Plot: What’s it about?
Susan Price (Rachel Hunter) has become a famous and well liked author, whose fiancee happens to be a very wealthy publisher, which makes for a natural team, if you ask me. Her fiancee, Jack Reynolds (Gary Busey) has been killed however and as evidence suggests, Susan has been named the prime suspect. But the steamy romance novelist knows she has been framed and in an effort to evade the police, she takes on a new persona. She is an author after all and as such, she takes over the role of her main character, Judith Anderson. She wants to learn as much as she can about the case and those involved, so she uses some information to advance her work in that respect. Since the district attorney happens to be deaf, she becomes a relay operator and uses that task to observe all that happens. As she gets drawn into these conversations, she becomes more and more involved in them, which could turn out to be a very dangerous proposition.
When a film boasts a cast with the likes of Gary Busey, Eric Roberts, and Rachel Hunter, I don’t expect much. I am sure these folks have talent and all, but it seems like you see Roberts and Busey in all the lower profile thrillers and Hunter is a former supermodel. But when Two Shades Of Blue arrived, I didn’t pass judgment and decided to allow the film to speak for itself. I can’t claim to be an expert in the genre of erotic thriller, but I’ve seen more than a few of them and this one falls right in the middle. On one end you have the good ones like Basic Instinct and on the other the various late night television efforts, so this film is smack dab in the middle of those. I doubt this was meant to be much more than that either, as the storyline and acting is middle of the line at best. The normal genre elements are present and the pace is brisk, so you won’t have to suffer slowly at any rate. If you want an erotic thriller to spice up your evening, then Two Shades Of Blue would make for a nice rental choice.
The featured performer in this film has to be Rachel Hunter, who is plastered all over the case artwork and dominates the film’s trailer. This is a smart approach though, as the former supermodel is still sleek and this is an erotic thriller after all. Hunter hasn’t done much in the realm of acting and her lack of experience shows, although she isn’t as bad as you might expect. I don’t think she deserves any awards by any means, but she does rise above the usual model’s level of acting here. Her looks do most of the talking here, so even if you tire of her skills in front of the camera, she’s always nice to look at. Her other films include Just A Little Harmless Sex, Redemption of the Ghost, Winding Roads, and A Walk In The Park. The cast here also includes Robert Miano (Thick as Thieves, Smoke Signals), Eric Roberts (Restraining Order, The Glass Cage), Marlee Matlin (Children of a Lesser God, The Player), and Gary Busey (Surviving The Game, Black Sheep).
Video: How does it look?
Two Shades Of Blue is presented in a 1.85:1 widescreen transfer, which is not enhanced for widescreen televisions. This is a pretty sharp overall image, though the lack of anamorphic support does cause some problems in the end. I saw a lot of edge enhancement within the picture, which might not be too bad, but could have been solved with a new anamorphic transfer. This image also seems a little too dark at times, which causes some detail to be buried, though never to an extreme degree. The colors appear bold and bright though, with no distortion and flesh tones come off as warm & natural for the most part. This is a good enough transfer in the end, but it should have been much better.
Audio: How does it sound?
A simple 2.0 surround track is included, which manages to get the job done, but doesn’t offer many frills in the end. This means no fancy surround use or audio placement here, just the nuts & bolts of a normal 2.0 surround sound experience. The dialogue is well placed and in fine form, while the various sound effects seem distinct and clean as well. The film’s music sounds good also, even if it doesn’t always suit the movie’s tone and such. This disc also includes Spanish subtitles, if you should need them.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc has some nice bonus materials, such as an audio commentary track with director James Deck and producer David Glasser. The two don’t have a lot to say, but between them they fill up most of the track and reveal some information about the film. Not too enthusiastic about the whole commentary idea, but nonetheless this is a track fans of the film will want to look into. The disc also houses some talent files and the film’s trailer.
