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The World of DVD: CRIME

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CRIME
Listed Alphabetically

AMERICAN GANGSTER ***** Nobody used to notice Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington), the quiet driver of one of Harlem's leading  black crime bosses.  Richie Roberts (Russel Crowe) is an out cast cop close enough to the street to feel a shift of control in the drug underworld. The DVD offers the extended version of the film that includes over 18 minutes of additional footage not shown in cinemas; bonus features include an alternate ending and feature commentary by director Ridley Scott and screenwriter Steve Zaillian. Go behind the scenes
ANGELS AND DEMONS  *****  The team behind the global phenomenon The Da Vinci Code returns with Tom Hanks reprising his role as Harvard religious expert Robert Langdon, who once again finds that forces with ancient roots are willing to stop at nothing, even murder, to advance their goals. When Langdon discovers evidence of the resurgence of an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati - the most powerful underground organization in history - he also faces a deadly threat to the existence of the secret organization's most despised enemy: the Catholic Church.
Based upon the bestselling novel by Dan Brown. Bonus Features include "Writing Angels and Demons, and Angels and Demons The Full Story.
Go behind the scenes
THE BLACK DAHLIA
**** A fictionalised tale of obsession, love, corruption, greed and depravity interwoven with the true story of the brutal murder of a fledgling Hollywood starlet that shock ed and fascinated the nation in 1947 and remains unsolved today. Go behind the scenes
THE BRAVE ONE *****From director Neil Jordon comes this excellent crime thriller with Jodie Foster in top form as a woman who has been brutally attacked and seeks revenge on her attackers as well as other ruthless thugs who prey on innocent New Yorkers using unusual means of vigilante justice. Equally brilliant is Terrence Howard as the detective who tries to solve the mystery of the crime as well that of Foster's character. The features include a fantastic behind the scenes probing into the making of the film as well as deleted scenes.  Go behind the scenes
BRICK  **** This dynamic debut feature from writer/director Rian Johnson won the Sundance Film Festival's Special Jury Prize for Originality of Vision. Brick, while taking its cues and its verbal style from the novels of Dashiell Hammett, also honors the rich cinematic tradition of the hard-boiled noir mystery, here wittily and bracingly immersed in fresh territory - a modern-day Southern California neighborhood and high school. There, student Brendan Frye's (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) piercing intelligence spares no one. Brendan is not afraid to back up his words with actions, and knows all the angles; yet he prefers to stay an outsider, and does - until the day that his ex-girlfriend, Emily (Emilie de Ravin of Lost), reaches out to him unexpectedly and then vanishes.  Go behind the scenes Read an interview with writer-director Rian Johnson
COLLATERAL-- (Two disc special edition) **** Michael Mann's action thriller stars Tom Cruise as a calculating contract killer. The features include a director's commentary, deleted scenes, a making of featurette, a shooting on location featurette, and a special effects featurette. Go behind the scenes
THE DA VINCI CODE Two disc edition ***** A well crafted crime thriller filled with mystery and an invigorating imaginative journey into a fictional reality that offers spectacular entertainment on every level. Directed by Ron Howard, who engages the viewer with his superb direction and visual interpretation, and adapted for the screen by Akiva Goldsman, whose screenplay sizzles, turning fiction into fantastic cinema.  The crafty subplots infuse the main plot with informative exposition related to the history of the story and the mindset of the characters; at times the past and present bleed into the narrative simultaneously,  adding a fascinating dimension that is beautifully underscored by Hanz Zimmer's memorable soundtrack.  Based on Dan Brown's novel, it all begins with a spectacular murder in the Louvre Museum. Famed symbologist Professor Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is called to the museum one night where a curator has been murdered, leaving behind a mysterious trail of symbols and clues. Go behind the scenes
