Review of At Close Range

Introduction

Based upon a true story; set during the 1970`s this film recounts the history of Bruce Whitewood Sr. and his family which formed one of their home state`s most notorious crime families. Sean Penn plays Brad Jr. who seeks to link up with his estranged father and his gang only to discover what he finds isn`t as appealing as it first seemed.

Video

Video quality overall is fairly average, largely due to the films age and the low budget certainly. My main gripe with it however is that the scene`s filmed at night are slightly too dark for the most part! This does make detail somewhat harder to make out but it was deliberately filmed this way, indeed a lot of the camera work goes for the slightly artier look and feel. This style works for the most part but you cant help but feel the director`s trying to make up for the lack of a higher budget.

Audio

Audio comes in a variety of the usual European languages in Dolby Digital format. The films sound overall isn`t flashy, merely functional but then it suits the film fine, this isn`t exactly a big blockbuster that needs booming sound! Music is sometimes out of place, the films based in the late 70`s yet the main theme tune is an 80`s Madonna track for example.

Features

The sole extra on the disc is the original theatrical trailer.

Conclusion

The film features some strong performances; Christopher Walken in particular stands out as the crime lord father and Sean Penn gives a fine performance as well. The lack of budget means the film focuses more on the characters and acting which pays off nicely in terms of character development. Unfortunately this seems to be thrown out the window for the last part of the film where it degenerates into a more typical Hollywood fare.

Basically the first 2/3`s or so of the film is a rather good, if a little dated, film. Good acting, strong characters and story help make it stand out nicely. The last part however looses it somewhat and it unfortunately sours the rest of the film as a result.

A DVD more for the collector really, it`s a mildly entertaining, if slightly dated film and it probably won`t really appeal to anyone who doesn`t already have an interest in it.