Review of Bloodhounds of Broadway Dvd

Today Bloodhound of Broadway, the 1989 film starring a bunch of stars such as Madonna, Matt Dillon and Jennifer Gray comes out on Dvd in the Us for the first time.
Here’s a review of the dvd edition of the movie from Upcomingdiscs.com

Synopsis

Based on stories by Damon Runyon, Bloodhounds of Broadway traces the would-be zany antics of a large group of characters in New York, on New Year’s Eve, 1928. Some of the threads we follow are: Randy Quaid as the terminal loser who sells his body to a mad doctor, payment due by dawn, only to have his luck change radically and flapper Madonna fall for him; Rutger Hauer as The Brain, a soft-spoken ganglord who is stabbed, and spends the rest of the night being hauled fruitlessly from the home of one mistress to the next, always finding the doors closed to him; Matt Dillon two-timing Jennifer Grey, only to find out where his true love really lies; and so on.

Annandale’s First Law of Cinema: there is a limit to how bad any movie that features a dinosaur can be. Corollary: there is a limit to how good any movie that features Madonna can be. No dinosaurs here, but there’s Madonna, as the nightclub performer who wants to hear the patter of little feet. The cast seems to be having fun, but the effect is very flat, as if this were nothing more than a bunch of friends playing 1920’s dress-up. There is some peculiar amusement in seeing William Burroughs as a disapproving butler.

Audio

The sound is clean and devoid of hiss, but also seems to be mono (at the very least, there is no surround at all), which is rather surprising for a 1989 production. The dialogue could use a boost in the sound levels as well. In the early scenes especially, some lines are swallowed up completely.

Video

The picture, at least, is fine, with deliberately grainy B&W giving way to rich colours. The contrasts and blacks are excellent too, and there is no visible edge enhancement. The aspect ratio is 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, and the grain is virtually non-existent. All in all, a handsome- looking film, so there’s plenty to look at as your mind wanders.

Special Features

Trailers for A League of Their Own, Big Fish, and Mona Lisa Smile. An odd mix; is this just because they’re all period pieces of one sort or another? The menu is basic.

Closing Thoughts

Passable entertainment (just) at 87 minutes, but I’m sure you can find something better out there.

Special Features
Trailers