Plot: What’s it about?
The 90’s were in an interesting decade for movies. Most notably, it gave rise to the independent scene making way for names like Wes Anderson, Quentin Tarantino and Kevin Smith. But it also gave us the “horror/thriller” genre popularized by films like Misery, The Silence of the Lambs and Se7en to name but a few. Later on in the decade, each studio felt they “needed” one of these in their catalog and, lo and behold, we got The Bone Collector. Based on Jeffrey Deaver’s 1997 novel of the same name, this one had a difficult time making it way to screen. Originally Al Pacino was looked at for the lead, then Harrison Ford before Denzel Washington finally nabbed the role. Conversely, Angelina Jolie’s role was offered to Nicole Kidman and Demi Moore, before the then up-and-coming star got her shot. Director Phillip Noyce had a good track record with films like Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger and a guilty pleasure of mine – The Saint. We all know that Denzel Washington is a fantastic actor, but could he pull off a character in which he plays a quadriplegic? Let us find out.
Washington plays Lincoln Rhyme, a detective in New York who has a great mind, has written best-selling novels and was also paralyzed while on the job. His days are spent in the care of his nurse (Queen Latifah), who tends to his needs and also tries to convince him not to end his life. He gets a temporary reprieve from his misery when a wealthy tycoon is found murdered in a most unusual manner. The man’s wife is still alive, however. A young office, Amelia (Angelina Jolie) discovers the body and, working with Rhyme, manages to track down the woman – just a few minutes too late. This leads to two other murders, each landing closer and closer to the killer.
The obligatory conflict with the higher ups is covered and it was a point of contention that the number of murders, three, was shortened down from the novel. I also found this eerily similar to a film that came out a couple years later – The Watcher starring Keanu Reeves and James Spader. I enjoyed that one a bit more. There’s no denying the talent of the cast. Angelina Joile would go on to win an Academy Award the next year for her role in Girl, Interrupted and Washington would pick up his second Oscar two years later for his work in Training Day. Likely when both reflect on their careers, I doubt that this film will be at the top of either’s list. Still, if you’re one who likes movies like this then you could do a lot worse. The film could have been better, but it’s easy to say that after the fact. While not a total waste of time, it was nice to revisit this one from the late 90’s.
Video: How’s it look?
I think the last time I sat down and watched this movie was when it came out on DVD back in late 1999 or early 2000. Suffice it to say, it’s been a while. I was most likely watching it on my Sony 4:3 Trinitron in 480p. A lot has changed since then. Kino has shown us with countless titles that they do a great job with some of these catalog titles. The 2.39:1 HEVC 4K image seems very cleaned up, with grain still being present, but not an issue. The film seems to have a very corporate, bluish tint to it that are primarily dominant in the outdoor scenes. Rhyme’s “office” tends to have a more earthy look and feel to it. Contrast is strong and black levels are on the mark. Evidently Angelina Jolie shot some nude scenes for this movie, but they were cut. Now someone tell me where those deleted scenes are?
Audio: How’s it sound?
Kino seems to be more interested in providing new supplements rather than new audio mixes. And I’m fine with that. I don’t know that a Dolby Atmos track would improve my viewing experience all that much. Having said that, the included DTS HD Master Audio mix has its moments, mainly with some traffic noise, trains and “normal” city type ambiance. Vocals are sharp and crisp, we can hear every fake New York accent in the utmost audio clarity. Surrounds are used effectively, yet sparingly. In short, it, like so many others, has a nice, strong mix but this isn’t the kind of film where audio plays that big of a role.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Kino is all about the audio commentaries and we get not one, but two new tracks – both of which can be found on either disc. However if you want to watch the trailer and/or the vintage featurette, you’ll have to break out the Blu-ray.
Disc One (4K)
- Audio Commentary – Director Phillip Noyce offers up his comments on the film and, surprisingly, he’s not too hip on it. He wasn’t really that proud of his work and felt that the studio just wanted to have “a killer movie of this genre in their catalog.” Noyce reportedly had an agreement with the studio that he’d come in under budget and if he didn’t, he’d pay the rest out of pocket. The obvious nods to the cast are mentioned as is the source material. It’s a good, though dated, track.
- Audio Commentary – Film Historians Steve Mitchell and Edwin Samuelson collaborate on the first of two new tracks. Granted, I didn’t feel like watching the film for a third time so I only listened to a few scenes. If these names sound familiar, it’s because this same duo also laid down a track for Kino’s 52 Pick-Up. I missed that one, but if you’re a fan – there you go.
- Audio Commentary – Novelist/Critic Kim Newman and Writer/Journalist Barry Forshaw are also known for doing other commentaries, namely on Warner’s The Curse of Frankenstein. Their comments here are nice, though after listening to one and a half tracks, there’s not a lot else that can be said.
Disc Two (Blu-ray)
- Audio Commentary – Director Phillip Noyce offers up his comments on the film and, surprisingly, he’s not too hip on it. He wasn’t really that proud of his work and felt that the studio just wanted to have “a killer movie of this genre in their catalog.” Noyce reportedly had an agreement with the studio that he’d come in under budget and if he didn’t, he’d pay the rest out of pocket. The obvious nods to the cast are mentioned as is the source material. It’s a good, though dated, track.
- Audio Commentary – Film Historians Steve Mitchell and Edwin Samuelson collaborate on the first of two new tracks. Granted, I didn’t feel like watching the film for a third time so I only listened to a few scenes. If these names sound familiar, it’s because this same duo also laid down a track for Kino’s 52 Pick-Up. I missed that one, but if you’re a fan – there you go.
- Audio Commentary – Novelist/Critic Kim Newman and Writer/Journalist Barry Forshaw are also known for doing other commentaries, namely on Warner’s The Curse of Frankenstein. Their comments here are nice, though after listening to one and a half tracks, there’s not a lot else that can be said.
- Spotlight on Location – Bearing in mind that this was originally distributed by Universal, the lone supplement has somehow made its way to this disc. Running just a shade over 20 minutes, we get the obligatory interviews with the cast and crew and how “excited” they were to work on this project and so on. It’s nothing mind-blowing, then again it wasn’t supposed to be.
- Theatrical Trailer – This has been “newly remastered in 2K” if that’s important to you.
The Bottom Line
This in no way compares to some of the other films of the genre from the 90’s, but I’ve always enjoyed it. It’s not totally true to the source material, but the addition of two new audio commentaries and the uptick in picture quality should leave die-hard fans more than content.
