Ridley Scott

Average customer rating:

The Music was not the same as original.
A Classic Fairy Tale for All
Love The Goldsmith Score
Nice trip into the past
Wow ...just Wow...

Legend (Ultimate Edition)
Starring: Tom Cruise , Alice Playten , Billy Barty , Cork Hubbert , and Peter O'Farrell
Director: Ridley Scott
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Labyrinth
Willow (Special Edition)
The Dark Crystal
The NeverEnding Story
The Last Unicorn

ASIN: B000063UR2
Release Date: 2002-05-21

Amazon.com essential video

This strange, 1985 experiment by Ridley Scott (Blade Runner) starred the up-and-coming Tom Cruise in a fairy-tale world of dwarfs and unicorns and demons. After the horn of a unicorn is broken, darkness and winter descend upon the world. Cruise's character, helped along by a magic sprite played by David Bennent (The Tin Drum), descends into hell to save paradise. This movie is almost a classic case of art direction gone amok. The somewhat amorphous Cruise doesn't lend much dramatic focus or artistic definition, but the drama between Tim Curry's satanic majesty and Mia Sara's character, who becomes a sort of princess of the netherworld, is pretty captivating. A mixed experience all around that makes one wish it had been more successful. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

The Music was not the same as original........2007-05-29

The main reason I bought the movie was because of the original music that was in it. They have re-edited the whole movie with another soundtrack making it a totally different movie. It is just not as good a movie as my VHS tape of the original theatrical release. What happened to it?

A Classic Fairy Tale for All.......2007-05-21

Legend comes to DVD in this 2-disk set.The first disk being the director's cut,and the second disk being the U.S theatrical release.This is one of those "pick your poison" things were you either like the original theatrical release or prefer the film the way it was ment to be seen by the director or perhaps you like both?Personally,I despise the U.S theatrical release.The films are more or less the same but the directors cut is a bit longer.What kills the U.S release is the deplorable soundtrack.Its way too 80's and is a real annoyance,I depised it deeply.I prefer the directors cut.The original music score by far fits Legend much better,as do the additional extended scenes.Rob Botton who is noted for making some of the most realistic and best prostectic/mechanical effects really delivers as you can almost believe what you are seeing on screen.The over all art and design is as much a feast for the eyes as is the story line which was written almost as perfect as it could be. This is your "basic" fairy tale formula where good vs. evil and our hero(a very young Tom Cruise before he really was begining to get noticed)is sent on a quest to bring the world of light and dark back into balance instead of letting evil rule the land.Jack is sent to save the last Unicorn and to save the princess (Mia Sara) from eternal doom and damnation.I have always liked this film,even when the U.S release was that was available,but this 2-disk set is a real treat.I only wish that the sound was digitally re-mastered,but we can't have everything wee want,now can we?This is a DVD well worth owning,you do get two films in one plus some good featuretts about the making of the film and how it evolved to what we all see now.Legend is a classic,and there aren't too many films out there that can really claim such status.I highly reccomend this DVD over just the U.S release,good for the whole family(some intense scenes) but nothing too horribly graphic.Make Legend a part of your DVD collection,you can't go wrong.

Love The Goldsmith Score.......2007-05-09

The man was a GENIUS and I much prfer the director's cut version.

Nice trip into the past.......2007-05-08

I had never seen any history behind this overly artistic film, but always enjoyed it for what it was. It was nice to get some insight into the original story ideas, and some of the making of the film. The "deleted scenes" were just that, it didn't help progress the film, in my opinion.

It's just a good fantasy story, with the villian taking the spotlight, though this villian didn't like light at all...

Wow ...just Wow..........2007-04-18

This is by far my favorite fantasy movie. Ridley Scott's world he created is simply phenomenal. It's unlike anything else I have ever seen. The best part being it is void of a lot of CGI, and the world is actually created, not computerized. I almost wish I could live in that world. It's pure fantasy at its finest. Very hard to take your eyes off the screen. You get sucked in very easily. The story is great because of all the archetypes and how they fit together. It almost feels like the supreme fantasy story. Princess, unicorns, devil, true love, hero, light vs. dark. Tremendous. The more I watch it the more I like it. It completely stands the test of time and will easily hold up years from now. It should be a lesson to current movie makers that it's better to create a reality than simulate one. Great acting by all those involved. Also, enjoy all the great extras. You can't get a better value for $14. 2 versions of the movie and a plethora of quality extras. Not to mention a fabulous movie.

