Plot: What’s it about?
Rick Alvarez (Daniel Baldwin) was on the track to success, with a good record as a lawyer and a bright future ahead of him. But when a strange series of events ends with him jailed on a minor offense, his life soon takes a turn for the worse. Alvarez finds himself the victim of circumstance and charged with the murder of a powerful businessman, whose wife Alvarez had an affair with. This seems like too much to handle, but Rick has to come to grips with the situation and figure out what to do in order to regain his freedom, as well as clear his name. The man’s wife (Claudia Schiffer) has an interest in Alvarez even now though and with the help of prison guard Carl (Coolio), he escapes his enclosed new home and sets out to find the real killer. But will this path lead him to the truth, or just deeper into this horrific mess?
I saw the cover with Daniel Baldwin, Claudia Schiffer, and Coolio and I knew this would be bad, but I also knew I simply had to see it for myself. I love to see bad movies at least once and the pick of the litter are usually pretty cool, lots of terrible lines to repeat, bad acting, and of course, laughable storylines. So while some of these direct to video titles have no merit at all, some turn out to be a fun trek, which is what I hoped for with In Pursuit. Now that I’ve seen the movie, I think the case misleads potential viewers, but then, that’s sort of business as usual in the rental game. The cover makes this seem like a thrill ride of a flick, but in truth, this is a pretty slow movie and while some humorous moments surface, there isn’t enough to keep this one from sinking. The writing has little depth and while that sometimes offers some hilarious lines, in this case it means a lot of dull dialogue and even more dull events. I don’t think I’d recommend this one to most people, but if you’re a fan of bad movies, then give this one a rental, just to know you’ve tried.
Oh man, if only this movie would have showcased Claudia Schiffer more, it might have been worth the trouble. I know she can’t act to save her life, but come on, a couple of nude scenes and boom, this one has some real potential if you ask me. But alas, Schiffer isn’t even given much to work with in the least and while she looks good, she is often relegated to the background, which sucks. I am pleased to see her surface in movies though, as she is usually hidden these days, but she needs to take some care in choosing her roles, as this was a bad decision. Other films with Schiffer include Friends & Lovers, Richie Rich, PrΩt-α-Porter, Chain of Fools, And She Was, and Black and White. The rest of the cast includes Daniel Baldwin (Vampires, Knight Moves), Dean Stockwell (Mr. Wrong, Blue Velvet), Sarah Lassez (Sleeping Beauties, Roosters), Bob Sattler (Gone In Sixty Seconds, Anywhere But Here), and Coolio (Submerged, Batman & Robin).
Video: How does it look?
In Pursuit is presented in a 1.85:1 widescreen transfer, which is not enhanced for widescreen televisions. I was let down by the lack of an anamorphic treatment here, as the image suffers from more edge enhancement that I can deal with. This is usually not a big deal, but this transfer shows jagged edges all time, as well as some intense shimmering at times. So while the colors and contrast seem solid enough, these problems force me to lower the score. I am trying to be fair here with my score, but the non anamorphic transfer and other issues have to result in a lower score. I suppose this looks as good as television would and it is widescreen, but I expect more from Paramount.
Audio: How does it sound?
This disc includes a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix, but aside from a few action driven scenes, not much dynamic presence here. When the audio needs to kick in, it does, but I wasn’t too impressed here on the whole. The surrounds see a moderate level of attention, from both sound effects and musical soundtrack. I wasn’t expecting much and I didn’t get much, but I suppose this is a more effective than I was anticipating. The dialogue is also well presented, very crisp and always clean, as well as at a proper volume balance. This disc also includes a 2.0 surround track, as well as English and Spanish subtitles, in case you’ll need them.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes a nice commentary track with director Peter Pistor and writer John Penney, as well as some cool still photos w/ facts, talent files, and the film’s trailer.
