The Narrows (2008/Image Entertainment Blu-ray)
Picture: B- Sound:
B- Extras: C Film: C
The New York School of Filmmaking and Martin Scorsese’s
work in imitation has become so many generations removed and so overused that
what was once a gritty way to tell a story has become clean and tired, unless
it is by Scorsese or the few filmmakers of his talent. As Francois Velle’s The Narrows (2008) reminds us, that is a short list indeed. The young protagonist is played this time by
Kevin Zegers, the older gangster by Vincent D’Onofrio, another mob boss by
Titus Weaver and the female interest by Sophia Bush from One Tree Hill. Yes you have
seen this before.
This time, the young man has to find a way to get money to
go to a school for still photography that will make his future possible, but
does not have the money he needs. When
his family and own resources do not pull through, he turns to a mob boss
(Weaver) for a job that leads to much more.
Unfortunately, the voice-over by Zegers (from the screenplay by Tatiana
Blackington) is weak and never convinces, the story goes on and on with no
final point worth sitting through all 106 minutes to reach. Performances are uneven and all of it seems a
few decades behind Scorsese and The Sopranos, so skip it.
The 1080p 1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image is also
unimpressive with fake black and white, poor Video Black, detail issues and
editing that is not that great. The DTS-HD
Master Audio (MA) lossless 5.1 track is dialogue-based and offers little in the
way of surrounds (outside of some music) and also shows the budget limits of
the production. Extras include the
original theatrical trailer, feature length audio commentary track by Velle
& Blackington and Behind-The-Scenes Interviews.
- Nicholas Sheffo