Thanks to all involved!

Alien Quadrilogy (Alien/ Aliens /Alien 3 /Alien Resurrection)

Average customer rating:

A Must Have For Any Alien Fan
Warning: compression problems
A must have!
A fan must have!
Oh Goodness..

Alien Quadrilogy (Alien/ Aliens /Alien 3 /Alien Resurrection)
Starring: Tom Skerritt , Sigourney Weaver , Veronica Cartwright , Harry Dean Stanton , and John Hurt
Director: Ridley Scott , James Cameron , and David Fincher
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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AVP - Alien vs. Predator (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
Predator (Widescreen Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
Die Hard - The Ultimate Collection
Predator 2 (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Terminator 2 - Judgment Day (Extreme DVD)

ASIN: B0000VCZK2
Release Date: 2003-12-02

Amazon.com essential video

The Alien Quadrilogy is a nine-disc boxed set devoted to the four Alien films. Although previously available on DVD as the Alien Legacy, here they have been repackaged with vastly more extras and with upgraded sound and picture. For anyone who hasn't been in hypersleep for the last 25 years, this series needs no introduction, though for the first time each film now comes in both original and "special edition" form.

Alien (1979) was so perfect it didn't need fixing, and Ridley Scott's 2003 director's cut is fiddling for the sake of fiddling. Watch it once, then return to the majestic, perfectly paced original. Conversely, the special edition of James Cameron's Aliens (1986) is the definitive version, though it's nice to finally have the theatrical cut on DVD for comparison. Most interesting is the alternative Alien 3 (1992). This isn't a "director's cut"--David Fincher refused to have any involvement with this release--but a 1991 work-print that runs 29 minutes longer than the theatrical version, and has now been restored, remastered, and finished off with (unfortunately) cheap new CGI. Still, it's truly fascinating, offering a different insight into a flawed masterpiece. The expanded opening is visually breathtaking, the central firestorm is much longer, and a subplot involving Paul McGann's character adds considerable depth to story. The ending is also subtly but significantly different. Alien: Resurrection (1997) always was a mess with a handful of brilliant scenes, and the special edition just makes it eight minutes longer.

The Alien Quadrilogy offers the first and fourth films with DTS soundtracks, the others having still fine Dolby Digital 5.1 presentation. All four films sound fantastic, with much low-level detail revealed for the first time. Each is anamorphically enhanced at the correct original aspect ratio, and the prints and transfers are superlative. Every film offers a commentary track that lends insight into the creative process--though the Scott-only commentary and isolated music score from the first Alien DVD release are missing here.

Each movie is complemented by a separate disc packed with hours of seriously detailed documentaries (all presented in full-screen with clips letterboxed), thousands of photos, production stills, and storyboards, giving a level of inside information for the dedicated buff only surpassed by the Lord of the Rings extended DVD sets. A ninth DVD compiles miscellaneous material, including an hourlong documentary and even all the extras from the old Alien laserdisc. "Exhaustive" hardly beings to describe the Alien Quadrilogy, a set that establishes the new DVD benchmark for retrospective releases and looks unlikely to be surpassed for some time. --Gary S. Dalkin

Description

Disc 1: Alien Collector?s Edition Disc 2: Aliens Collector?s Edition Disc 3: Alien 3 Collector?s Edition Disc 4: Alien Resurrection Collector?s Edition Disc 5: Bonus Disc

Customer Reviews:

A Must Have For Any Alien Fan.......2007-05-23

I have been a fan of the Alien movies since I was a kid. I never got to see any in theaters except for Alien Resurection. This is a great set and each movie has extended or deleted scenes added to the films. The first two, Alien and Aliens are great classic movies and the extended scenes make the classics that much better. The final two, Alien 3 and Alien Resurection are the mos underated in my opinion. Alien 3 was a great movie but has alot more cursing than the other three but it fits considering it is set in a prison. There was a bunch deleted from this film and it really adds alot to it as several key scenes are completly different and make more sense IMO. The only issue is that the added scenes have degraded over time and some of the dialouge was unusable so at times the audio is hard to hear, but it is still very interesting to watch. Alien Resurection was the most underated of the four and while it's not the best it is still a good movie. The added scenes really make it that much better. The special features on all of these movies are imense and this is one set that is a must buy for Alien fans and science fiction lovers.