DERAILED *** Clive Owen is an advertising executive who is just another Chicago commuter who regularly catches the 8:43am train to work. When he misses his train and meets Lucinda Harris (Jennifer Aniston), his life is changed forever. Their seemingly perfect affair goes terribly awry when LaRoche (Vincent Cassel), a brutal stranger, breaks into their room and holds them at gunpoint. It marks the English language debut feature film by Swedish director Mikael Håfström, " Read more
DOWN IN THE VALLEY *** A suspenseful crime story set at the edge of the San Fernando Valley, a seedy place of horse ranches and immigrant gangs, where ten-lane freeways converge to create a cultural no man's land. A rebellious high school senior Tobe (Evan Rachel Wood) and her anaemic 11-year old brother Lonnie (Rory Culkin) struggle to escape their grim and hopeless existence and their overbearing father, Wade (David Morse). Their hoped-for deliverance comes in the form of Harlan, a charming, yet mercurial man (Edward Norton) who thinks he's a cowboy. Go behind the scenes
EDISON ***** In the spirit of such classic motion pictures as Serpico, Chinatown and L.A. Confidential, Edison illuminates a tale of corruption in an American city and the disintegrating line between good intentions and the abuse of power. It tells of an inexperienced reporter caught out of his depth while investigating police corruption.   It stars two-time Academy Award winner Spacey (American Beauty, The Usual Suspects) as the evil Special Investigator Levon Wallace, with Morgan Freeman, LL Cool J and Justin Timberlake, the former 'N Sync member who makes his feature film acting debut in Edison. Go behind the scenes
FIFTY DEAD MEN WALKING **** A young man is recruited by Special Branch to infiltrate the brutal and life-threatening high echelons of the IRA terrorist organisation in 1980s Belfast at the height of the northern Irish 'Troubles'. Inspired by the real-life story of informer Martin McGartland. When writer and director Kari Skogland first began considering a film version of Martin McGartland's autobiographical account of his days as a British informer in Northern Ireland, she realised that the best way to approach the re-telling was to maintain a neutrality and offer the audience the opportunity to make up their own minds about McGartland's actions.  McGartland's story offered Skogland everything - a spy story, a love story, an internal struggle reflected in the historical conflict - but it was McGartland's journey from small-time cheeky opportunist to top level informant that inspired Canadian filmmaker Skogland to humanise and analyse the man. Jim Sturgess had recently finished shooting '21' set in Las Vegas in which he plays a young American.  Originally from Surrey, he was determined to master the local accent to enable him to feel he was fully representing the character.  "I knew Kevin [Zegers, co-star] was in Belfast a week before I was and then I came and joined him here.  And at that point there was nothing planned for us.  We didn't have to go and do rehearsals or anything like that.  We literally just lived in Belfast.  At that point we just integrated with the people and the community.  We just went out and went to pubs and clubs and house parties and stuff like that and stuck with the accent all the time, like a hundred percent." Read more
FOUR BROTHERS
**** An intense and intriguing human drama, with outstanding performances and first rate direction. It also features one the most exhilarating car chase sequences during a snowstorm and a shootout scene that will leave you breathless. This is an excellent exploration of human relationships; a rare film with a heart of solid gold. After their adoptive mother is murdered during a grocery store hold-up, the Mercer brothers - hot-headed Bobby (Mark Wahlberg), hard-edged Angel (Tyrese Gibson), family man and businessman Jeremiah (André Benjamin), and hard rocking Jack (Garrett Hedlund) - reunite to take the matter of her death into their own hands. Go behind the scenes
GANGS OF NEW YORK -
(Two disc edition) *** Martin Scorsese's exciting period drama is set in New York in the 19th Century and examines the brutal realities of the crime plagued city. It pits a revengeful young man (Leonardo di Capprio) against the evil tyrant (Daniel Day Lewis). There are some great features on the second disc: 'Uncovering the real gangs of New York', costume and set design, and a virtual tour of the set. Go behind the scenes
GREEN STREET HOOLIGANS
**** A touching human drama, filled with high spirited emotions and male bonding rituals, dealing with characters who have to come to terms with their insecurities and face their weaknesses. Go behind the Scenes
THE GODFATHER - (
DVD collection) ***** A bonus in Francis Ford Coppola's masterful gangster trilogy is the additional behind the scenes DVD, featuring 'The Godfather Family: A Look Inside', 'On Location', 'Francis Coppola's Notebook', and 'Coppola and Puzo on Screenwriting'.
