THE TOURNAMENT (2009, Blu-ray released October 20, 2009 – MSRP $61.98)

I had a very odd experience last night. I popped in a copy of Scott Mann’s first feature directorial offering, The Tournament and got a very peculiar result. No menu. At all. Just a little message about what button to push for options (limited to Audio) and then right on into the film.

Hmmm.

It turns out this film is somewhat of an indie and what looks to be (other than the festival circuit) a direct to video offering. With a cast of Hollywood screen veterans (Ving Rhames, Robert Carlyle, Kelly Hu), the quality of special effects and a well structured and paced story, I found this to be a surprise. While the script is far from original and the acting is what you would expect from “30 of the world’s deadliest assassins”, this movie still has high production values and a certain quality that is often lacking in independent films. It’s full of tits, guns, explosions and blood. And let me tell you, the gore in this movie is realistic, abundant and looks a lot better without the usual low-budget CGI treatment, the sort that can end up looking really bad on Blu ray. By the end, I had REALLY enjoyed this movie. Bravo Scott Mann, Bravo.

So, what do I think about no menu, no extras, no chapter select, no etc etc? I think that the director and the distributor have really missed the boat. Where’s the link to Scott Mann’s website? Any outtakes, any commentary. You would think when you get full creative control, you would take advantage of the things offered to you by the medium. While it may not have been in the budget, or the timeline I still feel like there was an opportunity missed here. On the flip side, while I was disquieted by the lack of Blu-ray bells and whistles, I was overjoyed to not have to sit though commercials and trailers and all the usual. Take note big studios, we don’t always want to sit through your ads and promos. At least let us skip past them.

Lastly, on a sad note, you will probably not buy this Blu ray disc. Why? Because Best Buy has it for $26.99, Future Shop (that bunch of liars) has it posted incorrectly 3 times, from $19.99 to $29.99 and Amazon has the audacity to list it at $35.99 (down from a list price of $64?!?). With bumbled retail positioning like this, Scott Mann should be doing direct sales.

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