Warning: compression problems.......2007-05-19

Warning for potential buyers... the cd of Alien 4 is full of compression errors and won't even play on my dvd player. I managed to start the movie by scene jumping, but halfway through on a scene jump the movie stalled, dumping me into a "dvd video compression" screen, and I could not access anything beyond this point.

I don't know if I have a defective cd or if there are scores of compression problems with this product.

Caveat emptor.

A must have!.......2007-05-15

This is a fabulous boxed set, especially if you can get it at a decent price. It is available on-line and in some shops at very comptetitive prices.
Alien and Aliens are already classics (as everybody knows) and merit repeated viewings.
The 3rd and 4th are not up to the same standard but have their moments.
There are 9 DVD's in total.
Disc 1 contains both versions of Alien + Commentaries
Disc 2 contains documentaries on Alien
Disc 3 contains both versions of Aliens + Commentaries
Disc 4 contains documentaries on Aliens
I have watched these and they are very good. Especially in relation to creating the special effects and James Cameron working in the UK at Pinewood (there were problems - indeed almost a strike!).
Disc 5 contains both versions of Alien3 + Commentaries
Disc 6 contains documentaries on Alien3
I have watched some of this and there is some fascinating information on the original script and director.
Disc 7 contains both versions of Alien Resurrection + Commentary
Disc 8 contains documentaries on Alien Resurrection
Disc 9 More Extras

All in all a superb set to get.

A fan must have!.......2007-05-12

I've always been fan of the Alien series and I wanted to have them all in one package, and this set box is great. The 9 discs are worth the price and you can get to see other versions not previously seen, which are excellent and give you a different perspective. Only the first one has no major changes, maybe a few extended scenes, but the rest of them are amazing! My favorite so far is "Alien Resurrection", when we get to see a glimpse of earth after soooo many years and Ripley is finally home. Get it ONLY if you're a true fan, otherwise...

Oh Goodness.........2007-04-25

I'm having wonderful thoughts about tHe beautiful Sigorney Weaver..Winona Riders in this and H.R Gigier's monsters make everything come so (When is "Classmates" going to be back uP..I'D rather be visiting Amy Roskelley's profile..)alive..

Average customer rating:

"Dying is easy. Comedy is hard."
Not one of Russell Crowe's Best Works....Or the Director's for that Matter
i was pleasantly surprised by this movie...
Different spin; same result
A Good Year or A Good Week?

A Good Year (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Freddie Highmore , Albert Finney , Abbie Cornish , Russell Crowe , and Rafe Spall
Director: Ridley Scott
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Holiday [Region 99]
Casino Royale (2-Disc Widescreen Edition) [Region 99]
The Departed (Two-Disc Special Edition)
The Good Shepherd (Widescreen Edition)
Babel

ASIN: B000LXHK2C
Release Date: 2007-02-27

Amazon.com

A feel-good movie that highlights the beauty of France as much as it does its stars, A Good Year provides a languid, gorgeous viewing experience. Director Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe--who first worked together on the Academy Award-winning Gladiator--are reunited in this romantic film, which is based on Peter Mayle's book A Year in Provence. Crowe plays Max, a workaholic London bonds trader who doesn't know the meaning of vacation. When his uncle dies, leaving him a picturesque estate in the south of France, Max views it as an opportunity to cash in the vinery and pocket the profits. The film is reminiscent of Diane Lane's Under the Tuscan Sun in the way the scenery plays as much of a role in the film as its characters. The lush village and streaming sunlight portray Provence as an idyllic, magical place. Even Max falls under its spell. While not a particularly likeable character, especially in the early part of the film, Max also isn't a bad guy. When he gets the chance to live life at a less manic pace than which he is used to, he finds that a good year isn't dependant on a financial windfall. Though Scott tries to drum up some suspense in the film (Is the beautiful visitor really Max's illegitimate cousin? Will Max fall in love with the feisty local woman he trades quips with?) nothing that happens comes as much of a surprise. Still, while the film doesn't fully utilize Crowe's range of skills, the actor is charming in his role and A Good Year provides a fine time in the cinemas. --Jae-Ha Kim</p>

