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Cohen & Tate
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray A - America - Shout! Factory Review written by and copyright: Anthony Arrigo (16th July 2013). |
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The Film
 Discovery is such a grand thing. As a fan of cinema, there are few emotions more enticing – or exciting – as coming across some rarely-seen gem from a bygone era of filmmaking. Those feelings can sometimes be compounded to a degree when you learn that a favorite writer or director was responsible for producing this work. Such was the case with “Cohen & Tate” (1988), written and directed by Eric Red, who is responsible for two cult classics in the horror genre – “The Hitcher” (1986) and “Near Dark” (1987). Red more or less vanished from film right around 1996 – after writing and directing the little-seen werewolf picture “Bad Moon” – and only recently resurfaced to write and direct a film called “100 Feet” (2008). But that work he did on those two horror films was enough to insure his name would be remembered by genre fans. So, what’s he doing writing a mob movie? Truthfully, although the film could ostensibly be called a “mob movie”, it’s more akin to some of the cat-and-mouse activity found in “The Hitcher”. Personally, despite a knowledge of Red and just about all of the films he’d written or directed I had never even heard so much as a whisper about “Cohen & Tate”. Luckily for fans, Shout! has resurrected the film on Blu-ray, and while it may not be a forgotten classic it certainly is a cut well above average. An opening scroll informs viewers that young Travis Knight (Harley Cross) is under the Federal Witness Protection Program after witnessing a mob killing in Texas. He and his family attempts to go about their lives as FBI agents watch over them, but when one of the agents turns informant and alerts the mob to where they’re hiding Cohen (Roy Scheider) and Tate (Adam Baldwin) are sent in to kill everyone and kidnap Travis. The only hope he has is the fact that these two hit men – Cohen, an aging enforcer with a steely, cool demeanor; and Tate, a hot head who shoots first and doesn’t bother with questions – hate each other. Travis employs every trick he can to turn them against each other in the hope that they’ll wind up killing themselves and he can escape. Truthfully, the plot here is very simple. The script, which was loosely adapted from O. Henry’s 1910 short story “The Ransom of Red Chief”, covers less than a day in real time. Cohen & Tate have a 4-5 hour drive back to Houston, where the mob heads want to have a “meeting” with Travis. In that scant amount of time, Red skillfully defines all characters very clearly in order to set up the rivalry between the three. We know that Travis is desperate, and despite knowing his parents have been killed he must become extremely resourceful in order to survive. Tate is an absolute, a hulking brute with a crude sense of humor and an itchy trigger finger. But Cohen, he’s the wild card. There are glimpses behind his demeanor, those few moments when you expect him to turn into a geriatric protector and shrug off this life of crime. He knows how his life in this business will end. But Cohen never takes the easy bait, leaving the audience guessing as to whether or not he actually cares about helping the kid or if he really just wants to kill Tate because he can’t stand him. Eric Red said he wrote the role of Cohen for Scheider because he had a tendency to play there rogue samurai-type characters that lived by a certain code. A look at Scheider’s filmography confirms that this role fits in with his oeuvre. Roy as Cohen is cold and calculating, using one bullet to kill whereas Tate would have used a set of brass knuckles and a four shotgun blasts. But he never plays the elderly hitman looking to do some good in his life before he gets out. He only sides with Travis’ hatred of Tate because he also hates Tate. Even if he were to kill Tate, he’d still deliver Travis to the mob waiting to snuff him out just as quickly. It all plays out like a deranged buddy-cop flick, except these two only have one shared moment of levity thanks to a bad joke; the rest of their relationship working together is all condescension and bad vibes. Adam Baldwin made this film almost immediately after “Full Metal Jacket” (1987), and it can be easy to draw parallels to Tate from his character, Animal Mother, in Kubrick’s picture. Both are driven by an unquenchable thirst to kill, with little regard for human life. It’s just a game to them. Red gives Tate one minor moment when he breaks down, revealing a fractured side to his impenetrable brutality. Unlike Cohen, however, there is never one iota of sympathy felt for Tate. He’s a danger to everyone in the film, his reluctant partner included. Many of the standoffs between Cohen, Tate, and Travis have a Sergio Leone quality to them. Eric Red has stated that he was influenced by “The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly” (1968), and with so much tension and ocular close-ups those influences are clearly evident. Harley Cross manages to impress as nine-year-old Travis Knight. It’s tough placing such an onus on a child actor. Viewers tend to forget that child actors, especially in a film like “Cohen & Tate” which takes place almost exclusively at night, have to work long, grueling hours in less-than-favorable conditions. Maintaining composure and keeping up energy after long takes when you’re so young can sometimes cause a performance to suffer. Not here. Cross convincingly plays Travis with a sharp wit, a savvy youngster who understands the stakes and slyly pits these two mismatched partners against each other. He’s not the most believable at crying, but he does know how to think quickly on his feet as the situation dictates. “Cohen & Tate” was heavily cut for its theatrical release, losing out on a great deal of brutal bloodshed. Most of the cut gore would have been found during the opening massacre at the farm house, and then later on during the climax. In fact, the neutered climax as seen in the film looks abnormally tame when compared to the uncut footage, which thankfully has been included here as an extra feature. I think this is a film that is deserving of a greater audience – even more so since it was barely seen during its limited theatrical release – and Shout! Factory’s Blu-ray is the perfect way to get it out there.
