The
Barber
(2014/Arc Blu-ray)
Picture:
B+ Sound: B+ Extras: C+ Film: C+
He
was seeking revenge... he found TRUE EVIL!
Scott
Glenn gives a haunting turn in Basil Owies' The
Barber,
and no we don't mean Sweeney
Todd!
What's
scary is that The
Barber
could easily be true in as a serial killer goes in hiding in a small
town under the guise of a barber after 30 years of flying under the
radar. The film tries hard to channel David Fincher in terms of
filmmaking style and editing but doesn't quite reach those heights.
(Sorry, guys) In any event, the independent production isn't a bad
watch and features some decent acting from primarily unknowns. The
film also stars Stephen Tobolowsky, Chris Coy, and Kristen Hager.
Eugene
Van Wingerdt (Scott Glenn) lives a quiet life as a small town barber
and has seemed to overcome his demons. He's taken a troubled youth
under his wing to apprentice as he rubs elbows with the local Police
Chief (Tobolowsky). One night after enjoying his evening meal at his
favorite restaurant, Eugene is accosted by John (Coy), a shadowy
drifter who claims to know Eugene's hidden past.
No
matter how much Eugene protests and attempts to maintain his
innocence, John doesn't let up. John knows the deep dark secret that
Eugene has managed to keep hidden for decades - Eugene is really a
reclusive serial killer from Chicago who would burry young women and
leave them to suffocate. John doesn't want to expose Eugene, he
wants to learn from the man and become a sharpened killer himself.
Sounds like an episode of Forensic
Files,
huh?
It
turns out Eugene isn't the only one with a dark secret when John is
in fact, a Chicago Police Officer whose late Father was the original
detective working the case and was driven to suicide. John is out
for revenge and is willing to tread a thin line of right and wrong to
bring the real killer to light, the one he knows lives in Eugene's
dark heart. As John worms his way into Eugene's life, fellow Chicago
Police Officer Audrey Bennet (Kristen Hager), John's former lover,
threatens to derail his entire plan as she works to save John from an
even darker fate.
The
presentation on the disc is top notch with a sharp 1080p high
definition transfer with an MPEG-4 AVC codec, mastered in its
original widescreen aspect ratio of 2.39:1. The sound is a powerful,
lossless English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 mix in 48 kHz. There
are also optional subtitles on the disc. Extras include Deleted
and Alternate Scenes
and an Alternate
Ending.
All
in all, The
Barber
is better than you might expect, save some predictable plot twists in
the final act. I would suggest it if you are a crime fan, especially
if you like Scott Glenn as he really outshines his fellow actors
here.
-
James Harland Lockhart V
www.facebook.com/jhl5films
