Plot: What’s it about?
Intersection, like so many other movies of the mid 90’s, is nothing more than a proving grounds for Richard Gere and Sharon Stone. Gere hit his peak in the early 90’s with movies like Internal Affairs and Pretty Woman, while Stone has been riding her wave of Total Recall and Basic Instinct until this very writing. Now don’t get me wrong, I like both actors and I think both have had some pretty great roles, just not in this movie. In this, we find Gere portraying an architect by the name of Vincent Eastman. Vincent has had a wife of more than 15 years (Sharon Stone) and is now divorced and seeing another, younger woman (Lolita Davidovich). Olivia doesn’t know a lot about the history between Vincent and Sally (Stone), and for some reasons…it’s best she not know. What does bring a bit of solace to the character of Vincent is the fact that he is disturbed by the situation and that it is affecting his job; where he and Sally still both work.
Vincent must try and balance having a daughter who is seeing a new boyfriend, a wife who dislikes him and his new mistress who he really doesn’t seem to want to be with. This would give any man a stomach ache! But alas, all of this is told in flashback form as the movie opens with Vincent driving down a Vancouver road doing about 80 and has to avoid being hit. In the mere moments that the wreck may or may not take place, we are treated to flashbacks to his "former" life that may or may not give leverage to his current situation. So essentially, it’s Richard Gere doing what he does best (looking pretty for the cameras) and sporting some of his longer locks than ususal. It’s also Sharon Stone saying "I can act, dammit" without taking her clothes off. Throw into the mix Martin Landau, who plays Neal and also works at the architectural firm and you don’t really have a lot to go on. This is a hit or miss for most and judging by the lack of supplements that Paramount chose to give the disc; they aren’t that proud of the movie either. I may need to watch it again to give it a fair chance, but save your time and money with this one; as it’s a rental at best.
Video: How does it look?
Presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic ratio, Intersection looks very good. For a movie that’s approaching it’s ten year anniversary, I wouldn’t expect it to look bad, but some of the previous transfers from Paramount have had me scratching my head. Still, it’s the best the movie has ever looked and I noticed very few errors and flaws with the transfer. There is a slight bit of edge enhancement to some of the outdoor scenes, but the black levels are dead on and though the film shows a few signs of wear and tear, it isn’t that bad. Some of the indoor scenes showed a bit of artifacting, but it’s not distracting in the least. While not a lackluster presentation, this doesn’t qualify as "reference-quality" either. A good-looking transfer is what you’ll get here.
Audio: How does it sound?
Like most of Paramount’s catalog titles, Intersection has been re-mastered in a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix that, for the most part, sounds very good. While some scenes did sound a bit hollow (denoting a remix), there are some very active parts to the soundtrack as well. Dialogue, as most of this movie is, is clear and free of any distortion that might plague a movie that was remixed for 5.1. Quite simply, the disc gets the job done and makes the movie sound the best it ever had. But then again, this movie was never known for it’s sound!
Supplements: What are the extras?
Nothing, not even a trailer.
