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HTF Blu-ray Review: Don McKay (1 Viewer)

Todd Erwin

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Don McKay


Studio: Image Entertainment

US DVD Release Date: June 29, 2010

Theatrical Release Year: 2010

Rated: R (for language and some violence)

Running Time: 90 minutes

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 widescreen

Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (English)

Subtitles: English (SDH), Spanish


Movie: 4 out of 5

Lonely high school janitor Don McKay (Thomas Haden Church) receives a letter from Sonny (Elisabeth Shue), a long-lost love, asking him to return home to visit her before she dies. But something is definitely off. Sonny never tells Don what she's dying of, but is ready to pick up their romance as soon as Don arrives. Her doctor (James Rebhorn) has some strange sexual attraction to her, so much so that Don winds up killing him in self defense during an unprovoked jealous attack by the doctor.


Thus sets the stage of Jake Goldberger's directorial debut, Don McKay, a dark comedic thriller reminding me of some of Joel and Ethan Coen's earlier works, such as Blood Simple. Writer-director Goldberger throws twist after twist at the audience, some coming out of nowhere and are of complete nonsense. To his credit, though, most do make sense and are believable, especially upon repeat viewings.


The film's strong points are in its performances. Church plays McKay as a man with a hidden past, and has chosen his loneliness as his punishment for his past. It is a quiet, understated performance, showing he's a much better actor than most give him credit for. Shue gets to show off her ability to play a sweet, sexy, but often crazy woman who may or may not be all there upstairs. Melissa Leo is wonderful as Sonny's roommate Marie, who is not what she appears to be, slowly revealing her hidden agenda as the story unfolds. Veteran character actors Keith David and M. Emmet Walsh round out the cast.


Video: 3.5 out of 5

Don McKay arrives on Blu-ray in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.78:1 in 1080p, encoded in the AVC codec. Photographed by Phil Parmet (Halloween, The Devil's Rejects), the film has a naturally-lit look to it, never appearing harsh or artificial. Blacks are inky, and detail is very good, especially in nighttime exteriors. Flesh tones are accurate, and color levels are even without becoming over-saturated. Compression artifacts are virtually non-existent.


Audio: 3 out of 5

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack is front-heavy, befitting of what is mostly a dialogue-driven film. Dialogue is intelligible and centered, with Steve Bramson's score filling out the remaining channels along with ambient sound effects.


Special Features: 3.5 out of 5

Audio Commentary with Director Jake Goldberger and Producer Jim Young: This is one of the better audio commentaries I've had the pleasure of listening to in a long time. Goldberger and Young are old friends, and the two discuss the long road to getting this film made, including upsetting Church's agents and managers when they realized the film had not actually been financed yet, although in the end Church remained attached to the film. This is one of those commentary tracks that just about every film student should listen to.


Deleted Scenes (4:52): A total of four scenes are presented in non-anamorphic, standard definition widescreen, all revolving around a deleted subplot on Don losing and regaining his job as a high school janitor, likely cut for pacing.


Theatrical Trailer (1:51): Presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic, standard definition widescreen and 2.0 PCM stereo surround.


Overall: 4 out of 5

Don McKay is an impressive first film from writer-director Jake Goldberger, with a top-notch cast of Oscar nominated actors who are in top form. Add in the engaging commentary track by Goldberger, and this is a winning disc.

 

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