<span class="h1"><strong>Extras from A Good Year</strong></span> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="4" cellpadding="4"> <tr align="center" valign="top" class="tiny"> <td width="33%"> <img src="http://g-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/dvd/done2.jpg" border="0">
Russell Crowe and Co-Stars on Filming in Provence</td> <td width="33%"> <img src="http://g-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/dvd/vinyard.jpg" border="0">
A Good Year Virtual Vinyard</td>
</tr> </table>

<span class="h1"><strong>Beyond A Good Year</strong></span> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="4" cellpadding="4"> <tr align="center" valign="top" class="tiny"> <td width="33%"> <img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0679731148.01._PIsitb-st-arrow,TopLeft,-1,-14_OU01_SCTHUMBZZZ_AA100_.gif" border="0">
A Year in Provence</td> <td width="33%"> <img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000EHSVQ4.01._SCTHUMBZZZ_AA90_.jpg" border="0">
More from Director Ridley Scott</td>
<td width="33%"> <img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0001HLVS2.01._SCTHUMBZZZ_AA90_.jpg" border="0">

More from Russell Crowe</td> </tr> </table>
<span class="h1"><strong>Stills from A Good Year </strong></span> <table border="0" cellpadding="4" width="100%" cellspacing="4">

Description

Max Skinner (Russell Crowe) is a highly successful investment expert with no time for life outside work. When his estranged uncle dies, Max inherits the vineyard in France where he grew up as a child, and his first intention is to sell the vineyard as qui

Customer Reviews:

"Dying is easy. Comedy is hard.".......2007-06-09

I've been a fan of Russell Crowe for long time and I like a lot all his performances I've seen. He is a very talented actor, one of the best of his generation. He is especially good and convincing at playing strong, charismatic, intense, and often brooding characters but I've noticed that I like him the most when he smiles. He does not do it often, on the contrary, his smile is a rare gift but it changes his face completely, it literally lights his face, makes it younger, softer, and even tender. I have always been curious to see him in a light and funny comedy and when I learned that he and Ridley Scott who has directed him to the Oscar in "The Gladiator" teamed up for a romantic comedy that takes place in the vineyard of sunny Provence, in the south of France, I was very interested in seeing it.

I should say that even though I had expected more from the movie, it was nice. The story is very familiar and predictable but the film is a delight to watch since it was made by a master of the stunningly beautiful visuals, the master who can look at the familiar landmark from the different prospective, the way nobody else has. The best about "A Good Year" is its look - dreamy, enveloping, delightfully intoxicating - just as wine that plays such a big role in the story of Max Skinner (Russell Crowe) who one day suddenly finds himself back in the place where he used to be happy once as a boy but almost forgot the feeling having left for a huge dynamic mega polis where he has become a ruthless arrogant businessman. He will have to slow down and to learn what the real pleasures, values, and priorities in life are. Once more, Russell Crowe has proved that he can act but I found his performance a little too heavy and intense for such a silly light comedy. Watching him in "A Good Year" reminds me of an old story. A famous comic actor, lying on his deathbed, was asked by a friend, "Is it hard, this dying?" "No," replied the actor. "Dying is easy. Comedy is hard." I was glad to see Crowe in the comedy even if not completely successful and there was one absolutely charming and hilarious scene with Crowe driving the smallest and cutest car imaginable which brought to my mind the similar scene in the latest Woody Allen's comedy. I began to wonder what Woody Allen's next project would be. What if two of them, Allen and Crowe will get to work together? That would be a comedy I will never miss.

