DVD DETAILS:
Vision
The 16:9 enhanced widescreen transfer is effective, although frequently suffers from a lack of background clarity and some noticeable frame edge inconsistencies. Shadows often seem murky, although in design and look the film stresses well the grim textures and the gritty, cold inhospitability of the prison. It starts by contrasting the new, white and progressively open facility wherein Stallone is manageable with the green and greyish, hard-looking prison he is transferred to and becomes rebellious within: it is in this visual contrast that director Flynn suggests that Stallone has in effect returned to an older world set of values, devoid of liberal reform and will thus return to a violent nature. Flynn likes cold surfaces and textures (much is made of a football game in the mud following heavy rain, and a fight in the snow) to testify to the bleak baseness of the human condition – indeed, winter here is truly oppressive. Colours are deliberately desaturated, except most notably for the vibrant red paint on the rebuilt car, which becomes the first sign of hope for these men and thus almost the metaphorical heart of their humanity, hence Sutherland’s eventual treatment of it. At times the transfer seems misty and is frequently dark and dank, although there is an effective use of a hot yellow tint towards the end to suggest Stallone’s mounting desperation and impending explosion, also conveyed through quickening editing rhythms.
Sound
The sound transfer is a most functional Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo, although spatial effects are limited somewhat in their design, at least as transferred here. The score starts out as effectively bittersweet and melancholic, perfectly stressing the opening montage establishing Stallone as a man who just wants to get back to his “normal” life and for whom memories are the only real treasures he has to sustain himself in prison. Prison life is conveyed effectively in background chatter but it is the forcefulness of the guards’ voices that contrasts Stallone’s efforts to maintain his dignity and humanity. Voice as the instrument of authority is also toyed with in this film’s aural design: the different forms of pride. Thus, rampant, sadistic macho pride often comes through in vocal intonation as does the odd moment of humility. Diegetic sound effects are often crisp and full but feel mostly centred, although there is an effective spatial use of a slight echo. The fight scenes stress the pain and suffering through grunts, shouts and laboured breathing. A rec-room scene uses an illusory serenity as a prelude to violence; the score taking over as mounting threat disrupts the scene. Music is used as a moment of triumph in the montage concerning the rebuilding of the red car. Harsh strings and disconcerting sounds are also most effective in the solitary confinement scene (a standard convention of the prison movie but still harrowing). read more
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