Judgment Night

Summary

“Rule number two… no witnesses.”

The Nineties were a special time for me. Like many other kids across the nation, I grew up in that decade. My most formative years were during that period and the early aughts. This has caused a certain sentimental nostalgia for that period, particularly an affinity for the action films from the Nineties. When I saw that WB Archive was releasing Judgment Night, I couldn’t resist picking up a copy to check it out. My only memory of the film was of seeing previews for the movie on television. I was not allowed to see it, because I was too young to see it when it was released. The film was not a big hit at the box office, but a well received soundtrack and good reception on VHS rentals kept the film alive in the public conscious.

It’s Frank Wyatt’s (Emilio Estevez) first night out in three months since his child was born. His friends Ray and Mike (Jeremy Piven and Cuba Gooding Jr.) arrive at his house to take him to a boxing match in the city. Ray has borrowed an RV from a dealership to take them to the match, telling the dealership he plans to entertain clients and if all goes well, make a purchase. Ray has loaded up the RV with booze. Frank has invited along his loose cannon brother John (Stephen Dorff) to join them on the trip. John has a hot temper and Ray would rather not have him along for the trip. They take a turn off the expressway when faced with too much traffic and a chance of missing the boxing match. They get lost in a very bad part of the city. When they accidentally hit a young man in the road while looking for their map, they stop to see what happened. They drag the young man into the RV because he is obviously injured. It turns out that the young man had actually been shot. In his clothes he is carrying some blood soaked money – obviously not his own. Ray doesn’t call 911 due to the drinks in his system. They start to drive the RV with the hopes of flagging down the police to get the young man some medical attention when they are t-boned by a car. The RV is wedged between two buildings before it grinds to a halt. The drivers of the car smash out the back window of the RV and grab the kid while pointing guns at Frank and his pals. Drug dealer Fallon (Denis Leary) shows up and talks with the disloyal thief. Despite the thief’s protests, he shows him no mercy and he shoots him in the street. Fallon tells his associates that they need to take out the other witnesses. Frank and his friends escape the RV through the front and set the RV on fire behind themselves. They begin a hellish night trying to survive Fallon and his underlings as they are chased through one of the worst areas of Chicago.

Judgment Night is a well made film with a passable script. As many have pointed out about the film, the writing is decent, but definitely not exceptional. Characters do and say some things that are purely to move the plot along and some of the actions border on cliche (especially a negotiation scene between one character and Fallon which is obviously ripped off fro ma similar scene in Die Hard.) As long as the audience is okay with accepting that the script is a little thin (it had been rewritten by numerous people including apparently even a a script rewrite by John Carpenter,) there is a lot to enjoy about the movie. The performances by both Emilio Estevez and Cuba Gooding Jr. are both well cast. They are both good enough in their roles to maintain momentum in the film. Jeremy Piven is well cast as the fast talking and selfish Ray. The standout performance is Denis Leary as the villainous Fallon. He dominates the screen from the moment he shows up and gives the film a dark humor while also delivering a good performance as a believably ruthless criminal. I also enjoyed seeing character actor Peter Greene as one of the lead underlings for Fallon. Out of the good performances in the film, Stephen Dorff seems a bit outmatched by the more seasoned actors. 

One of the best aspects of the film is the overall look of the movie. Cinematographer Peter Levy casts the film in yellows and blues that give the film a dynamic look that accentuates shadows and light. The film was shot with widescreen lenses which gives it a larger visual impact. The film is well edited and the pacing for the film is solid. Director Stephen Hopkins does a good enough job at the helm. One of the big selling points of the film was that the soundtrack had numerous mashups of bands with hip hop groups. Del the Funky Homosapien with Dinosaur Jr., Teenage Fanclub with Tom Petty and De La Soul, Slayer with Ice T., and Sonic Youth with Cypress Hill to name a few collaborations on the album. Interestingly enough, the film hardly relies on any of the soundtrack, largely relying on the orchestral score by Alan Silvestri. 

Overall – Judgment Night is a fun thriller from the Nineties with a great performance by Denis Leary. It is definitely an easy enough way to pass some time, even if not all of the film clicks.

Video

WB Archive have provided a great looking transfer of the film using an MPEG-4 AVC codec in 1080p. The film is presented in its original 2.40:1 aspect ratio and the transfer comes from a new 2K scan. The results are very good. Fine detail is excellent, especially considering the entire film takes place at night time. The blue and yellow colored cinematography by Peter Levy and director Stephen Hopkins has transferred exceptionally well to the Blu-ray format. One of the reasons the film is so striking is its reliance on widescreen lenses. This helps give the film a much larger look. Fans of the film holding onto the DVD copy will definitely want to upgrade.

Audio

Similar to the video transfer, Warner has provided an English DTS-HD MA 5.1 track that sounds great thanks to the original DTS Surround mix made for the film. The surrounds are fairly active in the film. The score by Alan Silvestri sounds great and the soundtrack sounds nice whenever it is employed in the film. 

Supplements:

As far as supplements go, well, you’re on your own pal. None.

Overall Scores:

Video: 4.5

Audio: 4.5

Special Features: 0

Overall – 4/5

Judgment Night overcomes a fairly thin script to deliver a well-paced thriller with a great villainous performance by Denis Leary. The Warner Archive Blu-ray looks and sounds fantastic, but it is a bare bones release that features only the film. Fans of the film will no doubt want to upgrade their old DVD copies  because the new transfer really shines on Blu-ray. For newcomers, a rental may be advised to make sure that it is worth adding to the collection. Fans of Nineties thrillers and the Walter Hill film Trespass will want to check it out.