Review of Simpatico

Introduction

Horse racing, the sport of kings and also the sport of losing money big time, unless you know a good scam.

This is what Vinnie and Carter had in their youth, a good scam, one that couldn`t fail, as long as they weren`t caught.

Unfortuantly they were and it was down to Carters girlfriend to make sure the incident was covered up.

20 years pass and Vinnie wants some more of the action so he contacts Carter, now a millionaire in his own right, to arrange a little payback, payback that could bring them all crashing to the ground.

Video

A very good picture presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic ratio. This disc really does show how good picture quality can be with this format. There is absolutely no noise and the detail is crisp and sharp.

The scenes of the Kentucky estate in autumn (I refuse to use the word fall) are superb with the reds and golds of the leaves a real treat.

Lighting effects are also well handled as demonstrated inside Vinnies run down house with minimal light penetrating the dirty windows and blinds.

Audio

The sound mix is a bit of a let down for suh a modern film. We get a 2 channel Dolby Digital mix which obviously converts to a Pro-Logic extravaganza of mediocre proportions.

Some of the movement from centre to front right and left is extremely sharp and annoying which spoils the whole affair.

rear effects are best described as subtle and will not trouble your setup, if you notice them that is.

Features

Amazing, a region 2 disc with more than a trailer.

This disc has a theatrical trailer and a behind the scenes documentary. Whilst the featurette does not blow the lid and sex and drugs scandals behind the cameras it does show a move in the right direction.

The trailer is okay as trailers go ad as usual is of a lesser quality than the main feature.

Conclusion

Okay if you like horse racing I suppose. I`m always a bit wary when the trailers start pronouncing the leading actors as `Academy Award Nominated`, surely this is not a good selling point?

The film itself can be rather confusing with the story jumping between time periods, which is handled quite well, but no explanantion is offered of Carters current actions, or to why he just decides to give up.

Good picture, okay sound, poor movie. Pure Saturday afternoon cant be bothered to watch the tennis fodder.