Dead Again In Tombstone Blu-ray Review
First off, let me say something about truth in advertising. DEAD AGAIN IN TOMBTONE does not take place in Tombstone. Apparently this film is a sequel to DEAD IN TOMBSTONE. I didn’t see that one, but I’m hoping that sometime during the film something happened in Tombstone. The only time I heard mention of Tombstone was, during a conversation in the town that was supposed to be Tombstone, one character tells another to head to Dodge City OR Tombstone. They may as well have called this thing “Dead Again in Pismo Beach,” though that may have upset fans of Bugs Bunny who may have bought it hoping to see their long-eared friend.
Danny Trejo stars as Guerrero. A messenger from Satan, he roams the world killing bad guys, keeping hell full of souls. Guerrero meets a fellow employee who informs him that “the man downstairs would like you to pick up the pace.” Even Satan is impatient apparently. Guerrero ambles into Silver River where we learn he has a daughter named Alysia (Rotaru) who slings hash at the local emporium. Alysia is not happy to see dad, nor is her grandmother, Guerrero’s mother. However, worse things are happening in the form of former Confederate Colonel Jackson Boomer (Busey) and his men. Boomer is looking for a box made of bone (though occasionally, instead of “box” he says “book.” It’s almost an hour into the film where we learn that there is a book inside the box). This book will allow him to create others like Guerrero. Heaven help us.
A nice little shoot-em-up with enough plot holes to fall into, DEAD AGAIN IN TOMBSTONE is a film that relies on fans of Danny Trejo who didn’t come to see him act. With his leathery face and Johnny Cash-inspired wardrobe, he’s one bad hombre’ Not that he’s not without a heart. When his horse is killed in an ambush be requests that he be buried in the family plot, “next to Papi.” Trejo is fine here, as is Busey. The “raise the dead” plot twist is different but just takes too long to come about. The film is fine technically, with the director making nice use of some sweeping helicopter shots. My two main quibbles are that apparently the film was shot in a walk in freezer. In almost every scene, including the interiors, vapor is visibly coming from the actor’s mouths like steam from a teapot. Also, almost every scene begins by looking into the sun. Be it a sunset or the opening of saloon doors, there are so many lens flares in this film that you may think J.J. Abrams directed it.
Finally, here’s some history for you (and the filmmakers): If you’re going to use Confederate soldiers and Abraham Lincoln as part of your film’s plot, it’s probably not best to include in the title the name of a town that wouldn’t be founded until 12 years later! If you like your movies loud and your body count high, you could do worse than DEAD AGAIN IN TOMBSTONE. It’s not a night in hell, but it comes awfully close.
BLU-RAY REVIEW
Video: The film is presented in its original 1:78.1 aspect ratio and is well presented. Even the darker scenes (lots of night shots and rainy days) are well lit and some of the establishing photography is beautiful.
Audio: The soundtrack is presented in DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 and is very well mixed. And loud. Every gunshot reverberates though the room, and I’d advise you to turn down you’re volume when they try to blow the strong box on the stagecoach.
Resurrecting the Western: Making “Dead Again in Tombstone” (4:01): Short bits with the cast and crew discussing pretty much every aspect of the making of the film.
Home in Tombstone: Danny Trejo as Guerrero (3:47): Everyone loves DannyTrejo!
Deleted Shot Montage (5:23): An assortment of short clips, none of which were missed.
Audio Commentary: I think I enjoyed the commentary more than the film. Director Reine, Film Editor Radu Ion, DP Rolf Dekens, screenwriter Ethan Wiley and the CEO of Grid VFX, Jan Goosen, bring a lot of information your way in a very well put together and informative commentary.