Not one of Russell Crowe's Best Works....Or the Director's for that Matter.......2007-06-05

After reading some rave reviews, my husband and I settled down on the couch for our "date night". I am sorry to report that we were both sorely disappointed in the movie. We are both huge Russell Crowe fans but this may be his worst acting in a long time. I'm not sure that it is his fault so much as the script. I had a hard time believing that this "heartless, ruthless" male chauvinist (his character is ALWAYS staring at a woman's chest or derriere) is what became of the sweet, thoughtful boy that is wonderfully depicted by the young actor. In fact, the boy and Abbie Cornish, who plays his cousin, are the true stars of this movie. In my opinion, this movie does not hold a candle to true classics like "Under the Tuscan Sun."

i was pleasantly surprised by this movie..........2007-06-03

i should know better than to listen to the reviews - i found this movie delightful - sort of a mix of old world and new world in flavour - loved the flashbacks with albert finney - and the cinematography is gorgeous - a really fine movie to hunker down with on a rainy day:)

Different spin; same result.......2007-05-30

About 18 months ago, in my review of Peter Mayle's "A Good Year," I likened the book to a helping of cotton candy, a silly confection that may satisfy a temporary sweet tooth, but cannot satisfy a real appetite. It was with no small trepidation, therefore, that I sat down to watch the film version directed in 2006 by Ridley Scott.

One hundred and twenty minutes later, I was not sure what I watched....I know only that it was NOT Mayle's "Good Year."

Oh, yes...the title was the same, the setting was the same and the main character, Max Skinner, had the same name. But that was where any similarities between Mayle's original and Marc Klein's screenplay largely ended.

In Mayle's original, Max finds himself improbably cheated out of his livelihood at lunch, and inheriting an estate by dinner time. His career for the moment shot, Max has nothing to keep him from the splendors and adventures waiting in France. The Klein screenplay, by contrast, has Skinner at the top of his professional form, albeit under a small but worrisome cloud: France, the estate and the circumstances of his inheritance are a bother, and this Skinner fully intends to make short work of them. What follows is a standard boy-meets-girl tale, told against a larger story of self discovery. Klein begins where Mayle began, and ends up in roughly the same place...but the path he takes to that end point is vastly and significantly different that the one taken by Mayle.

The concept of screenplay and source material differing, even differing greatly, is certainly nothing new. The problem here, however, is that Klein added nothing appreciably better. Where the tension in Mayle's original came from a half-baked mystery he attempted to establish (before apparently losing interest and simply wrapping the whole thing up), the tension in Klein's version comes from Max's flashbacks to the time he spent under the tutelage of his dear, departed Uncle Henry....visions which call into stark contrast the man his uncle intended for him to become, and the man he in fact became. Unfortunately choosing spend time recreating odd bits of Mayle's original storyline, Klein never gets the chance to fully develop the thread of Max's catharsis. The change of heart he undergoes apparently comes as easily as everything else in his uniquely charmed life.

The mediocre screenplay aside, the acting is generally first rate. Russell Crowe has a romp playing a character who, had he been filmed fifty years earlier, would have almost certainly been played by Cary Grant. Albert Finney has a similarly grand time playing the dear departed Uncle Henry, irascible, sly and all-knowing. Unfortunately, Marion Cotillard, cast as Max's love interest, and Didier Bourdon, and Isabelle Candelier, the estate's husband and wife caretakers, get far too little screen time given the performances they turn in. Among the few annoying cast notes is Freddie Highmore, as the young Max of the flashbacks, once again cast as one of those wise-beyond-his-years screen kids no one has ever actually met in real life.

In the end, this film is no worse than the flawed book upon which it is loosely based, and may actually be a bit better. Both are meaningless confections; but, as opposed to the book, the film takes only two hours to digest.

A Good Year or A Good Week?.......2007-05-27

I'm not sure why this movie is called "A Good Year." It really focuses on about a weeks worth of activities in a run-down French vineyard estate. Max Skinner (Russell Crowe), a "take no prisoners" bond trader, inherits a French vineyard. Coming off a deal that profited his company by $77 million, he had to cut his celebration short in order to sign some papers in France giving him the title to this property (that he only wanted to sell, sell, sell).

[Note: For an executive who believed that time was money, why didn't he send a lawyer in his stead? It's done all the time.]

Of course, he finds dirt, real people, and the meaning of life, the universe, and everything.

Russell Crowe plays a great amateur "gentleman farmer." His best performance is as a roll-up-your-sleeves, let's-get-dirty, hard-working guy. But he was SUPPOSED to be a tough-nut trader, with no calluses on his hands, perfect manicures, and a testosterone-loaded Armani wardrobe.

