The Movie
Beginning with their poor-man's-James-Bond opening credits, the makers of Wrong Side of Town don't seem to know just how cheesy their tough-guy action movie really is, or at least they won't admit it. And this obliviousness imparts a certain sense of dramatic swagger which, along with the curious charm of star Rob Van Dam and co-star David Bautista, help to keep these 85 minutes worth sticking around for.
Van Dam plays a seemingly regular-guy landscaper, but with a past as a trained killer, which comes in handy after he runs afoul of a New Orleans heavy who enlists every Big Easy lowlife to put the hurt on him. Bautista and Van Dam are successful professional wrestlers, and a lot of work was put into the fight sequences, which except for a couple of scenes are surprisingly standard. But considering the mere three-week shooting schedule, I suppose the results are not so shabby.
The Picture
The 1.85:1 high-def image was apparently captured on video, with the telltale streaking and occasional harshness to the brights. Some dark scenes look absolutely awful: noisy, artifact-ridden, and with utterly lifeless blacks. Hard ringing also overtakes the backgrounds more than once. If you're looking for a Blu-ray to show of your system, this ain't it.
The Sound
Surround use in the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is timid, only sporadically exploited, and with low volume. Occasional discrete rears can be heard for doors opening, closing. Bass too is stingily exercised, despite some good opportunities. A honking horn can show some nice sustain, but in general there's very little "HD" here. The label touts several hip-hop songs, but none sound particularly strong.
The Extras
Three "Behind Wrong Side of Town" featurettes include "Set Life with Rob Van Dam" (minor details about his experiences), "Interviews with the Stars" and "Stunts with Rob Van Dam." All are in high-def, none is longer than four minutes, and they're all a little, y'know, dull. "Kali Training with David Bautista, Marrese Crump and Oscar Lugo" (four minutes, standard definition) is much more interesting, showing the practice for some quick Filipino martial arts skirmishes, but it is all presented without any synched sound, just music (in linear PCM).
Final Thoughts
Wrong Side of Town certainly isn't the worst movie--or the worst disc--I've ever seen, it's just more akin to something I'd watch while late-night channel surfing. It might be worth at least a rental, especially for fans of Rob Van Dam and David Bautista.
Product Details
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