Big Picture Big Sound

The Film

With Machete Kills currently imploding at theaters (and not in a cool way), Universal wants to get another Danny Trejo action flick out to the masses ASAP. However, Dead in Tombstone is not a Machete film. Instead, it's a direct-to-video endeavor -- one with an impressive, Machete-esque cast.

As with the Machete movies, Trejo's Guerrero has a bloody mission. After a very successful late-night heist, the gunfighter gets double-crossed by his own half-brother Red (Anthony Michael Hall) and the rest of his gang. Soon after, he lands in Hell, where he makes a deal with Lucifer himself (Mickey Rourke, of course). He's looking to trade his soul for the ones that put him there, promising to deliver all six within a 24-hour period. That sounds pretty reasonable for an aging action hero, no?

Still, Dead in Tombstone is a bit of a waste. Rourke is looking pretty plastic and barely has anything to do in the movie except give us an occasional Joker-esque smile. Other than that, we don't really get to know any of the characters, leaving very little reason to care. They all seem like scumbags, so does it really matter which one ends up being the Devil's roommate? If you're just looking for carnage, carnage you shall have with Dead in Tombstone.

The Picture

Dead in Tombstone has a surprisingly detailed 1.78:1 image. Of course, you won't get too much from the color palette. The old west is a dirty, dark place. That said, the colors do come through quite nicely, with strong black levels. Also, facial hair, leathers, wood, horses and raindrops all show off a lot of great texture throughout the mayhem presented here.

The Sound

Just like Danny Trejo's characters, this DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is pretty relentless. From the opening seconds, you know this is going to be a fun track, with screams and the "voice of Lucifer" darting all over the soundfield. From there, the movie is 100 minutes of gunshots, explosions, galloping horses, thunder, shattering glass, splintering wood, and Hybrid's soundtrack. Be prepared to disturb the neighbors with this one.

The Extras

Dead in Tombstone doesn't just come packing an impressive amount of extras for a direct-to-video release. It's actually impressive for any release. There's an unrated version of the film, as well as deleted scenes and a "Deleted Shots Montage." There are also five short, interesting featurettes that cover the director, the locations, the special effects, and pretty much everything else you'd need to know about this film. The disc also has director Roel Reiné sitting in for an audio commentary. It's interesting, but would have been better if Danny Trejo sat in for a spell.

Final Thoughts

Fans of Danny Trejo or Anthony Michael Hall may feel welcomed to this gun show. All others may want to steer clear. Dead in Tombstone is 100 minutes' of one man's vengeance. It's not even cool vengeance, though. The Blu-ray is pretty stellar, between the audio, video and impressive collection of extras. However, it's still not enough to recommend this as a purchase.

Product Details

• Actors: Danny Trejo, Anthony Michael Hall, Dina Meyer, Mickey Rourke
• Director: Roel Reiné
• Audio/Languages: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (English), DTS 5.1 (Spanish)
• Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of Discs: 2
• Rating: R
• Studio: Universal
• Blu-ray Disc Release Date: October 22, 2013
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• List Price: $34.98
• Extras:
  • Unrated Version
  • Feature Commentary with Director Roel Reiné
  • Deleted Scenes
  • Deleted Shots Montage
  • The Making of Dead in Tombstone
  • Horses, Guns & Explosions
  • Roel Reiné: The Leader of the Gang
  • A Town Transformed
  • Creating Hell: The VFX
  • Previews
  • BD-Live
  • Standard-Def DVD
  • Digital Copy
  • UltraViolet Digital Copy