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SONY

MOVIE INFO

Director:
Gabe Polsky
Cast:
Nicolas Cage, Fred Hechinger, Jeremy Bobb
Writing Credits:
Gabe Polsky, Liam Satre-Meloy

Synopsis:
An Ivy League drop-out travels to the Colorado wilderness where he joins a team of buffalo hunters on a journey that puts his life and sanity at risk.

MPAA:
Rated R.

DISC DETAILS
Presentation:
Aspect Ratio: 2.00:1
Audio:
English DTS-HD MA 5.1
Subtitles:
English
French
Closed-captioned
Supplements Subtitles:
None

Runtime:
107 min.
Price: $34.99
Release Date: 12/26/2023

Bonus:
• None


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RELATED REVIEWS


Butcher's Crossing [Blu-Ray] (2023)

Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (January 8, 2024)

Over the decades, film pundits have often declared the death of the Western, but the genre never quite fades. For a recent example, we go to 2023’s Butcher’s Crossing.

Set in 1874, young Will Andrews (Fred Hechinger) drops out of college and moves to the small Kansas town of Butcher’s Crossing. Enchanted with the notion of the western frontier, Will wants to experience that culture.

Will joins a buffalo hunt led by Miller (Nicolas Cage), an experienced guide and gunman. This doesn’t follow the path Will expected, and the events push him to the edge in ways both mental and physical.

Now nearly 30 years after his Oscar-winning turn in 1995’s Leaving Las Vegas, Cage seems to vary between roles in which he indulges in broad borderline self-parody and those in which he plays things straight. Given the subject, I figured Crossing would lean toward Serious Nic, but I also could see how Cage might go for broke instead.

The end result falls somewhere between those poles. While it doesn’t present Unhinged Nic, he also doesn’t go for true realism.

Still, I’ll take the semi-restrained Cage on display here over the self-parody he often exhibits. 20 years ago, I loved Cage but between his lean toward over-acting and a bunch of bad choices, I lost a lot of that affection.

At no point does Crossing threaten to become one of Cage’s best films, but it offers a more legitimate drama than much of his 21st century work. We get a predictable but reasonably sturdy Western.

Albeit one with a lot of precursors. The notion of an obsessed man fixated on a specific quest doesn’t seem vaguely fresh, as many properties followed this same plot.

We can see a lot of Captain Ahab in Miller. He feels determined to eliminate as many buffalo as he can, and this fixation proves his downfall.

Spoiler? Not really, as it becomes clear that Miller will destroy all he touches. Stories like this don’t come with happy endings.

Crossing gives us a more than credible rendition of its themes, though it could use better character development. Miller, Will and the rest never evolve beyond basic archetypes.

Still, the journey turns reasonably compelling, and Cage seems more invested than usual. He occasionally veers toward Campy Nic but he nonetheless adds decent power to his role.

If nothing else, I appreciate the sight of Cage without a wig. Long devoid of a full mane, Cage usually sports bad hairpieces, so I appreciate his shaved head here.

Nothing about Crossing excels or delivers a great Western. Still, it becomes moderately engaging.


The Disc Grades: Picture B+/ Audio B/ Bonus F

Butcher’s Crossing appears in an aspect ratio of 2.00:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. The film boasted fine visuals.

Sharpness worked well. While the occasional wide shot betrayed a sliver of softness, the majority of material appeared accurate and concise.

No issues with moiré effects or jaggies occurred. I saw neither edge haloes nor source flaws.

In this Western setting, the film favored an often amber/orange palette, with a fair amount of teal thrown in as well. Within the stylistic constraints, the Blu-ray reproduced the colors in a favorable manner.

Blacks came across as deep and dense, while shadows appeared smooth and well-developed. The movie offered pleasing picture quality.

Also good, the movie’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio satisfied. Music showed nice stereo presence, while effects added immersive material. The action sequences boasted fine use of the side and rear speakers, all of which brought us into the story well.

Audio quality seemed strong. Music was full and rich, while dialogue seemed natural and distinctive.

Effects offered clear elements, with warm, tight lows. Though not a consistently active affair, I still liked the soundtrack for Crossing.

No extras of any sort appear on the disc – not even previews.

As a psychological drama about a man on an obsessive quest, Butcher’s Crossing comes from a well-worn drama. The movie does fine for itself, though I don’t think it stands out as a particularly memorable entry. The Blu-ray boasts strong picture and audio but it lacks bonus materials. Expect a competent tale but not one that excels.

Viewer Film Ratings: 2 Stars Number of Votes: 1
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