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Recoil
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - America - Vivendi Visual Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Anthony Arrigo (31st March 2012). |
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The Film
 When I get title after title of direct-to-video wannabe action films starring Steve “formerly Stone Cold” Austin, it reminds me that the days of true macho cinema are over. Dead. Gone. Buried. Never to return. Is this where run-of-the-mill action films have ended up? Now we’ve got wrestlers headlining movies that should be commandeered by weathered, testosterone-fueled men who eat lead and crap thunder. Oh, what’s that? We don’t have any of those anymore? No, we don’t. Back in the 80's, a movie like “Recoil” (2011) would have been headlined by Charles Bronson, and I’d be loving the hell out of it. There isn’t an actor alive today who can match guys like Bronson, Robert Mitchum, Chuck Norris or Lee Marvin in terms of sheer manliness and bravado. You might know what you were getting every single time you watched a Bronson film, but you enjoyed the ever-lovin’ shit out of them because the plot was secondary; what mattered most was seeing your favorite tough guys turn bad men into Swiss cheese. These guys had charisma and attitude falling out of their pockets. Today – we’ve got nothing. Aside from the new action stars of yesteryear who are still working, the latest crop includes guys like Jason Statham (who I’ll admit isn’t half bad, but he isn’t ugly enough), Sam Worthington and… well, I can’t really think of anyone else. It’s a thin field out there. I used to enjoy watching Stone Cold Steve Austin on WWE Raw when I was in middle/high school. The guy had a natural ability to command an audience’s attention, quickly making him one of the most successful superstars of all-time in that sport. Somewhere along the line, someone must have told him he could act, or that he’d be a draw, because he started making bad movies at a pace that only Nicolas Cage has been able to maintain. Even worse, they’re all indistinguishable from each other. I know I’ve seen one or two of them before, but if someone had a gun to my mother’s head I couldn’t tell you what they were called or the plot. They’re all so vapid. “Recoil” isn’t much different. It’s yet another revenge plot with Steve Austin playing a loner (shocker) who arrives in a small town (of course) to take revenge on the gang of bikers who murdered his family (because that’s an original idea if I’ve ever heard one). The biker gang is led by Danny Trejo, who has consistently stated in interviews that he does so many films every year he doesn’t even know the names of them. I’ll bet all the gold on Fort Knox that he barely remembers shooting this film, let alone what they decided to call it. Oh yea, Keith Jardine is also in this as one of Trejo’s thugs. I’m sure someone thought it would be awesome to see Austin (a wrestler) fight Jardine (a UFC MMA fighter), although in real life I have a feeling the outcome would be much different than it is in the film. Austin isn’t the worst actor to ever come out of a wrestling ring, but he’s got a long way to go if he wants the have the career Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has been enjoying. My main issues with his acting are that he has a perma-scowl on his face, causing him to look like he’s got the world’s worst crap on deck at all times; and, that he has a tendency to walk like there’s a metal rod up his ass to hold him in place. I’m going to guess the latter may be due to injuries he sustained in the ring, but it gives him a Neanderthal-like posture that could be fully realized if someone handed him a blunt, wooden club. I don’t expect him to showcase some amazing range; it’s not like Charles Bronson was ever accused of limiting himself by making so many exploitation pictures with Cannon in the late 80's. I think it just boils down to some guys have it, some don’t. Austin is a born entertainer who has enjoyed a healthy career dominating the world of professional wrestling, but I just don’t see the movie star qualities within him.
Video
The film’s 1.78:1 1080p 24/fps AVC MPEG-4 encoded image was shot using HD digital cameras, giving it an aesthetic that’s simple but effective. There’s nothing cinematic about the film’s appearance; its low-budget origins show through right from the first frame. I think that’s a major part of why I can’t even have fun with these DTV action flicks; they just look so damn cheap, like no one even cares about giving it a film-like quality. Aesthetics aside, this is a competent transfer with minor issues throughout. There is some crushing during darker scenes, and the image occasionally looks a little soft & muddy. Overall, however, it’s not half bad. Danny Trejo’s face looks like a rock quarry as viewed through a pitted lens, reminding us that even though he’s macho now those acnes scars were likely a serious burden in his younger days. Stone Co…er, Steve Austin’s shiny dome glistens in the light of HD. The forest seen in the opening is lush and green, with some nice earthy tones. It’s not an exciting visual presentation, but it is generally pleasing to the eye.
Audio
I don’t have a lot to complain about regarding the film’s English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound track mixed at 48kHz/24-bit. Right from the opening, with Steve Austin blaring down the street on a motorcycle, it’s clear this is a track that’s going to at the very least pack a wallop. The engine rumbles with a constant, low frequency that kept my LFE track humming for its duration. Unfortunately, I think that may have also been the highlight of the track. The film is rife with two things: gunfire and punches. The gunfire could have more of a kick to it. The effects don’t sound canned, but they don’t really explode with as much impact as I was expecting. Likewise, the film’s punches sound about a thousand times stronger than any punch in the real world would. You could consider that a positive since it adds to the intended blows, but it just sounds so unrealistic. I always envision some guy in a Foley studio smacking a leather-wrapped bunch of celery with a bat to achieve the effect because it sounds so unnatural. I know this is an action film, but it’s also a low-budget one, so I don’t go into these things expecting a track that’s going to rival a Hollywood blockbuster. I would consider this a solid effort for a direct-to-video clunker with a few B-grade faces and some moderate action. Subtitles are included in English for the hearing impaired.
Extras
Not much to talk about here… “The Making of Recoil” (1080p) featurette runs for 7 minutes and 50 seconds. I have to admire actors who star in DTV films that have no shot at becoming very popular, yet they can still muster up the energy to talk about them like it’s high cinema. The movie might have sucked, but you wouldn’t guess that from the interviews here. Hell, some of them are even convinced Steve Austin is a good actor. A reel of deleted scenes (1080p) runs for 5 minutes and 47 seconds. These are mostly additional exposition for Austin’s character, with little that would have added anything but extra minutes to the film. The film’s theatrical trailer (1080p) runs for 1 minute and 23 seconds. Finally, the disc opens with a single bonus trailer (1080p) for another Steve Austin film: - “Tactical Force” runs for 1 minute and 16 seconds.
Packaging
A single disc in an Blu-ray keep case. There is a slip-cover which replicates the cover art included as of this writing.
Overall
This film is a cold steak slathered in weak sauce. I wish Austin made halfway decent revenge flicks I could shut off my brain and enjoy, but they’re just far too middling and stupid for me to ignore.
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