Marc Colella

Since:

-Martin Scorcese listed it as his #5 film of the 90s
-Harvey Keitel stars (I like his work)
-the DVD can be had for dirt cheap...

I was wondering how the movie is and the quality of the DVD.

Worth purchasing?

Jamezuva

Can't vouch for the dvd but the movie is good. I think I gave it a B. Be careful though and rent it first because this movie is a bit extreme at times and is the reason it is rated NC-17 even though it isn't loaded with nudity like Crash or Showgirls. You'll recognize the controversial scenes when you see it. That being said, I think it's worth seeing but I don't really think it has much rewatchability

TELawrence

I thought it was a lot like what Copland would have been if you saw it from Harvey Kietels perspective instead of Stallones. Does that make sense?

Anyway I think its worth seeing but I don't think it's that good.

Oh! Does the DVD have commentary? The laserdisc did and I seem to recall the only interesting thing being that ending was shot 'for real.' Meaning nobody knew it was being filmed which makes the reaction truely horrific.

PS - I don't recall much, if any, nudity in Crash. (And no I didn't watch the block-bastard version)

EAV

I picked this up a couple of days ago based upon a viewing I had more than 6 years ago. My roommate in law school was into odd movies and brought this home. My gut reaction...this movie is appalling! Not in the sense that it is terrible, but rather in the sense that there are no morally redeeming qualities in any of the characters, as it set out to do. This is not a movie for everyone. If you liked Taxi Driver, this movie will appeal to you. Very good performance by Harvey Keitel...gives you a bit of a preview of the quality performance he would later give in Reservoir Dogs. For the price it can be found at, it's a must buy.

[This message has been edited by EAV (edited March 03, 2000).]

Jamezuva

TEL: not much nudity in Crash?? you gotta be kidding. Obviously there wasn't as much as Showgirls but there was quite a bit and some shots were pretty time extended too

Nyquil

i got this movie during the bigstar window a couple of weeks back...pretty cool movie

Marc Colella

Nyquil (or anyone else)...

how is the transfer? Much grain or artifacts, or is it relatively clean?

Spiderbite

this is a hard movie to like. i cant see many watching this movie repeatedly. the acting is great but this movie is depressing. some tough scenes to watch. good flick but just toughto love.

DumDum

Off topic, but a few years ago I remember renting this on vhs:-(
Anyway I notice that some of the music is diferent on the dvd. In particular the closing credits on the vhs had a remix of Zeppelins "Kashmir"
Did they just lose the rights to this or what?

Nyquil

The transfer is great....nothing to complain about the technicals of this dvd.

One thing though, I couldn't seem to access the trailer. There was no icon leading to it. But on the back cover, it lists a trailer as one of the extras?

akasha66

Let me add my two cents to this. Buy this movie! No self-respecting Keitel fan should be without this film. It is by far his best work. Yes it is depressing, yes it is raw but that is why it is so great. This is a slice of life and I'm not talking about "A Bug's life"... Ha Ha. This film will shock you no matter how many times you see it and leave you feeling like you need to take a shower as soon as it's over. That is what makes it great. Buy it!

------------------
"Candy colored clown they call the sandman."

[This message has been edited by akasha66 (edited March 05, 2000).]

zombie

TLawrence, which laserdisc had the commentary? I have the first pressing on Pioneer, one where that song by Led Zepplin is still intact (they removed it on all later rpints on VHS, DVD, cable for musical copyright), but I dont remember any commentary. Did they release a new version on laserdisc?

TELawrence

Perhaps I confuse the voices in my head for directors commentary....

Still trying to remember nudity in Crash besides Spader in bed at the beginning with that chick that looks like a lion.

Gil Jawetz

TELawrence, I'll have waht you're having. Imagined commentaries, altered versions of movies. It's like a drug called Criterionix.

As for the "Kashmir" remix, it's actually a song called "The Signifying Rapper" by pioneering hip-hopper Schooly D (off his album "Smoke Some Kill" in case anyone wants to pick it up).

I'm guessing the reason that it doesn't appear on later versions of the film is not because of Schooly D; I'm sure he doesn't care, but rather that I'm sure (and judging from the liner notes on "Smoke Some Kill" I think I'm right) that he never cleared the publishing rights to "Kashmir" before creating his song. This was in the pre-"Ice Ice Baby" years of rampant sample stealing. I'm guessing that someone in the Led Zeppelin camp caught on to this eventually and pulled the plug on Bad Lieutenant's use of the song. Shame. It worked great.