THE GOOD SHEPHERD **** A slow-paced thriller shrouded in mystery, drawing the audience into a world of hide and seek, where the truth ultimately reveals the true nature of the characters. Ideal  entertainment for discerning viewers interested in historical events driven by its characters and not the action. Aptly directed by Robert De Niro, it perfectly captures an era and its people, and also tells of two beautifully contrasted love stories pitted against insurmountable odds. The tumultuous early history of the Central Intelligence Agency is viewed through the prism of one man's life in this espionage drama Edward Wilson (Matt Damon) understands the value of secrecy--discretion and commitment to honour have been embedded in him since childhood.  Go behind the scenes   A Q & A with writer Eric Roth
A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE
***** David Cronenberg's brutal onslaught is mesmerizing as he seduces the senses with his artistic sensibility. Add to this a powerful performance by Viggo Mortensen and Josh Olson's sizzling script, adapted from John Wagner and Vince Locke's graphic novel, and you're in for an insightful journey into the madness that enslaves the ordinary, and the extraordinary normality that triggers the imagination. This is one history lesson you will never forget! Features: 'Acts of Violence' documentary; feature commentary by David Cronenberg; deleted scenes; Violence's history. Go behind the scenes
HOSTAGE **** A police officer is wracked by guilt from a prior stint as a negotiator. When a mafia accountant is taken hostage on his beat, he must negotiate the standoff, even as his own family is held captive by the mob. Features: Behind the scenes documentary, extended and deleted scenes. Go behind the scenes
THE ICE HARVEST
The Ice Harvest is a wickedly funny thriller about thick thieves and thin ice. It's Christmas Eve in rainy, icebound Wichita, Kansas, and this year Charlie Arglist (John Cusack) just might have something to celebrate. Charlie, an attorney for the sleazy businesses of Wichita, and his unsavory associate, the steely Vic Cavanaugh (Billy Bob Thornton), have just successfully embezzled $2,147,000 from Kansas City boss Bill Guerrard (Randy Quaid). Even so, the real prize for Charlie would be the stunning Renata (Connie Nielsen), who runs the Sweet Cage strip club. Charlie's fondest Christmas wish is to slip out of town with Renata. But, as daylight fades and a storm whirls, everyone from Charlie's drinking buddy Pete Van Heuten (Oliver Platt) to the local police begin to wonder just what exactly is in Charlie's Christmas stocking. For Charlie, the 12 hours of Christmas Eve are filled with non-stop twists and turns, both on the ice and off.  Visit the website
THE KINGDOM ***** Director Peter Berg, brings us this excellent thriller about the explosive clash that happens when Middle East meets West. Jamie Foxx stars as a whip-smart FBI Special Agent Ronald Fleury, who has just received the assignment of his career: assemble an elite team (played by Jennifer Garner, Oscar winner Chris Cooper and Jason Bateman) to hunt down and capture the terrorist mastermind responsible for a deadly attack on Americans working in Saudi Arabia. The Bonus features include audio commentary by director Peter Berg; documentaries on the making of the apartment shootout and constructing the Freeway Sequence; 8 mini behind the scenes  featurettes and a feature on the turbulent history of the region the film is set as well as deleted scenes. Go behind the scenes
LAYER CAKE (Double Disc) **** Daniel Craig plays Mr. X, a successful West End drug dealer, who plans to retire and begin a new life. His life changes when he is asked to negotiate the sale of one million hits of Ecstacy. "The Layer Cake is a metaphor for different levels of British society, whether it's the crime world or anything else", says director Matthew Vaughn Go behind the scenes
THE LOSERS
*** An explosive tale of double cross and revenge, "The Losers" centers upon the members of an elite U.S. Special Forces unit sent into the Bolivian jungle on a search and destroy mission. The team--Clay, Jensen, Roque, Pooch and Cougar --find themselves the target of a lethal betrayal instigated from inside by a powerful enemy known only as Max. Presumed dead, the group makes plans to even the score when they're joined by the mysterious Aisha, a beautiful operative with her own agenda. Working together, they must remain deep undercover while tracking the heavily-guarded Max, a ruthless man bent on embroiling the world in a new high-tech global war. If they can take down Max and save the world at the same time, it'll be a win win for the team now known as The Losers. Based on the DC Comics comicbook of the same name. The tales of "Losers" ran in the pages of DC Comics' "G.I. Combat" and "Our Fighting Forces" in the 1970s and revolved around the adventures of a misfit group of U.S. troops during World War II.
Directed by Sylvain White, the film features an ensemble cast that includes Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Zoe Saldana and Chris Evans.

LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN 
**** A quirky thriller that twists and turns its way through a dark world of crime and deadly revenge where nothing is as it seems. Life isn't going well for Slevin (Josh Hartnett): his apartment building has been condemned, he lost his ID to a mugger, and he just caught his girlfriend cheating on him. He borrows his friend Nick Fisher's New York apartment to get away from Los Angeles and his troubles for a while. But as his bad luck would have it, things are about to get a lot worse.  The bonus features include deleted scenes.
