A movie that highlights past and present racism in America is sure to be a powder keg of talk for anyone who watches it. It’s definitely something that can spice up or silence the water cooler talk. Movies like AMERICAN HISTORY X and 12 YEARS A SLAVE are a couple of examples and they serve as grueling reminders that there’s still plenty of work to be done when it comes to improving race relations. Even as I type this there are problems being highlighted on television news. Even with so much material with one to pull from, SUPREMACY fails to do what many movies before it have done, induce a thoughtful argument. SUPREMACY seems to have ignored its predecessors and the nightly news as it comes off as mindless ignorance.
SUPREMACY has some potential to play with. There’s no doubting that. Garrett Tully (Anderson) is a recently paroled prisoner and a proud member of the Aryan Brotherhood. He manages to fit in a derogatory slur in every other sentence and manages to use one as a noun, pronoun, adjective, verb, adverb, interjection and possibly crafted one in as a preposition. His basic use of the ‘N’ word is that of an ignorant teenager who just found out it’s a bad word and he isn’t supposed to say it. He throws it around freely and goes from cringe worthy to eye-rolling.
Anderson brings a high amount of energy to Tully, but without a believable direction, he seems destined to bump and crash into scenes and scenarios. And of course, dropping a few ‘N’ words in for good measure. It doesn’t take Tully long to freak out about being pulled over by an African-American police officer. In an unmotivated fit of paranoia, Garrett exits his truck and shoots the officer, and flees the scene. He seeks refuge in the home of an African-American family and then takes them hostage. Although, is it really a hostage situation when no one knows you’re even there?
What should follow is a long, tense, and scary nightmare, but instead it feels like an incredibly dull countdown towards the end of the movie. There are some good performances here, including Danny Glover as the calm, cool and collected matriarch of the family. Then there’s Dawn Olivieri who brings a bit of mystique as the romantic partner of Tully. There’s a lot going for this movie, but ultimately the creators couldn’t handle an ounce of it and they fall back on a couple of stock phrases and unnatural progression.
The movie is partly told through flashbacks, party in the present, and then in one bizarre move by the director, the movie skips just past a key plot point so that they can later reveal it through a flashback. It adds nothing and feels very amateurish. It’s a bit frustrating when you realize what’s happening because instead of shock, you’re simply dumbfounded about the directorial move. And of course by the end, the conclusion feels contrived and ludicrous.
What makes SUPREMACY a bit more insulting is the idea that it’s allegedly based on a true story. A quick Google search finds nothing of the sort. There are plenty of true stories though in this world highlighting real racism and real tension. Turn on the TV and you’ll see it unfold every night. This isn’t a glowing endorsement for the nauseating 24-hour news cycle of CNN or Fox News, but it’s certainly more entertaining than SUPREMACY.
BLU-RAY REVIEW
Video: (1080p Widescreen 2:39:1) The movie comes in a bit grainy sometimes in the dark, but that may be because it was shot on Super 16. It’s another puzzling choice by the filmmakers because it adds nothing and makes the blu-ray quality a tad useless.
Audio: (English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1) The soundtrack and voice work comes in crystal clear. The only problems with the audio pop up during hushed moments.
Behind the Scenes (8:34): The term behind the scenes has never been so literal before. There is no narration, interviews, or look at how the movie was crafted. This is an uncut capture of them filming the cop shooting scene in this movie. This is a long, dull, five minutes that adds nothing at all to the viewing experience. It’s followed by another three minutes of a different scene.
Theatrical Trailer
