Tomorrow You're Gone Blu-ray Review
Aaron Walker
June 21st, 2013
I’m sure you’ve seen those movies in the bargain bins at your local big box store, you know the ones I mean? The movies, with a big name or two attached, that you don’t recognize at all. The ones that you think “Did I just miss that in theaters? Maybe I should check it out…” Well, TOMORROW YOU’RE GONE is one of those, except that it isn’t a movie that was made 10 years ago now being repackaged because of the Q-rating of one of the stars. This is just another film with some big names that never really got its footing.
TOMORROW YOU’RE GONE features Stephen Dorff as Charlie Rankin, a recently released convict who has a debt to pay when he gets out. While inside, Charlie befriended a boss known as “the Buddha” (i.e. Willem Dafoe) and thanks to the Buddha’s help, Charlie is able to leave prison. But Charlie isn’t free, he is tormented by what he must do, tormented by the homicide he is required to pull off. As Charlie finds his way on the outside, he meets a young woman named Florence (Michelle Monaghan). Florence quickly takes to Charlie and invites him back to her place for dinner where she tries, unsuccessfully, to sleep with him. But Charlie is too troubled to connect with anyone. He no longer believes in good, he only sees what he must do and sees himself falling apart and losing his grip.
TOMORROW YOU’RE GONE actually sounds more interesting in the above summary than it ever achieves on the screen. It’s really disappointing because Dorff has had a lot of potential since surprising folks with a edgy turn in 1998’s action horror BLADE. Dorff turns in an okay performance here, as he has in several films since, but there’s something missing from his portrayal. Michelle Monaghan as a street-wise woman with poor boundaries is equally missing something – and I think it’s in the writing. Early in the film we are introduced to the Buddha through some flashbacks, though he returns from time to time to confront Charlie and talk to him about his upcoming task.
This is one of the really confusing things about TOMORROW YOU’RE GONE. There are a lot of moments throughout the picture that just don’t make sense, from the initial few scenes with Dafoe through to later in the film when we meet him again, there isn’t a through-line that keeps everything together. And a bigger problem is the long moments of silence and others that are potentially hallucinations, but we never really find out. The whole thing is a bit of a sloppy affair.
In the early going TOMORROW YOU’RE GONE feels like a too-stylized, less polished, rip-off of THE MASTER, without any of the compelling plot points. In fact, the entire film feels cobbled together and a bit too much like a scholarly exercise, rather than a finished product. With actors like this, you might expect more, but don’t or you’ll be deeply disappointed, especially if you choose to drop a dime on this disaster. My advice to you is to avoid this one, it’s just horrible.
TOMORROW YOU’RE GONE BLU-RAY REVIEW
Video: (1080p, 2.35:1) The video is decently presented on TOMORROW YOU’RE GONE, though there are some stylistic choices that are just plain confusing, including some incredibly grainy low-res video footage interspersed with the rest of the film. The point of such technical achievement is to enhance but there is little here to use as a foundation.
Audio: (English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1) The audio mix is a bit low on TOMORROW YOU’RE GONE, making it difficult to make out some scenes while others seem perfectly normal. Again, I think this is a style choice rather than an incredibly poor showing the Blu-ray, but the style does NOT make sense!
The lack of a single special feature on this Blu-ray is a great disappointment, though after sitting through TOMORROW YOU’RE GONE I’m not sure I would have liked anything on the disc anyway.
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