Who was this other guy?

So: Crowe as a bond trader and jerk. Ho-hum performance. Crowe as a wannabe grape grower. My favorite part!

As a side note, I never understood the thing with scorpions and lavender. Lavender may be repellent to scorpions, but if there were that many scorpions around, folk should be running into them all over the house and in the yard, and not just in a second-floor bedroom! 'Nuff said. Hope the characters shook out their shoes every morning.

Average customer rating:

Combat, the Way it Should Be.
A Roman Epic
Great movie!!!
Gladiator one of the best
INCREDIBLE MOVIE

Gladiator (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Russell Crowe , Joaquin Phoenix , Connie Nielsen , Oliver Reed , and Richard Harris
Director: Ridley Scott
Manufacturer: Dreamworks Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Braveheart
Saving Private Ryan (Special Limited Edition)
The Patriot (Special Edition) [Region 99]
Black Hawk Down [Region 99]
Troy (Two-Disc Special Edition)

ASIN: B00009ZYBY
Release Date: 2003-08-19

Amazon.com essential video

A big-budget summer epic with money to burn and a scale worthy of its golden Hollywood predecessors, Ridley Scott's Gladiator is a rousing, grisly, action-packed epic that takes moviemaking back to the Roman Empire via computer-generated visual effects. While not as fluid as the computer work done for, say, Titanic, it's an impressive achievement that will leave you marveling at the glory that was Rome, when you're not marveling at the glory that is Russell Crowe. Starring as the heroic general Maximus, Crowe firmly cements his star status both in terms of screen presence and acting chops, carrying the film on his decidedly non-computer-generated shoulders as he goes from brave general to wounded fugitive to stoic slave to gladiator hero. Gladiator's plot is a whirlwind of faux-Shakespearean machinations of death, betrayal, power plays, and secret identities (with lots of faux-Shakespearean dialogue ladled on to keep the proceedings appropriately "classical"), but it's all briskly shot, edited, and paced with a contemporary sensibility. Even the action scenes, somewhat muted but graphic in terms of implied violence and liberal bloodletting, are shot with a veracity that brings to mind--believe it or not--Saving Private Ryan, even if everyone is wearing a toga. As Crowe's nemesis, the evil emperor Commodus, Joaquin Phoenix chews scenery with authority, whether he's damning Maximus's popularity with the Roman mobs or lusting after his sister Lucilla (beautiful but distant Connie Nielsen); Oliver Reed, in his last role, hits the perfect notes of camp and gravitas as the slave owner who rescues Maximus from death and turns him into a coliseum star. Director Scott's visual flair is abundantly in evidence, with breathtaking shots and beautiful (albeit digital) landscapes, but it's Crowe's star power that will keep you in thrall--he's a true gladiator, worthy of his legendary status. Hail the conquering hero! --Mark Englehart

Customer Reviews:

Combat, the Way it Should Be. .......2007-06-24

Although it really isn't history the way it should be as the real Commodus was a whole lot more bizarre than this one, and Maximus is as fictitious a character as one would think based on his name. It's a good thing though to familiarize modern audiences with the likes of Marcus Aurelius, however, and the movie deserves the accolades that it got. Russell Crowe is magnificent here as was Joaquin Phoenix. The latter's career is rising at present in the same manner as the mythic creature with the production of outstanding work in both The Village and Walk the Line. They're both excellent actors and are perfectly cast in this epic. Gladiator has about all you need from a film with constant action, beautiful sets, and an intriguing plot. It's a quick couple of hours and you'll find yourself surprised at how soon it is over. I fond it delightful.

A Roman Epic.......2007-06-20

This is a superb film from the opening battle scenes right through to the end. As it was directed by Ridley Scott this shouldn't surprise you, since he is one of the most consistent directors around.

Russell Crowe takes the leading role of Maximus, a Roman General who is betrayed by the son of the Emperor and he gives a commanding performance. The authority he gives off as a Roman General is spell-binding (not to mention his impressive physical condition) and if anything I would have given best Oscar for this role rather than A Beautiful Mind. In fact its a stellar cast all round with Richard Harris, Oliver Reed, Derek Jacobi and David Hemmings all playing good supporting roles. Joaquin Phoenix plays Commodus, the treacherous son of Marcus Aurelius and Connie Neilson his sister.

