Release Date: 02/19/2008
Label/Distributor: Fox
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Retail Price: $26.98
Genre: Drama Cast: F. Murray Abraham, Anna Kanakis, Dolph Lundgren, Ornella Muti, Max von Sydow
Director: Giulio Base
Running Time: 111
DVD Video Options: AC-3, Color, Dolby
DVD Audio Options: English, Subtitled; French, Subtitled; Spanish, Subtitled; English, Original Language
UPC Code: 024543445784
The Final Inquiry
By Buzz McClain -- Video Business, 2/25/2008
Fox celebrated the Cops: 20th Anniversary DVD with creator John Langley at the Auto Club 500 at the California Speedway on Feb. 24. At the event, Langley was named an honorary race official.
Sony hosted a Blood + panel with the voice actors and crew at WonderCon, which took place in San Francisco Feb. 22-24.
Image held a reception and screening for The Last Emperor at Hollywood’s Egyptian Theatre on Feb. 19. Emperor will be released by Criterion as a 20th anniversary special edition DVD on Feb. 26.
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> European sword-and-sandal production pits Romans against Christians.
This film offers a new twist on the stale Biblical sword-and-sandal genre. In 35 A.D., a Roman legion is sent to the Holy Land to investigate the rumored resurrection of Jesus as the reason behind the ongoing rebellion against the Empire. The Final Inquiry looks and feels like a low-budget TV miniseries (which is how it was distributed in Italy, in addition to a theatrical run), but there’s enough action and mystery—in the form of a hirsute Dolph Lundgren waving a battle axe and the question of Jesus rising from the dead—to keep even the mildly curious intrigued. The faith aspects are handled like any other plot point, without proselytizing, but Christians will find the climax reassuring. Legendary composer Ennio Morricone’s son, Andrea, provides the effective orchestral score.
Shelf Talk: The over-baked Italian cast is peppered with the likes of Lundgren, Max von Sydow and F. Murray Abraham, which lends legitimacy and salability to the U.S. market. Though Lundgren’s under-the-radar titles generally do well at retail, it’s the faith market that will be most attracted to this offering.
Adventure, color, PG-13 (violence), 112 min., DVD $26.98
Extras: featurette
Director: Giulio Base
First Run: DVD premiere