DVD Corner

Perrier’s Bounty and Paintball DVD Reviews

“Perrier’s Bounty” is an enjoyable little dark comedy Irish crime flick.

“Paintball” is abysmal torture horror.Perrier’s Bounty:

The plot: Michael is having a bad day. He literally wakes up and finds two goons in his apartment telling him to pay their boss Darren (a gangster). Naturally, Michael is in a rush to find cash to pay back Darren, but things become complicated when one of Darren’s henchmen accidentally winds up dead. Furious, Darren puts a bounty on Michael’s head which causes Michael to go on the run with his dying father and his neighbor/crush Brenda.

While “Perrier’s Bounty” clearly owes a lot to the works of Guy Ritchie, it still turns out to be an entertaining quirky little crime flick that works primarily because of an all-star cast containing Cillian Murphy, Jim Broadbent, and Brendan Gleeson. All 3 actors are playing against type here. Broadbent plays a strange, almost sensitive gangster, Cillian plays a very different character than usual, and Broadbent steals the show as Michael’s father (whose convinced he will die if he falls asleep). It’s all very strange stuff, but the characters are superemely well written and keep the viewer engaged throughout.

Summary: To be honest, I’m not sure why this one slipped under the radar. This could have easily be an art house/indie darling if marketed properly. Hopefully, it will find a life on DVD. Recommended.

Good cinematography, good transfer. That’s all that needs to be said. The film is presented in 2.35:1 widescreen.

The Dolby Digital 5.1 is adequate. The dialogue sounds a little too quiet in spots, but otherwise it’s a solid track.

The only extras here are IFC Film trailers, a “Perrier’s Bounty” trailer, and a nearly 15 minute making of that contains clips of the movie, the usual cast/crew interviews and discussions about the script and characters.

Paintball:

In the first 15 minutes of “Paintball,” I thought that the film showed promise. I liked the idea of following an 8 player paintball team being taken to an undisclosed location to play another “team” in a game of capture the flag and following them via long shots and tracking shots. It was a great set-up as it made it seem like we (the viewer) were going on this ride with them. Unfortunately, that 15 minutes is all that is remotely interesting about “Paintball.”

“Paintball” is more or less one big rip-off of countless films. The plot of the 8 player team being hunted by a man using live ammunition borrows heavily from “Friday The Thirteenth: Part 6,” “Severance,” “My Little Eye,” “Battle Royale,” “Most Dangerous Game,” and especially “Hostel.” The problem is “Paintball” is inferior to every one of those films due to nauseating shakey cam, bad acting, a complete lack of characterization, and cheap, poorly done thermal imaging death scenes. Simply put, it’s just a flat-out uninspired torture horror slasher set in the woods.

Summary: Sadly, “Paintball” is a failed experiment. It’s a real shame because there was real potential here to make something unique.

Despite the mediocre handheld/shakey cam cinematography, the transfer looks quite good. Once again, the film is presented in 2.35:1.

The Dolby Digital 5.1 is highly uneven. You will no doubt have to crank up the volume sometimes as characters shout in masks, talk from a distance, talk on walkie talkies, talk at once, etc.

The only extras are IFC Film trailers, “Paintball” trailer, 2 “Paintball” teasers, and a basic “Making Of” that contains interviews, set footage, discussions of the story, etc.

October 14, 2010 - Posted by nicklyons1 | DVD review | Brendan Gleeson, Cillian Murphy, Jim Broadbent, Paintball DVD Review, Perrier's Bounty DVD Review