The cinematography and cutting is excellent, and although this was made 7 or 8 years ago now, the CGI efects still look good to this day. There are some brilliant scenes inside the Colloseum, noteably where the Tigers are released during a Gladiator fight, and during the scene involving the chariots.

Although the film is nearly 2 and 1/2 hours long, you'll never be looking at your watch during this. This is what cinema and film (and I include DVDs in this as well) were meant for. There is no basis of fact behind the story, but in the end who cares this is just great entertainment.

Great movie!!!.......2007-06-17

Lots of action and great special effect! 5 stars!!!

Gladiator one of the best.......2007-06-14

Glad I bought this one, saved me from renting it at least twice a year from here on out...

INCREDIBLE MOVIE.......2007-05-17

If you don't own this yet, please ADD TO CART now. This is an amazing movie, and when I put it in the DVD, I am always sad to see it end the way it does. But IT is a MUST have.

I wish I could give it 10 STARS.

Kingdom of Heaven - The Director's Cut (Four-Disc Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

Outstanding
To be honest . . .
A Summer Action Flick With A Brain
absolutely fabulous!
3.7 Stars From Me. This movie has left me thinking "what?"

Kingdom of Heaven - The Director's Cut (Four-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: Martin Hancock , Michael Sheen , Nathalie Cox , Eriq Ebouaney , and Jouko Ahola
Director: Ridley Scott
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

Batman Begins [HD DVD]
Star Wars - Episode III, Revenge of the Sith (Widescreen Edition)
War of the Worlds (Widescreen Edition)
King Kong - Extended Cut (Three-Disc Deluxe Edition)
Mr. & Mrs. Smith - Unrated (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)

ASIN: B000EHSVQ4
Release Date: 2006-05-23

Amazon.com

It's hard to believe Ridley Scott's handsome epic won't become the cinematic touchstone of the Crusades for years to come. Kingdom of Heaven is greater than the sum of its parts, delivering a vital, mostly engrossing tale following Balian (Orlando Bloom), a lonely French blacksmith who discovers he's a noble heir and takes his father's (Liam Neeson) place in the center of the universe circa 1184: Jerusalem. Here, grand battles and backdoor politics are key as Scott and first-time screenwriter William Monahan fashion an excellent storyline to tackle the centuries-long conflict. Two forward-thinking kings, Baldwin (Edward Norton in an uncredited yet substantial role) and Saladin (Ghassan Massoud), hold an uneasy truce between Christians (who hold the city) and Muslims while factions champ at the bit for blood. There are good and evildoers on both sides, with the Knights Templar taking the brunt of the blame; Balian plans to find his soul while protecting Baldwin and the people. The look of the film, as nearly everything is from Scott, is impressive: his CGI-infused battle scenes rival the LOTR series and, with cinematographer John Mathieson, create postcard beauty with snowy French forests and the vast desert (filmed in Morocco and Spain). An excellent supporting cast, including Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson, and David Thewlis, also help make the head and heart of the film work. Many critics pointed out that Bloom doesn't have the gravitas of Russell Crowe in the lead (then again, who does?), but it's the underdeveloped character and not the actor that hurts the film and impacts its power. Balian isn't given much more to do than be sullen and give an occasional big speech, alongside his perplexing abilities for warfare tactics and his wandering moral compass (whose sole purpose seems to be to put a love scene in the movie). Note: all the major characters except Neeson's are based on fact, but many are heavily fictionalized. --Doug Thomas

On the DVD
The Kingdom of Heaven Director's Cut is truly a DVD set of biblical proportions. If you are familiar with Ridley Scott's excellent, albeit massive, extended DVD sets for Gladiator and Black Hawk Down, you have a pretty good idea of what you are in for with this set. The biggest difference--unlike the Gladiator Director's Cut, which had some nice new scenes that really didn't add much to the film--is that this cut of Kingdom of Heaven is a drastic improvement over the theatrical release. This extensive 194-minute version brings the film back to Scott's original vision, maintaining an impressive balance of history, plot, and believable period reenactments and battle scenes. The best way to describe the improvements on the extended version is the film is now able to breathe a bit more, it's less choppy, and it has stronger character development. In addition to the extended scenes (which now span two discs in a clunky Road Show presentation), there is an exhaustive three-hour, six-part documentary detailing every aspect of filmmaking from the development of the "idea" through post-production and release. Also included are three feature-length commentary tracks, the best being the first with Ridley Scott, writer William Monahan, and actor Orlando Bloom. Included on the original release but missing from this set are the A&E/History Channel documentaries, the theatrical cut of the film, and "The Pilgrim's Guide," the fantastic text commentary which pointed out the historical anecdotes as the film played. Fans of the film and completists will probably want to hold onto both versions. However, those picking up Kingdom of Heaven for the first time need only to look to this definitive version. --Rob Bracco

