The
American Side (2016/Sony DVD)
Picture:
B- Sound: B- Extras: D Film: B
One
of the more original films I've seen in a while, Jenna Ricker's
American Side (2016) is a gritty modern day Film Noir that
involves a cigarette-smoking detective, a Femme Fatale, and a mystery
surrounding priceless information leading back to famed inventor
Nikola Tesla.
Shot
gorgeously and featuring a superb cast including Greg Stuhr, Matthew
Broderick, Alicia Bachleda-Curus, Janeane Garofalo, Camilla Belle,
Robert Forster, Robert Vaughn and Harris Yullin to name a few, this
film is packed with movie references (including a clever tip of the
hat to Hitchcock’s North by Northwest) and several clever
bits that will satisfy any fan of mysteries as a detective (Stuhr)
looks into an alleged suicide at Niagara Falls that raises some
questions. This puzzling case leads him to a once in a lifetime
uncovering of a conspiracy involving a long-lost design of Tesla.
Along the way he ends up encountering some colorful characters that
complicate the case all whilst trying to dive through misdirection to
uncover the truth.
Presented
in standard definition with an anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio of
2.35:1 (shot on an Arri Alexa HD camera by Director of Photography
David Barrera) and a lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 track (music score by
veteran David Shire), the film looks and sounds fine for the DVD
format but would be greatly improved by a high definition
presentation considering how good it looks and well its made. No
extras... except previews for other coming attractions.
All
in all, this is a solid film that is definitely worth a watch!
-
James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
