Review of Tape

Introduction

Three actors, one set, all talk - hardly the recipe for a blazing Hollywood blockbuster. Richard Linklater, the writer-director of the ambitous Waking Life, has adapted Stephen Belber`s play about a slacker, Vince (played by Ethan Hawke), who deals dope and is staying in a motel room in Michigan. An old friend from high school, Jon (played by Robert Sean Leonard), visits, planning to catch up on old times. Things turn sour when the conversation shifts to Amy - a fellow student who hooked up with Jon much to Vince`s dismay. However, Vince has an alterior motive, and plans to tape Jon confessing to raping Amy years ago...

It seems Linklater is a pretty unique film-maker. In his previous outing, he filmed the actors, and then animated over the footage; to now making a film that doesn`t revolve around a gung-ho plot or spectacular special effects, but instead, Tape is more subtle - it requires strong performances, compelling directing and an engrossing script.

The acting in this is strong, as married couple Hawke and Thurman round their characters, develop them, and Dead Poets Society star Leonard adds depth to his bemused character.

Video

It is presented in 1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, and the palette is OK, with the basic colours represented well, but the visuals aren`t as well defined as they could be. The print is clear, although it lacks crispness in certain shots.

This was shot entirely on digital video - and looks wise it is worse off because of it. The print doesn`t look as good as it could have looked if it was shot on 35mm, but perhaps Linklater is trying to prove a point by shooting in DV: admittedly, it does add a certain ambience to the film. But, the main attraction to the picture is the camerawork...it cuts between each character, as they use facial expressions to show just what they`re feeling, and it adds so much to the proceedings. With lacklustre direction, this would have really suffered, but Linklater has a flair that allows him to make almost any material accessible.

Audio

A DD 2.0 track is on offer, and the main audio stream is crisp and clear, and the ambience level is fairly good. However, this is crying out for a 5.1 track - it would have upped the ambience level, as, even though Tape revolves around dialogue exchange, to make it more powerful and absorbing, audio coming from different angles would really make you feel as if the film was going on around you, instead of just in front of you.

The script is good, if a little lacking. However, the final sting in the tail does end the film on the right note.

Features

The only feature is a trailer. Excuse me if I don`t get up and dance round the room...

I bet the production process was interesting - a featurette about adapting from play to screen would have been good, as would interviews with the main players, and of course a commentary from Richard Linklater.

The menus are static with music playing in the background, offering the usual setup.

Conclusion

Tape is just what you need to unwind from the various genre-clichés: a film that takes a unique approach and stays just on the right side of being enjoyable. The running time is just right (a mere 86 minutes - any longer and I think it would have started to grind slightly), and going back to an earlier point about a film like this needing strong performances, compelling directing and an engrossing script, the answer is yes to the first two, and nearly yes to the last.

Disc wise, it is OK - but the extras really need beefing up. Quality wise, this could also do with a makeover, as the visuals aren`t that great, and a better audio track would add to the immersive-feeling a film like this needs.

Overall, worth a rent, as this possesses a unique take on an otherwise-lacklustre 86 minutes.