MINDHUNTERS *** It is mindless fun but thoroughly entertaining. The FIB has a training programme on a remote island for their psychological profiling division, called Mindhunters. Once trained, these specialists will be used to track down serial killers. However, a new group of seven agents find out that one of their group is a killer... and is killing the members of their group one by one. Go behind the scenes
MONSTER **** The debut film from writer-director Patty Jenkin's, Monster is as troubling and complex as its notorious antihero. Invoking the spirit of such uncompromising films as In Cold Blood, Badlands, The Executioner's Song, and Dead Man Walking, Monster takes a dispassionate look at a killer--and the society she inhabits--and somehow manages to arrive at some strange measure of empathy. There is only a 'making of' feature on this release, with Charlize Theron delivering a stunning performance as serial killer Wuornos. Go behind the scenes
MR. BROOKS
***** This sensational and gripping psychological thriller marks the second directorial effort of Oscar-nominated screenwriter Bruce Evans ("Stand By Me") from a screenplay by Evans and his long-time Oscar-nominated writing partner Raynold Gideon ("Stand By Me"). It is an intelligent probing into the mind of a killer, and equally a captivating human drama that casts the spotlight on the dark side of human nature. Earl Brooks (Kevin Costner) has it all: a loving wife (Marg Helgenberger) and devoted daughter (Danielle Panabaker), community standing, and his own thriving business. Mr. Brooks, however, lives another life, unknown to anyone else. He is also the notorious serial murderer branded as The Thumbprint Killer. Though recently inactive, his pathological compulsion is inflamed once again by his cunning, wicked alter ego (Academy Award winner William Hurt), whom Mr. Brooks faults for his transgressions.   Go behind the scenes
MUNICH ***** Three-time Academy Award®-winning director-producer Steven Spielberg directs Munich, an historical thriller set in the aftermath of the 1972 massacre of 11 Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics. "Munich" recounts the dramatic story of the secret Israeli squad assigned to track down and assassinate 11 Palestinians believed to have planned the 1972 Munich massacre -- and the personal toll this mission of revenge takes on the team and the man who led it. Spielberg and Kennedy brought in Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tony Kushner to work on the screenplay after Eric Roth (Forrest Gump, The Insider) wrote a draft inspired by the book Vengeance by Canadian journalist George Jonas. Go behind the scenes
ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA -
(Two disc special edition) **** For the first time since its screening at Cannes in 1984, can fans now view the full 221 minute version of Sergio Leone's epic story that portrays 50 years of riveting underworld history. Disc one features the first part of the film as well as audio commentary by Film Critic Richard Schickel; the second disc has part two of the film and additional bonuses: excerpt from the documentary 'Once Upon a Time: Sergio Leone', profiling the making of the film.
PAPARAZZI *** A routine revenge-tale with some thrills that examines how the media can exploit moviestars. A movie star plots revenge after suffering near-tragedy due to relentless hounding by an unsavoury ring of tabloid photographers. Go behind the scenes
THE PRESTIGE ***** Christopher Nolan spun his magic with Memento and Batman Begins. Now he weaves an equally exciting and mesmerizing tale.  It is truly a magical experience, offering a fantastic story with first rate direction. Exploring the world of illusion, the true nature of magic and illusionists striving for immortality, Nolan has created this impressive mindbender. It features superb performances from Hugh Jackman as the flashy, sophisticated and consummate entertainer, with Christian Bale as a creative genius who lacks the panache to showcase his magical ideas. It also stars Michael Caine as the 'man behind the magic' and features a remarkable cameo performance by David Bowie as a retired magician.  Christopher Nolan approached his brother Jonathan Nolan about joining him in tackling the massive task of adapting Priest's intricate novel, composed in part of confessional diaries, into a suspenseful screenplay. The bonus features include a 'Director's Notebook.  Go behind the scenes Question and answer with Christopher Nolan   Question and answer with Jonathan Nolan
PUBLIC ENEMIES
***** No other filmmaker has explored the psyches of people caught in extreme circumstances with the dominating consistency and cinematic power of MICHAEL MANN.  For three decades, Mann has remained one of cinema's most compelling filmmakers, and his level of artistry has created an indelible influence on the medium.  From Thief, Manhunter, Ali and Heat to The Last of the Mohicans and The Insider, as well as Collateral and Miami Vice, his lasting dramas have brought to the screen a series of tough, iconic figures embodied by the most commanding actors of our time.  Now, in his most ambitious and timely project to date, the seminal gangster saga Public Enemies, Michael Mann directs one of our most gifted contemporary actors (JOHNNY DEPP of Pirates of the Caribbean series, Sweeney Todd) in the story of the fast and dangerous life of John Dillinger. In the film, Mann teams with Depp to examine the man whose criminal exploits captivated a nation besieged by financial hardship and ready to celebrate a mythic figure who robbed the banks that had impoverished them and outsmarted the authorities who had failed to remedy their hard times, who inspired the first nationwide war on crime, who led a band of accomplished armed robbers on a cascade of dazzling heists and improbable breakouts, and whose dashing manner and charisma entranced not only a special woman but an entire country: legendary Depression-era outlaw John Dillinger. Read more about the film
THE SENTINEL
**** Michael Douglas is in top form as Pete Garrison, a U.S. Secret Service agent who saved a president's life by jumping in front of a hail of bullets, over twenty years ago. Well-liked and respected by his colleagues in the Secret Service, Garrison is a career agent who now heads the First Lady's detail.  Pete's fellow agent and friend, Charlie Merriweather, hints at wanting to share critical and confidential information. Before that can happen, however, Merriweather is shot dead at his house in a crime that is made to look like a botched robbery. The investigation falls to the Secret Service's top investigative agent, David Breckinridge, a volatile combination of by-the-book and hothead, Garrison's protégé, and, until recently one of Garrison's best friends. Breckinridge follows the evidence and only the evidence and scrupulously tries to avoid working from his gut. The bonus features include audio commentary by director Clark Johnson and Screenwriter George Nolfi, deleted scenes, and documentaries on 'An inside look', 'The Secret Service', and 'In the President;s Shadow. Go behind the scenes
SEVEN - (Two disc edition) **** This brilliant two disc set will delight anyone who enjoyed the film and want to know more about how the film was made. On the first disc there's four audio commentaries, including one with the writers, and one with the director and cast. The second disc features an interesting explanation of the expensive opening scene, deleted scenes and extended takes, alternate endings… All in all, one for the collection.
