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Review
Archives
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Today's
Date is:
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3000
Miles to Graceland
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Reviewed
by: |
Rachel
Hughes |
| Genre: |
Action |
| Video: |
Anamorphic
2.35:1 Widescreen |
| Audio: |
Dolby
Digital 5.1 |
| Language: |
English
and French |
| Subtitle: |
English
and French |
| Length: |
2hrs
1min |
| Rating: |
R |
| Release
Date: |
August
7th 2001 |
| Studio: |
Warner
Brothers |
| Commentary:
|
None |
| Documentaries:
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None |
| Featurettes:
|
None |
| Filmography/Biography:
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Yes |
|
Interviews: |
None |
| Trailers/TV
Spots: |
Original
Trailer |
| Alternate/Deleted
Scenes: |
None |
| Music
Video: |
None |
| Other:
|
None |
| Cast
and Crew: |
Kurt Russell,
Kevin Costner, Courtney Cox, Christian Slater, Kevin Pollak,
David Arquette, Howie Long and Ice T. |
| Screenplay
by: |
Written By
Richard Recco and Deman Lictensten |
| Produced
by: |
Elle Samaha, Deman Lichtenstein,
Richard Spero, Eric Manes, and Andrew Stevens |
| Directed
By: |
Deman Lichtenstein |
| Music: |
Assorted |
| The
Review: |
When I first
saw the trailer for this movie I thought what a terrible looking
movie. Then with the news about clashing ego's, massive rewrites
and multiple edits I felt completely justified in skipping this
movie. Tonight I finally watched the movie and while I am glad
I didn't pay $8 to see it, I was surprised by how entertained
I was. "3000 Miles to Graceland" features Kurt Russell as Michael
Zane, an ex-con just out of prison. He apparently wants to go
straight with his life but he needs money first so he must rob
a casino with his old partner Thomas J. Murphy (Kevin Costner).
The nice thing about the movie is that you jump right into the
story. You have Zane showing up at a seedy hotel, meeting a
single mother (Cox), then meeting Murphy and the gang he has
assembled, and then robbing the casino. There is no talk of
plans or building of suspicison. After the casino is robbed
there is double crossing, double-double crossing and our poor
hero Zane (we know he is the hero because even though he is
participating in an armed robbery of a casino he seems upset
when people get killed, and he never kills anyone himself.)
doesn't know who to trust. The movie does have some things going
its way. It has a great cast who seem to relish their roles.
This is especially true of Costner who seems to have tapped
his own ego for inspiration. He is actually enjoyable to watch
as he revels in his evilness. Russell is also a great joy to
watch. Having gotten one of his big breaks playing a young Elvis
on a made for television biography directed by John Carpenter,
Russell's Elvis has only improved with age. You just wish he
spent more time in that sparkly white jumpsuit. However, the
film also has a lot that just doesn't work. Deman Lichtenstein,
who clearly got his start in music video, directed it. There
are a lot of crazy camera angles, multiple angles, and quick
cuts. You can tell the film has been heavily edited. There are
large chunks of the story that are left out. What in the world
do these guys have in common? Why are Costner and Russell friends?
There is a small hint that they may be to two of 75 people claiming
to be Elvis's love child who's DNA test were inconclusive, and
therefore half brothers. But this angle is never explored. You
don't know why anyone is doing anything that they are doing.
While Cox does a good job playing the single mom in love with
Russell you have to ask yourself, are there really that many
women who would just run off with a murderer/robber? Finally
there is the violence. This is an extremely violent movie. While
this isn't necessarily a bad thing, parents need to be aware.
This is violence purely for the sake of violence. While it is
wonderfully shot, and looks great it is mainly gratuitous.
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| Image
and Sound |
In the transfer
of this movie there was a lot that could go wrong. The overuse
of changing brightness of color, slow motion, flashes of light
and other music video techniques could have spelled ruin for
this disc. However Warner Brothers have done an excellent job.
The film opens in the desert and the muted colors make the desert
look even drier. This is especially noticeable with Russell's
gorgeous bright cherry red vintage car popping out of the rest
of the desertscape. This contrasts nicely with the loud vibrant
colors in Las Vegas. As the movie continued there were a variety
of different locations with some being dark, while other seemed
over exposed. Based on the over all look of the film this seems
to have been intentional. There was no sign of grain or artifacts
on the print. The sound did not fare as well as the picture.
There is a large selection of music and songs that accompany
most of the movie. Most of this is modern music and extremely
loud. While this normally isn't a problem, here the level is
so inconsistent you end up constantly adjust the volume. To
make the music bearable you turn it down, but then the dialogue
is so low you can't hear it. This is quite annoying. Besides
the fluctuation of sound, the sound is done well. The music
pounds the bass, and the gas station explosion rattles the windows.
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| The
Extras |
This is
one of the most bare-bone packages. There is the original theatrical
trailer. Also included is a filmography for Russell, Costner,
and Cox. The only other thing to mention is that on the inside
of the DVD box is the scene index which lists some of the more
notable songs and what scene they are in. Just be sure you sit
through the credits of this. On the left hand of the screen
is a video of Russell lip sinking "Such a Night" with shots
of film, Costner and Cox. After that there is one outtake with
Costner. |
| Commentary |
None |
| Final
Words: |
For those
interested in this film, this is definitely a renter. There
is a chance that a more loaded version of the film will be released,
but the disappointing box office draw makes that unlikely. "3000
Miles from Graceland" is a clear case of style versus substance,
but that doesn't always make it a completely bad movie. |
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