Review of True Crime

Introduction

True Crime is one of those quietly released movies that you may not have heard of, starring and created by people who generally you may not have heard of. However a young Alicia Silverstone features as an attraction to certain fans. The plot is simple murder thriller fare, with little in the way of surprises or even, given the 18 certificate, scares. A film that probably had a limited run in theatres, if at all, before being moved onto the home video format. So, how does it fare ?

Video

The video presentation on this disc is a fairly lifeless 4:3 image. There are no obvious compression problems, but the image feels cropped and the definition between colours could be better. Detail level is fine, without being stunning, although some of the darker scenes lose quite a bit of information in the background.

There is little going on in the way of creative cinematography, and a few `dream` scenes are carried off with all the subtlety of a brick in the face.

In short, there is nothing particular to complain about, but the final result is lacking any flair.

Audio

In much the same way as the picture is unimpressive, this stereo soundtrack is also lacking in any true merit. While music and general sound effects are clear enough, there are certain times in the film where it can be difficult to determine what characters are saying. The lack of subtitles means this fallback is not even available.

Being a plain vanilla stereo track, True Crime does not even sound as good as some NICAM tracks can. There is little in the way of stereo separation or split effects, and even filtered through Dolby ProLogic processing, the information coming from the rear speakers is minimal at best.

Features

There is scene selection and a trailer. Not exactly going to light anyone`s candle now is it ?! As stated before, there are not even English subtitles. The one bonus that could be argued is that the trailer doesn`t actually give the plot away unlike most these days. However, this is probably because of the general lack of plot and character development, and the fact that the twists of the movie, and the final protagonist, are pretty clear to most viewers within the first fifteen minutes of the showing anyway.

Conclusion

With the ropey picture, limited sound and non-existent extras, it is easy to see how True Crime can fit onto a cheap single-sided single-layer DVD5. As a DVD, this disc has little to recommend it over a VHS tape. Bearing in mind that this disc will sit on the shelves with other more mainstream titles at the same price, its value must be called into question. I wouldn`t pay full price for this disc, and in fact, I doubt I`d give it a second thought if I spotted it in a £1 bargain bucket. I am curious how many copies of True Crime the distributor is expecting to sell.

When it comes to the quality of the film itself, this is also extremely lacking. While some men will find the youthful Alicia Silverstone the kind of jailbait eye candy which will make the film worth watching, even they might find the wafer-thin plot, complete lack of motivation for the characters, and cheesy action scenes unbearable. There is even a hint in the trailer of unplumbed depths, as there are clips which seem to suggest some deeper darker background to Silverstone`s cop father who apparently died in the line of duty. This plotline does not appear to make it into the final cut though. Generally, any twists are palpably manufactured and illogical, and the murderer is eventually revealed to have been travelling around the country murdering for no particular reason.

True Crime is also a film which seems confused about itself to the point of schizophrenia. With an 18 certificate, and the subject matter of brutal murder (not to mention to clumsily introduced, totally facile and gratuitous storyline of Silverstone losing her virginity to Dillon) it would appear to be an adult film. However, the school-uniformed Silverstone investigating murders from her bedroom with the help and sometimes hindrance of a friendly ex-colleague of her father smack of Nancy Drew or other childrens adventure tales. She even persuades her brother to hack the DMV computer for her. Many plot details could have been lifted from the pages of an Enid Blyton novel. What you are left with is a presentation too graphic for children, but too simplistic and laughable for adults. Probably one for fans of Ms Silverstone only then, and only then if it`s shockingly cheap.