SHERLOCK HOLMES *** In a dynamic new portrayal of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous character, Robert Downey Jr. plays the legendary detective Sherlock Holmes.  Revealing fighting skills as powerful as his famous intellect, Holmes employs his own unique methods to get to the heart of a case, traveling where no one else would think to go to find what others cannot see. Jude Law portrays Watson, Holmes's longtime colleague, who is joining him in what may be their last case before the doctor starts a new life as a married man.  Rachel McAdams is Irene Adler, a woman from America, who is as alluring as she is dangerous, and whose tempestuous relationship with the detective has become the one puzzle he cannot solve.  Mark Strong plays Lord Blackwood, whose own intellect, combined with merciless ambition, makes him a formidable adversary.  Eddie Marsan appears as Scotland Yard's Inspector Lestrade, who is both impressed and frustrated by the great Sherlock Holmes. Read more
SILENCE OF THE LAMBS -
(Special two disc edition) ***** This superb two disc collection has some great features: 'Inside the Labyrinth: The Making of Silence of the Lambs'; deleted scenes and outtakes. Director's commentary is sadly absent.
SLEUTH ***** Jude Law and Michael Caine join forces for Kenneth Branagh's sharp-witted and superb adaptation of the 1972 classic. It is based on Anthony Shaffer play, and the screenplay is by master playwright Harold Pinter (who also features in cameo role in the film). Set in a high-tech English manor, the plot revolves around an English gentleman and prolific mystery writer (Caine)  who invites a sneaky actor and gigolo (Law) to discuss the matter of the wife; the woman both are sleeping with. During a deadly duel of wits, the humour turns dark and deadly. Their playful game of one-upmanship spirals out of control in an escalating chess match that can only have one outcome: murder! Bonus Features: If there's one reason to add this to your collection, it is for the audio commentaries by director Kenneth Branagh and Michael Caine, as well as the audio commentary by Jude Law, who also serves as producer. There's also a magnificent behind the scenes tour and insight into Kenneth Branagh as director,
STATE OF PLAY **** This is the ultimate makeover: a two-hour movie, set in Washington that used to be a six-part BBC mini-series. Captivating and intriguing, a must see for discerning viewers. Oscar winner Russell Crowe leads an all-star cast in a blistering thriller about a rising congressman and an investigative journalist embroiled in an case of seemingly unrelated, brutal murders. Crowe plays D.C. reporter Cal McCaffrey, whose street smarts lead him to untangle a mystery of murder and collusion among some of the nation's most promising political and corporate figures in "State of Play," from acclaimed director Kevin Macdonald ("The Last King of Scotland"). The bonus features include deleted scenes. Go behind the scenes  Read an interview with director Kevin MacDonald
UNLEASHED
** Luc Besson seems to be barking up strange trees as a writer-producer with this bizarre blend of hardcore martial arts antics and sentimental drama. On and beneath the meanest streets of Glasgow, fiery gangster Bart (Bob Hoskins) is merciless with debtors, would-be rivals, and anyone else to whom he takes even a passing dislike. How does Bart maintain his chokehold? Through his unwitting enforcer Danny (Jet Li), who he has "raised" since boyhood. Go behind the scenes; read the interview with director Louis Leterrier


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