Video
For a film from 1988, shot almost entirely at night, “Cohen & Tate” sports a rather attractive picture. The 1.78:1 1080p 24/fps AVC MPEG-4 encoded image features a faithful image that, while lacking in some respects, should please fans of the film. It no doubt looks better than the MGM MOD DVD (how’s that for acronyms?) that was released years ago. The film’s opening – one of two scenes that take place in daylight – looks solid, with great clarity and “natural” lighting to help the picture really pop. Once we hit the road, it’s all darkness. Black levels are good for the most part, though detail is occasionally lost to the shadows. Fine detail is evident but unspectacular in its appearance. Facial close-ups and hairlines look defined but not overly so. The color palette remains mostly mute aside from some sporadic splashes of red as they drive. There is no noticeable print damage aside from a few minor flecks and spots that pop up.
Audio
The back cover only lists a lossless stereo track, but in fact the main track here is an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound track (48 kHz/24-bit) that really gets the job done. The score here was composed by Bill Conti (he of “Rocky” series (1976-2006) fame), who seems to be channeling Harry Manfredini with a string-heavy sound that could have been ripped straight from a horror movie. The track pulses with low, reverberating strings. There is much silence throughout, as the majority takes place on desolate roads, leaving the front and center speakers to carry the dialogue, which is clear and balanced. The rears speakers provide some good background cues – passing cars seamlessly pan across the sound field – as well as swelling appropriately when the score kicks in. There is also an English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo track included. There are no subtitles available.
Extras
Never a company to leave fans out in the cold, Shout! has put together a nice little supplemental package that is absolutely worth your time. Included is an audio commentary, making-of featurette, deleted & uncut scenes, a still gallery, and theatrical trailer. The audio commentary with writer/director Eric Red is a fantastic, academic track that really digs deep into the making of this film. Right from the get go, Red starts speaking like he’s reading a prepared statement, talking about the Leone influences in the film, his idea for the score, what scenes were cut and why… it’s all extremely interesting stuff. He does leave some long gaps of silence at times, but once he picks up the info starts flying just as quickly as it was. A featurette, entitled “A Look Back At Cohen & Tate” (1080p, 1.78:1), runs for 20 minutes and 42 seconds. Eric Red, along with Harley Cross and some of the film’s crew, is interviewed about his experience working on the film. This is a good, if slightly brief, piece that really delves into the genesis of the project and how it came together. Up next is a reel of deleted & uncut scenes (1080p, 1.33:1) that runs for 19 minutes and 41 seconds. These aren’t available to watch individually, but the extra footage consists of Travis arriving home after taking the bus home, the uncut version of the farmhouse massacre, Tate doing some impromptu singing, Tate threatening Travis more, extra lines from the gas station attendant, an alternate death scene for Tate, the fully uncut death of Tate, and Travis’ dad showing up at the end for the standoff with Cohen. The film’s theatrical trailer (1080p, 1.78:1) runs for 2 minutes and 26 seconds. Finally, a still gallery (1080p) runs for 9 minutes and 52 seconds, which showcases behind-the-scenes and publicity shots for the film.
Packaging
The single disc comes housed in a standard Blu-ray keep case. The cover art is virtually identical to the theatrical poster, with a wraparound shot inside the cover featuring a still from the movie.
Overall
“Cohen & Tate” has a lot going for it – Roy Scheider, Adam Baldwin, Eric Red’s writing and direction – to make it well worth a viewing for fans of thrillers with a burst of ultra-violence. The three leads have no problems carrying the film, with lots of tense moments and unpredictable turns that will surprise many cinephiles.
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