Plot: What’s it about?
Lew (Dominic Purcell) has a past that he would like to leave behind him, one filled with dark secrets and mistakes of all kinds. After his wife left him for another man, Lew found himself in a most dangerous situation. He discovered the dead bodies of his wife and her new man, with no one to back up his version of the story. With a criminal past and obvious ties to the murdered couple, he knows he could wind up getting pinned with the crimes. So he sinks the bodies to the bottom of the water, hides the evidence as best he can, and then vanishes from his life, only to seek out a new one elsewhere. As time passes, Lew lands a position as a sign planter, not exactly the kind of fresh start he was after. But one night while out placing signs, he hears a couple having mad sex and planning a crime, at the same time. He overhears the details of the caper, which are to kidnap a rich man’s wife and murder her, after the money is delivered. Lew thinks he can jumpstart his new life thanks to this situation, so he puts his own plan into motion. He wants to kidnap the woman from the kidnappers, which serves a dual purpose. He can prevent the woman’s death, while also clearing a massive amount of cash. But can his plan unfold as he wishes, or will complications arise that drive him to the brink once again?
The shelves are packed with direct to video thrillers, but 3-Way earned a chance thanks to the above average cast involved. After all, not all direct to video projects include stars like Gina Gershon (Face/Off, Showgirls), Joy Bryant (Showtime, Spider-Man 2), Desmond Harrington (Boiler Room, We Were Soldiers), Dwight Yoakam (Panic Room, Sling Blade), and Dominic Purcell (Scenes of the Crime, Mission: Impossible 2), now do they? But to be honest, the main reason I took the time to see this movie was the presence of Ali Larter (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Final Destination), one of cinema’s hottest babes. She isn’t featured often, but she shows off her fine ass, which is enough for this viewer. But aside from Larter’s incredible ass, does 3-Way stack up better than the rest of the direct to video thrillers out there? In truth, the movie was better than I expected, but it never rose above passable standards. I mean, I am glad I sat down to see the flick, but I doubt I’ll ever want to go back, unless just to see Larter’s backside. There is a good noir texture though, a throwback of sorts to the genre classics of old. I found most of the twists to be well executed too, unlike a lot of movies that lean on logicless twists. I can’t recommend this as a purchase, but for those interested, a rental wouldn’t be a bad choice.
Video: How does it look?
3-Way is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. We’re given a clean, sharp presentation here, but the film’s low budget roots hold it back at times. This is seen via some grain in a number of scenes and a general lack of polish, which can be blamed on either the choice of stock used or the visual approach. But this never proves to distract, so aside from the quick mention, I won’t dwell on those problems. The image looks good beyond the source issues, as colors have been well replicated and contrast seems even handed throughout. So not a visual masterpiece, but Columbia has delivered a solid effort here.
Audio: How does it sound?
This movie has a few sequences which fire up the surrounds, but on the whole this is a more conservative film in terms of audio. But while you might not hear the surrounds often, the included Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track makes sure they always sound very good when you do. The tension is enhanced thanks to some nice presence, but not to the extent I had hoped for. No problems with the music or dialogue however, as those elements come across in smooth, natural fashion throughout. This disc also includes a French language track, as well as subtitles in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, and Thai.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes no bonus materials.
