JUDGMENT NIGHT (1993)
Label: Warner Archive
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: R
Duration: 109 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.35:1)
Director: Stephen Hopkins
Cast: Emilio Estevez, Cuba Gooding Jr., Denis Leary, Stephen Dorff, Jeremy Piven, Peter Greene, Michael Wiseman, Michael DeLorenzo
Stephen Hopkins (A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child) 90's action-thriller Judgment Night (1993) is a fun 'night in the life of' film, wherein we have four men roughly in their thirties having a guy's night out that descends into urban terror. We have family guy Frank (Emilio Estevez, The Breakfast Club), his hot-headed brother John (Stephen Dorff, Backbeat), the trouble-making Mike (Cuba Gooding Jr., Rat Race) and slimy car salesman-type Ray (Jeremy Piven, Very Bad Things), all of whom get together and drive into the city of Chicago from the 'burbs in a sweet-looking luxury RV with the intent of watching a big boxing match. However, bad traffic and poor planning waylay them into lateness, inspiring Ray to take an ill-advised detour off the freeway and through the seedier side of town looking for a shortcut, but of course they end up hopelessly lost in the inner city and in immanent danger.
Driving through the darkened and eerily vacant streets they wind up hitting a young man who runs across the street in front of their vehicle, in the process getting caught up in the dealings of a local drug dealer named Fallon, played by comedian Denis Leary (The Ref). After witnessing Fallon murder a low-level pusher they discover that Fallon's not too keen about having witness to his crimes. Now marked for death the four make a run for it through the nightmarish urban setting, with the RV going up in flames, and Fallon and his crew nipping at their heels.
The guys hide out into a nearby rail yard where they have to contend with irritable railway hobos, then seeking shelter in a tenement building where the tenants are terrorized by local gangs, before escaping into the sewers where they finally begin to make a proper stand against Fallon and his cronies, eventually ending up at an indoor flea market, which is where the final confrontation takes place.
Judgment Night certainly has the whiff of The Warriors (1977) about it to a certain extent, with a group of friends making their way through an urban terrain while trying to avoid a territorial threat. It's a lot of fun, an action film with plenty of atmosphere, the urban landscapes lit up like Dario Argento film, bathed in swaths of colored lighting, and with a very interesting cast. This is kind of a big cast, we have Emilio Estevez who was already a minor 80s star, he makes for a surprisingly good hero here, and Dennis Leary is delightfully threatening as the seething baddie, coming a year before his breakout role in Christmas classic The Ref. Coming after Boyz in the Hood but before his Oscar nod we have Cuba Gooding Jr. who strangely didn'tbannoy me, which is a very rare happening in my experience. Stephen Dorf as the younger of the four is also good, he's a guy who also kind of annoyed me in the 90's a bit, but seeing him here after taking in his recent turn of TVs True Detective - which is fantastic - put me in a more appreciative mood.
Audio/Video: Judgment Night (1993) arrives on region-free Blu-ray from the Warner Archive, having just been issues on DVD last year. Apparently the demand was higher than expected and WAC have come through with a proper Blu-ray presentation that is gorgeous. The source looks very clean and free of wear, grain is very tightly managed, the colors are robust and deeply saturated, and the blacks look solid throughout. Audio comes by way of an English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with Optional English subtitles, the track is well-balanced with some excellent use of the surrounds to create an immersive, sometimes claustrophobic audio experience. Gun shots rings out with immediacy, the dripping water in the sewer tunnels, and more subtle uses conveying wind and city sounds. The nicely dramatic score from Alan Silvestri (The Abyss) sounds great in the mix, as do soundtrack selections from rock/rap combos Helmet and House of Pain, Teenage Fanclub and De La Soul and Sonic Youth and Cypress Hill among others, it's dated for sure but their some good rap-rock team-ups here that hold-up.
This single-disc release from Warner Archive comes in a standard Blu-ray keepcase with a one-sided sleeve of artwork featuring the original movie poster for the film. There are no extras on the disc whatsoever, bare bones.
Judgment Night (1993) is a scrappy 90's thriller that gets short shrift I think, a film more remembered for it's rap/rock soundtrack than the fun thriller that it is, well worth re-discovering if you have not seen it a bit, and a solid Blu-ray presentation from the Warner Archive.
