Killers. Perverts. Bikers. DANGEROUS MEN.
Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy Combo Pack
Released by: Drafthouse Films
Release Date: April 19, 2016
Production Year: 1979-2005
Region Code: ALL
Running Time: 1:19:40
Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0
Video: 1080p (1.85:1 Aspect Ratio)
Subtitles: None
THE FILM - [ 2.5 / 5 ]:
In 1979, Iranian filmmaker John S. Rad moved to the U.S. to shoot his dream project, a rampaging gutter epic of crime, revenge, cop sex and raw power. Just 26 years later, he completed an American action film masterpiece that the world is still barely ready for today: DANGEROUS MEN.
After Mina witnesses her fiancé's brutal murder by beach thugs, she sets out on a venomous spree to eradicate all human trash from Los Angeles. Armed with a knife, a gun, and an undying rage, she murders her way through the masculine half of the city's populace. A renegade cop is hot on her heels, a trail that also leads him to the subhuman criminal overlord known as Black Pepper.
It's a pulse-pounding, heart-stopping, brain-devouring onslaught of '80s thunder, '90s lightning, and pure filmmaking daredevilry from another time and/or dimension. Blades flash, blood flows, bullets fly and synthesizers blare as the morgue overflows with the corpses of DANGEROUS MEN.
What an odd little film Mr. Rad has constructed. The film is basically strange, from start to finish. It doesn't take long before it should illicit the first of many what the... from the viewer. From really bad looking fight scenes to guns clearly not firing to bad acting to bad dialogue, this film has plenty to keep you entertained, one way or another. You will no doubt find yourself laughing at some of the convoluted plot elements and the randomly introduced characters.
That pretty well sums up my thoughts on the film. Oh and yes, I did enjoy this mess of a film. Its zaniness gives it a bit of charm and as long as you don't expect too much as you watch the movie, you might be surprised and have some fun. I've included a trailer at the bottom of the review in case you'd like to see more.
AUDIO - [ 2.5 / 5 ]:
The Blu-ray comes with an English Dolby Digital 2.0 audio track. Sorry, no lossless audio track to report on this release. However I don't know how much of an improvement it could have made. The audio quality on the Blu-ray is decent despite the audio quality of the film being a bit sub-par. It can be difficult on occasion to hear what a character is saying because of the poor recording of the audio. It's far from terrible though so don't worry too much. Besides, you might spend more time scratching your head while watching this wacky film than anything else. Good news is the sound effects for the slaptastic fight scenes and the somewhat monotonous score come through just fine.
VIDEO - [ 3.5 / 5 ]:
"Dangerous Men" comes to Blu-ray thanks to Drafthouse Films and MVD Entertainment Group. The film is presented in 1080p with a 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio. Considering the probable production values of the film, it looks remarkably good on this Blu-ray. Colors look pretty good with vibrant hues. In many of the brighter scenes, which there is several sunny outdoor scenes in the film, there is a fair amount of fine detail present. Film grain isn't overly heavy but there are some specks and scratches that appear throughout the film due to print damage and the image seems to suffer a little from noise at times. Still, all in all the film looks rather good.
SPECIAL FEATURES - [ 3 / 5 ]:
Audio Commentary with Destroy All Movies authors Zack Carlson and Bryan Connolly - The participants spend as much time lampooning the film as they do providing additional information on the film which really is probably the right way to go when talking about this crazy film. You would be hard pressed to not laugh several times while watching the movie and the commentary plays right in to that.
That's So John Rad (26:44) - A documentary about the film and its initial theatrical release in 2005. The director's daughter is interviewed and talks a bit about her father and the film, including a story about her car being destroyed in a scene for the film. John S. Rad's granddaughter and grandson are interviewed as well.
Interview with Peter Palian, director of cinematography (10:35) - Mr. Palian briefly talks about his early career in Iran before coming to New York then speaks about the odd production of "Dangerous Men" and John S. Rad contacting him year after year, wanting to make changes to the film.
Full episode of local access TV show featuring John S. Rad (47:57) - The name of the show is Queer Edge. As I'm watching this, Colleen Camp is also a scheduled guest which a number of genre fans will be familiar with. Just a heads up, it's just past the 20 minute mark when John S. Rad comes out on stage and his segment only lasts a few minutes. Honestly it wasn't much of an interview with the director.
Trailers
- Original Theatrical Trailer (2:52)
- Dangerous Men - Theatrical Trailer (1:31)
- Dangerous Men - Teaser Trailer (0:41)
- Miami Connection (2:17)
- Ms. 45 (1:14)
- Roar (1:40)
- Trailer War (1:23)
OVERALL RATING - [ 3 / 5 ]
