Movie:
Cement, originally released in 1999, was directed by Adrian Pasdar. The film stars Chris Penn (Bill Holt), Jeffrey Wright (Nin), Sherilyn Fenn (Lyn), Henry Czerny (Truman), and Anthony DeSando (Sean).

After being accused of holding on the counts, corrupt vice detective Bill Holt goes to see Truman, head of a local mob syndicate, at his birthday party. There, he accidentally discovers that his wife is having an affair with Truman's younger brother, Sean. Enraged, Holt begins on a dangerous path of revenge that includes handcuffing Sean inside a freeway pillar frame with the intention of burying him in quick-drying cement. Nin, his drugged up partner, tries to talk him out of it, but with crooked cops, betrayal is only a step away.

While watching Cement, I couldn't help but think of the recently released Training Day. In Cement, though, the line between good and evil is even more blurred, as there are no good characters. Chris Penn gives a brutal performance as Holt, an already corrupt cop pushed over the edge when the only good thing in his life is taken from him. Jeffrey Wright's character, Nin, is a bit too much, though, as he is always high on coke. It was hard to picture both Nin as a vice detective and the two of them as partners. The film also involves two other corrupt police officers to a lesser, but still important, degree. These characters, Mic and Carter, are mainly unexplained and one-dimensional, making me question how they got involved with Holt and Nin, and what exactly their purpose was in the first place. Despite these issues, the film, which starts out at the freeway pillar and is then told mainly through flashbacks, kept my attention throughout and is rarely dull.

Picture:
Cement is presented its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 widescreen and is not anamorphic. The transfer has numerous specks and some marks that appear throughout, as well as a lot of noticeable grain, especially in the darker scenes. The transfer also can look faded in certain scenes. Colors throughout are generally natural with accurate flesh tones. Blacks, when not riddled with grain, are solid.

Sound:
Cement is presented in Dolby 2.0 Stereo Surround. The front soundstage adequately presents both the film's music and the effects, though dialogue tends to be either muffled or overshadowed by them, making the subtitles a necessity in several scenes. Optional subtitles are available in English and Spanish.

Extras:
The only extra is the film's trailer.

Summary:
Given the high MSRP, the lackluster audiovisual presentation, and a sole extra, Cement is hard to recommend as a purchase. However, the film makes for a great rental, especially if you're a fan of Chris Penn or looking for a film similar in tone to Training Day.