RED ROAD
DVD Review by David Blackwell

DETAILS: 113 minutes, short film, photo gallery, original theatrical trailer, previews

VIDEO: 1.85:1 (Anamorphic Widescreen)
AUDIO: English 5.1, 2.0 Dolby Surround, 5.1 DTS
Subtitles: English, Spanish

STUDIO: Tartan Video/ BBC Films/ UK Film Council/ Sigma Films/ Verve Pictures/ Zentropa Entertainment/ Scottish Screen/ Zoma Films Ltd/ Advanced Party Scheme/ Glasgow Film Office
RELEASE DATE: 8-28-2007

Jackie (Kate Dickie) works as a CCTV operator. Each day she watches over a small part of the world, protecting the people living their lives under her gaze. One day a man appears on her monitor, a man she thought she would never see again, a man she never wanted to see again. Now she has no choice, she is compelled to confront him. (plot synopsis taken from imdb.com)

RED ROAD is bold and compelling. A reality that sucks you in with Jackie. The HDTV digital camera look is stunning. The CCTV screens reveal many adventures in people's lives with Jackie as the ultimate observer. Jackie's life unravels during the course of the film. She is attractive and yet has a hole in her heart from what happened years ago. She may experience joy at a times while watching life through the CCTV, but her personal life is a mess. She tries to detsroy the life of Clyde, a man who wants to rebuild his and help others. Tony Curran shines as Clyde while Kate Dickie shows off the beauty and emotional range of Jackie (from sadness to joy to pleasure). I'm amazed and shocked by the steps Jackie takes to ruin Clyde's life again.

RED ROAD is the first of three films that form the Advanced Party concept. It centers around nine characters in three films and all set in Glasgow, Scotland. Each director picks two characters as their leads. Director Andrea Arnold uses Glasgow and the Red Road apartment buildings like characters in a story. Even the CCTV screens are like a major character in itself. I wonder what the other two films will be like. If they're anything like RED ROAD, I'm in for some of the best low budget films that belong in the top films being made today.

SPECIAL FEATURES: The original theatrical trailer for RED ROAD is on the disc in addition to a photo gallery. The downside of the extras is the short film WASP which turned me off. A very horrible single mom may care for her kids, but she is trash.

Finishing off the extras are previews for other Tartan Video and Tartan Asia Extreme releases. Included in the DVD case is a four page booklet that includes a two page article on RED ROAD and the Advanced Party concept.

FINAL ANALYSIS: RED ROAD is a visually striking character drama. One of the best films released by Tartan Video.

this DVD review is (c)10-18-2007 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission. send all comments to lord_pragmagtic@hotmail.com  

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