DVD Corner

Hunt To Kill Blu-ray and DVD Reviews

Whether you like it or not, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin is back with another Direct-to-DVD film.

“Hunt To Kill” begins with a Border Patrol agent named Jim Rhodes (Steve Austin) losing his partner in a drug bust. The film quickly cuts to 4 years later where we see a now divorced Jim living in the mountains of Montana as a Border Patrol where he also raises his sassy teen daughter. Meanwhile, in Reno, a group of thieves have been betrayed by a member of the group who has run off with a stash of bonds. The two stories collide when the thieves wind up in Montana looking for the runaway thief. The thieves use violence and force to persuade Jim (and his daughter) to find the treacherous thief in the forests of Montana. Can Jim protect his daughter? Will Jim get his revenge against the criminals?

In case you didn’t get your fill of Steve Austin in the unwatchable “The Stranger” or this summer’s hit action flick “The Expendables,” he’s back in another Direct-to-DVD film. The good news? It’s better than “The Stranger.” The bad news? It’s still an unoriginal Steve Austin starring vehicle that consists entirely of gunfights, brainless character actions, violence, explosions, lousy one liners, and even lousier acting by the emotionless Steve Austin. Seriously folks, this film has about 5 minutes of actual story. The rest of the film contains scenes of characters walking around in the forest before the inevitable showdown between Austin and the baddies.

The only real saving graces here are Michael Hogan (of “Battlestar Galactica”) in a small role and Gil Bellows (of “The Shawshank Redemption” and “Ally McBeal” fame) who seems to be having a blast chewing the scenery here.

Summary: “Hunt To Kill” is strictly for fans of dumb action films and or “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.

The 1.78:1 1080p picture quality on the Blu-ray is surprisingly sharp. From the forest to the skin tones, the cinemtography really shines here and is easily the best thing about the disc. The 1.78:1 widescreen picture quality on the DVD is fine, but a lot less detailed and refined.

The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 on the Blu-ray is adequate, but it’s not going to wow you. The Dolby Digital 5.1 is predictably weaker than the Blu-ray track, but again, it does its job.

The extras are the same on both the DVD and Blu-ray:
* Anchor Bay trailers including one for “Hunt To Kill.”
* “Behind The Scenes Of Hunt To Kill” includes cast/crew interviews and set footage. Basically, the same old, same old.
* Commentary by director Keoni Waxman and actor Michael Eklund. A dull track with lots of quiet spots.

November 6, 2010 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review, DVD review | Hunt To Kill Blu-ray Review, Hunt To Kill DVD Review, Stone Cold Steve Austin