Deuces Wild

Starring: Stephen Dorff, Brad Renfro, Matt Dillon
Director: Scott Kalvert

Rating: R

Review Posted: 8.22.02

By John Teves.

Leon (Dorff) and Bobby (Renfro) are brothers who, with their friends, are determined to maintain the way of life in their neighborhood. They are "The Deuces," trying to keep things the way they are. Loyalty means everything to them, and protecting friends and family is their main priority.

Now, when a violent gang threatens to destroy their neighborhood, the Deuces are forced to fight to shield the world they know from becoming a world they want no part of. As the violence escalates and relationships are tested, the Deuces are forced to face how far they're willing to go to keep their lives safe and true.

DEUCES WILD is nothing more than an obedient assortment of all the 50’s gang clichés. The film has its moments and even though they're minor and more distant than what I would have liked, the film does come together. The performances are average and workable, still the main problems I saw in DEUCES didn’t result from its similarities with “The Outsiders” or “West Side Story”, instead, the film suffers simply because it seems dull and generic. Not much about the film interested me.

Nonetheless, I felt pretty indecisive toward DEUCES. While it had some appropriate moments, the movie simply seemed lacking of real tension or drama for the most part. I can’t call Deuces Wild a bad flick, but it definitely presented itself as a middle of the road type of film.

DEUCES WILD appears in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 on this single-sided, dual-layered DVD; the image has been enhanced for 16X9 televisions. Sharpness appeared very strong. The film remained crisp and definite at all times. I found no signs of softness or fuzziness. There were no concerns related to edge enhancement or jagged edges. Print flaws were minor. I saw a few specks, and some light grain, however this mannered no major concern. All in all, DEUCES WILD presented a clean and fresh presentation.

DEUCES WILD is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 mix.

The soundfield provided a pleasant active piece. Sound moved neatly across channels, and the surrounds added a nice layer of support. The soundfield wasn’t a celestial affair, but it nicely matched the film. Audio quality was generally positive, but it appeared a little flat at times. Dialogue sounded natural and distinct, and I heard no concerns related to edginess. Effects were crisp and lucid. Both music and effects were clean and fairly rich. I noted no distortion on the track. It's a generally good mix, though overly flamboyant and lacking in depth.

Extras:

• Commentary by director Scott Kalvert
• Theatrical Trailer

DEUCES WILD makes for a decent DVD, with splendid picture and sound and no extras, but its strong lack of originality or any valid reason for existing makes it pretty much a useless film. Established fans of the film should be very pleased with the DVD presentation, but for anyone on the fence, give it a rental.

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