DAY OF WRATH is the best Christopher Lambert film in a while. It just seems he has been making films and not many of them
are seeing release in the US these days. I could mention two French films that still haven't seen the light of day over here
(A TON IMAGE and JANIS ET JOHN). DAY OF WRATH is an intriguing thriller set in the 16th century about 50 years after Spain
had expelled the Jews. Some Jews took new names and pretended to be Christains to the world. Ruy de Mendoza (Christopher Lambert)
comes home to the village he grew up in to be the sheriff. He is now drunk and lives in an unhappy marriage. A conspiracy
involving murders that get cleaned up awakens him as he tries to figure why and who is behind the dead that Ruy has stumbled
upon. No one believes him, but it deals with a power struggle between the governor (Brian Blessed) and a priest of the Spanish
Inquisition (James Faulkner). Throw into the mix Ruy's old flame (Blanca Marsallich) and DAY OF WRATH explodes as the course
of one man is changed during the film.
DAY OF WRATH features a story that no films have touched upon of yet. We have heard of the Spanish Inquisition, but usually
the films focus on other things in European history. DAY OF WRATH is clever enough to wrap history into a fictional thriller.
Hungary and Hungarian back lots provide the realism needed for this film. Also a little humor (from Brian Blessed) goes a
long way to provide a little relief at a few points during DAY OF WRATH and a little nudity for those who look for that in
their movies. DAY OF WRATH has a bit of everything. However I think Christopher and other actors just liked
the script.
VIDEO: 1.78:1 (Anamorphic Widescreen)
Image detail is nice. Colors and black levels look good.
AUDIO: English 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo
Subtitles: English
Dialogue is easy to hear. Surround action not bad for 2.0 DS.
SPECIAL FEATURES: The audio commentary for DAY OF WRATH (by writer/director Adrian Rudomin and producer Sam Sleiman) is
entertaining and informative. It is the best of the two extras on this disc. THE MAKING OF DAY OF WRATH is a 20 minute featurette
that features interviews with the cast, the director, and the Hungarian Director Of Photography. The audio commentary covers
some of the same ground as the featurette. However, the audio commentary is worth a listen as it points out interesting facts
about the production like they went out of their way for unusual looking people, the craftsmanship of the Hungarians, Christopher
doing most of his own stunts, historical facts, and their praise for several of the actors.
FINAL ANALYSIS: DAY OF THE WRATH is worth a rent and it is a must buy for any Christopher Lambert fan.
this review is (c)8-8-2006 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission (except for excerpts and a link to
the review). Look for additional content at http://enterlinemedia.livejournal.com and send all comments to lord_pragmagtic@hotmail.com
