Grudge Match [Blu-Ray]
Director: Peter Segal
Cast: Robert De Niro, Sylvester Stallone, Kim Basinger
Release Date: Own it today on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and Digital HD
A Review By: Kevin Lovell
Film Rating: 7.5/10
Disc Rating: 9.5/10
Synopsis:
In “Grudge Match,” Billy “The Kid” McDonnen (De Niro) and Henry “Razor” Sharp (Stallone) are two local Pittsburgh fighters whose fierce rivalry put them in the national spotlight. Each had scored a victory against the other during their heyday, but in 1983, on the eve of their decisive third match, Razor suddenly announced his retirement, refusing to explain why but effectively delivering a knock-out punch to both their careers. Thirty years later, boxing promoter Dante Slate, Jr., seeing big dollar signs, makes them an offer they can’t refuse: to re-enter the ring and settle the score once and for all.
‘Grudge Match’ tells the story of two aging retired boxers thirty years after a match that left them both unsatisfied. A turn of events lead to the son of one of their old agents fast talking them into doing a grudge match thirty years in the making to settle once and for all who the best is. In order for this to even be possible they must both get back in shape and training isn’t quite as easy as it might have been three decades ago. As all of the insanity and publicity following the fight come into their lives, other personal aspects of their lives they thought buried or never knew existed will be revealed and explored too.
I really enjoyed ‘Grudge Match’ and far more than I thought I might. Peter Segal does a great job directing these two greats as they come face to face in the ring, while Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro work off of each other phenomenally, although I think the best interaction would have to be those golden moments where Kevin Hart and Alan Arkin share some screen time and some real hilarity ensues. The cast is impressive and powerful all around, with great performances by the four individuals already noted, in addition to Kim Basinger, Jon Bernthal and even LL Cool J in minor role.
I would highly recommend ‘Grudge Match’ to most audiences, mainly because on top of being a pretty great film and a lot of fun from start to end it’s one of those movies that has something for every genre and even if you are not the slightest fan of boxing or sports in general (which I myself am not) it still won’t lose your interest and for the boxing fans there is definitely the added bonus of a very rewarding final fight as long as you can ignore the painful CGI in the flashes of their previous fights years back.
VIDEO:
The Blu-Ray release of ‘Grudge Match’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation utilizing the film’s original 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio. As per usual with Warner’s Blu-Ray releases, the video presentation looks pretty fantastic as a whole with all lines, edges, clarity and other aspects looking spot on and no noticeable or notable flaws were found on my end. This is definitely a top notch high definition video presentation that should have everyone more than satisfied.
AUDIO:
The Blu-Ray release features a lossless 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. As with the video presentation, this lossless multichannel soundtrack is also pretty fantastic overall. There are a number of calmer sequences where the large majority of activity is focused mainly in the center channel with dialogue, yet those mild background noises such as crowd’s, customers at a restaurant or other folks in the gym are still present and really help immerse you further into the movie and help you to feel like you’re as close to being there as possible.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
The Blu-Ray release of ‘Grudge Match’ includes a pretty nice collection of bonus content. Included on the release are a 20 minute behind the scenes featurette on the making of the film, two behind the scenes featurette’s with Kevin Hart, A faux interview with Tyson & Holyfield giving their opinions on the fictional fighters in the film, and ‘Blow by Blow with Larry Holmes’. On top of all of those fun and informative featurette’s, there is also an alternate opening, two alternate endings and a number of deleted scenes, all with introductions by director Peter Segal.
*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray and resized. They additionally will suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on this Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.
Film Rating: 7.5/10
Disc Rating: 9.5/10
Own “GRUDGE MATCH” today on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and Digital HD from Warner Bros. Entertainment