quick to blow off Dietz's theories at each crime scene—which are always right! At the same time, Dietz is a family man with a wife (Meg Foster. Always rooted for her to become more well-known. It never happened) and son, and any detective movie will tell you that professional and private lives have a way of clashing.

So, Dietz is determined to get into the head of this serial killer. The cat and mouse game has been done a hundred times over, and to much greater effect in later movies like Silence of the Lambs. This movie comes across as a really simplified, watered down version of the 'catch the serial killer' movie, with little of the depth, and not much in the way of suspenseful thrills. I probably wouldn't even be spoiling anything if I told you how this one ends, because I'm sure you could guess. But, I'll refrain anyway.

The DVD

Video:
On the plus side, The DVD is in anamorphic widescreen, 1:85:1 aspect ratio. However, all the visual completely filling your widescreen TV is plagued by specs, flecks and flaws throughout the ENTIRE FILM! This DVD came from one pretty beat up master print. Having said that, the image itself is sharp, but the lighting is dark, and there is some major violet tinting throughout. The color just isn't natural. Flesh tones are too pink, background is too blue.

Sound:
The film is presented in Dolby 2.0 stereo. There is excellent left/right/center/bass distribution, and with Pro Logic on, there is excellent depth and an illusion of surround. As a big tease though, the menu is in Dolby 5.1! And so are the previews, which are all for very recent films.

Extras:
Well, you get previews for Trapped, Panic Room and Secret Window, and you get options for English or Spanish subtitles. But that's it.

Final Thoughts:
I remember really being into Relentless when it was originally released. It was the hey day of thrillers with a crossover appeal to slasher flicks, and I was hungry for fresh blood. Unfortunately, this film, featuring Judd Nelson playing a creepy, quirky psycho (I guess he could be considered the Matthew Lillard of his day, because he practically always played that type) tries to be a compelling psychological thriller in which a cop hunts down a serial killer, but it just isn't intense enough to hold up to modern standards of this genre.