Danny DeVito’s Hoffa doesn’t do much about showing the inner workings of the infamous labor leader; we know little more about him coming from the film than we do when it begins, but the director’s passion for the subject is obviously fierce, and he’s pulled every trick in the directorial book to give his telling of the man’s story a fitting framework. It’s too bad that all that flash and finesse doesn’t do more to explain what made the man tick.
Hoffa: Filmmakers Signature Series (Blu-ray)
Directed by Danny DeVito
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Year: 1992
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 1080p AVC codec
Running Time: 140 minutes
Rating: R
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 English; Dolby Digital 2.0 Spanish, French
Subtitles: SDH, Spanish
Region: A
MSRP: $ 24.99
Release Date: September 18, 2012
Review Date: October 16, 2012
The Film
3.5/5
Only one thing seems to give James Riddle Hoffa (Jack Nicholson) a reason to live, and that’s the Teamsters Union. From early in his adult life until the last day he was seen, the man pushed union, union, union with every waking breath. And if that meant climbing metaphorically into bed with the mafia under the command of Carol D’Allesandro (Armand Assante) to assure that the union would become larger and stronger and get protection where it was needed, so be it. While remaining loyal to friends like Bobby Ciaro (Danny DeVito), Frank Fitzsimmons (J. T. Walsh), and Pete Connelly (John C. Reilly), he expected loyalty in return, an expectation that led eventually to his downfall.
David Mamet’s script is a non-linear look at specific highlights in the life of the one-time Teamsters president, but the splintered approach to storytelling never puts the timeframe of the storytelling into clear focus, and by jumping backwards and forwards in telling the story (the movie is bookended with Hoffa’s last day split into several segments as he waits for D’Allesandro to keep a date for their meeting), the audience is never allowed to burrow under the surface of the man’s bluff and bluster. We see his outward passion, but what’s going on inside while the wheels turn is kept mostly a mystery apart from a few pearls of wisdom he throws out to his cronies. And director Danny DeVito doesn’t help matters any with his self-conscious directorial tricks always drawing attention to a stylish segue or a showy dissolve into another scene that, in addition to his favoring his own supporting character in the film (though we don’t really get to know him either aside from seeing him with several luscious babes and his nonstop smoking), takes emphasis away from the storytelling of the title character. It’s an epic scale movie that’s as stormy as its namesake but one that forgets to deeply penetrate its subject to give us a chance to know the man as well as the icon.
Jack Nicholson’s performance is outstanding in capturing the look and sound of the man and in showing his unending passion and his talent for persuasion which led him to the top of the heap. But the script doesn’t offer him many quiet moments to delve into the man’s inner psyche, and that’s the element that’s missing. Danny DeVito is the loyal Bobby Ciaro in a reasonably interesting performance (one moment where he pushes into a mafia nightclub to see the big boss is his best moment in the film). Armand Assante carefully underplays the powerful D’Allesandro while J.T. Walsh has some surprises in store as the seeming wallflower Frank Fitzsimmons. Frank Whaley as a kid waiting on a call from his girl makes an indelible impression in the bookend sequences. Kevin Anderson does a very convincing impersonation of Robert Kennedy in the film’s riveting senate hearings sequences.
Video Quality
4.5/5
The film’s 2.35:1 theatrical aspect ratio is faithfully rendered in a 1080p transfer using the AVC codec. Apart from a long shot or two, the clarity and sharpness of the image are impeccable, and color saturation levels are strong and consistent. Flesh tones are lifelike throughout. Black levels might not quite reach the optimal depths, but they’re very good, and shadow detail is strong. The film has been divided into 36 chapters.
Audio Quality
4.5/5
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 sound mix is a very solid presentation. There are multiple pans across and through the soundstage at appropriate moments, and ambience is well threaded throughout the fronts and rears. David Newman’s music gets the full surround treatment and sounds splendid. The LFE channel gets a nice workout from various explosions as well as deep sounds of noisy crowds and riots. Dialogue has been well recorded and resides in the center channel.
Special Features
4.5/5
The audio commentary by Danny DeVito isn’t a galvanizing one, and with a film this long, there are definite pauses as he watches and thinks of something to talk about. The comments aren’t particularly pithy or pertinent (talking of getting older and seeing it reflected on film isn’t very interesting frankly), but admirers of the movie will undoubtedly want to hear everything he’s got to say. He’s more specific in several of the included bonus features.
“The Music of Hoffa” is a 10 ½-minute conversation between Danny DeVito and composer David Newman discussing (and playing) various themes used in the film and in the trailer (which have been used in many subsequent trailers). It’s in 1080p.
A 2011 address to the Teamsters Convention by Danny DeVito is played in its 15 ¼-minute entirety. It’s in 1080i.
There are three excised scenes presented in a 5 ¼-minute montage. It’s in 480i.
There are two excerpts of historical footage from the Kennedy-Hoffa hearings that run 7 ¾ minutes in 480i.
Eight members of the Teamsters Union offer personal recollections of Jimmy Hoffa in this 6 ½-minute vignette. It’s in 480i.
Danny DeVito narrates a montage of special shots he set up for the movie involving rear projection, rigs, fire effects, cutaway shots, rain effects, and using the camera crane. This runs 14 ¼ minutes in 480i.
“DeVito’s 11 1/4” is 11 minutes of behind-the-scenes home movies as the director talks with cast and crew at work.
The review excerpt from Siskel & Ebert which gives the film two thumbs up is presented in 4 ½ minutes. It’s also in 480i.
An audio discussion after the initial table read of the script between actors Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito, and J.T. Walsh runs 3 ½ minutes.
The theatrical trailer runs 2 ¼ minutes in 480i.
A production gallery offers dozens of color behind-the-scenes stills of the movie.
The shooting script for the movie is available to step through page-by-page.
The enclosed 26-page booklet includes essays on the film, its director, stars, screenwriter, and composer.
In Conclusion
3.5/5 (not an average)
Hoffa is an interesting but ultimately only partly satisfying glimpse into the life of one of the American labor movement’s most controversial figures. A superb audio and video presentation on Blu-ray gives the film a wonderful showcase even with its obvious flaws.
Matt Hough
Charlotte, NC
