Review of Sweat

Introduction

I have always associated CDA with the more determined film buff. Take your standard DVD release, add memorabilia like posters, film stills, postcards and script books, add some deluxe special edition packaging and a price tag to match, and you have a cinephile`s wet dream. So when finally, Reviewer sent me a couple of CDA titles to review I rubbed my hands with glee. Imagine my considerable surprise when I found that CDA do b-movies as well. In your standard Amaray cases come a horror movie, and this action thriller, Sweat.

Four men are fleeing across the African desert in a truck filled with stolen gold. An audacious plan hatched by an air traffic controller has netted them tons of the precious metal and they must make it to a rendezvous at the ocean in time to convert their ill-gotten gains to cold hard cash. But it is an uneasy alliance as tempers fray in the scorching desert. Four abrasive personalities collide and it`s not a question of if a betrayal will occur, but who`ll be the first.

Video

The picture is transferred in a 1.85:1 anamorphic ratio, cropped down from the original 2.35:1. It`s a shame as Sweat, or to give its French title Sueurs is a veritable visual feast. The transfer is pretty much flawless, with a few minor specks of dirt, and one instance of moiré all that I can report. The direction is energetic and stylish, with every trick used to up the frenetic pace and action, long shots, extreme close ups, low angle, high angle, it`s almost a master-class in cinema technique. The African desert is brought to life more effectively than a Fry`s Turkish Delight commercial, with amazing use of tints and panoramic landscapes (which make the 1.85:1 cropped version all that more lamentable). You feel parched just watching it. The stillness of the lifeless desert is an amazing contrast to the bursts of explosive action as the trucks race across the landscape.

Audio

Yet another disappointment as the sound is only available in DD 2.0 French or English. Actually this disc is rather surprising in that there are two versions of this film on the disc. The first layer has the re-edited English version of the film, while the second layer has the original French version with burnt in English subtitles. I watched the film in the original French, and didn`t bother with the English version, but after skipping through it, the only major change I could find, apart from the dubbing that is, was the opening credits had changed from French to English.

As I said, this is a disappointment as this film is full of action and mayhem. Explosions, truck chases, bullets flying and the echoing open desert spaces all deserve the best possible treatment in terms of sound. While the DD 2.0 stereo does its best in conveying all this and does manage it quite effectively with the aid of a Prologic upmix, you find yourself wondering how much better the film could sound. The music is excellent and is certainly evocative of the setting of the story. I would have preferred just one version of the film with two higher spec soundtracks.

Features

Just the trailer presented in 2.35:1 zoomed letterbox format. The English version of the film lacks selectable subtitles.

Conclusion

When it comes to this summer of sequels, action hasn`t been all that its cracked up to be. The cinema has left me rather cold, and I watched this CDA disc after reviewing the dismal Hellborn, expecting more of the same. Bloody hell, what a revelation Sweat is. This is action in its purest form. Plot and exposition is irrelevant as we are thrown into the middle of a getaway after the heist has been accomplished. Four bad guys, who don`t particularly like each other, certainly don`t trust each other, at the wheel of a truck full of stolen gold in the middle of the African desert. When the reckless wheelman crashes through a roadblock putting a hole in the radiator, tempers fray irretrievably and you just know that an explosion of violence is inevitable. What follows is backstab after double cross after betrayal, as these rather unlikeable villains fight over the gold. Cue gunplay, trucks chasing through the desert and explosions in a non-stop thrill ride. It`s like The Good, The Bad and The Ugly played at 70 miles an hour. It`s like Mad Max in Trucks. It`s like all the best bits of Terminator 3 without any of the turgid plot or dull acting.

The cast is great with Jean-Hughes Anglade excelling as the flamboyant driver Harvey. On the surface he appears a genial enough fellow, but one betrayal too many unleashes a vengeful side to the man that is just delicious to watch. Joaquim de Almeida is Noh, the air traffic controller who is the mastermind behind the whole thing. He appears to be out of out of his depth surrounded by villainy, but soon gets his hands dirty with the rest of them. It`s like Duel without the slow bits, it is The Italian Job but with trucks and bullets.

Sweat is the ultimate triumph of style over substance. The film will never win any awards for plot or script, but the film is cool in a way the reminds me of Tarantino at his finest. The characters are all anti heroes, but they are cool with it. There`s none of that standard Hollywood balderdash to do with redemption or depth of character. What this film is concerned with is action pure and simple, and does its best to convey that at every opportunity through stylish camerawork and deft editing. It is pop video movie making at its best. What is surprising is that the characters and the humour come across so strongly despite that. This film will have you at the edge of your seat and laughing out loud. The disc is wanting, but the film certainly isn`t. It is without doubt the best action movie I have seen this summer. I urge you to rent it. For more information go to www.sweat-themovie.com