Description

Among the best directors of our time, Ridley Scott (Gladiator), contributes generously to this extraordinary Collector?s Edition of Kingdom of Heaven. Featuring his Director?s Cut of the film and hours of fascinating extras including a six-part tour from conception to completion of filmmaking this definitive set makes what Variety called a "genuinely spectacular" film even more so!

An epic marvel that's as beautifully acted as it is visually awesome, Kingdom of Heaven stars Orlando Bloom as Balian, a Jerusalem blacksmith who has lost his family and his faith. But when his father (Liam Neeson) shows him his destiny, Balian vows to defend his country, and in the process, falls in love, becomes a formidable leader, and steps forever into history

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding.......2007-06-21

I enjoyed the theatrical version but found it lacking. Now that I have had the oppertunity to watch the directors cut it is one of my favorite films. Most of what I would say about it has been commented on repeatedly so I will stick to a few things. 1) No, the movie is not historically accurate, but unless it has 'documentary' stamped across it, who would rationally have expected it to be? 2) All of the actors did a very impressive job 3)Did anyone else wonder how the heck some backwoods blacksmith was able to do such an excellent job defending Jerusalem? (and I know you did, all sorts of people have complained about this in their reviews - thats one of the ways you can tell who actually saw the extended edition from the ones who are just whining) Wonder no more! That and many other important details are explained in the 80 odd minutes that have been added back in. Pay close attention to the begining. Most definitely worth the time to see.

To be honest . . ........2007-06-20

This film is HORRIBLY inaccurate, historically. It is, in fact, a "nachtmare." The acting isn't bad, and some of the action scenes, as far as they are *just* action scenes, are good. However, the historical inaccuracy of the film is just something I cannot get around. If you like this film, I do not wish to insult you - just please, please, please . . . do NOT think this is in any way actual history, or any sort of fair to middling approximation thereof.

A Summer Action Flick With A Brain.......2007-06-19

The action never stops and it's just tons of fun. The special effects are insane. It's a summer action flick with a brain.

absolutely fabulous!.......2007-06-18

This movie was good as the theatrical cut, but even better as the director's edition! Everyone should see it.

3.7 Stars From Me. This movie has left me thinking "what?".......2007-06-16

I've watched this movie a total of three times and each time I was left slightly confused. For example, how did Orlando become such a great fighter and know so many military tactics from being a blacksmith his whole life? Throughout the movie various people where telling Orlando to "protect the people" yet they were slaughtering each other. For example, his father was supposed to hand over Orlando to the officers who came after Orlando fled his home town. Yet his father denied and risked the lives of his loyal companions and himself because he "did not like the way they asked for him". Come on, how is that protecting or abiding by the law? I'm ashamed of the "Christians" crusades actions in those days. What happened to the king? In the movie he was last shown riding a donkey, so did they kill him? There is too much to assume in this movie.

The acting was good, definitely not great. Orlando did his best in the movie and I really love his "father" as an actor but in casting, you'd think they would get father/son actors to look at least a bit more alike?? Maybe it's just me but it kinda throws off the movie. I can barely understand what the "Queen" is saying; I think the role might have been better if given to another actress. I don't understand why she cut off all her hair before she even denied her title or officially lost the battle of Jerusalem. There really wasn't any real bond between Orlando and her.

I liked the story and understand the effect the director wanted to go with this film but it is just lacking something! I don't know if the editing was to blame for scenes that might have been cut off which explained the plot and details more fully. Whatever the case, I enjoyed watching Troy and a handful of other movies much more than this.

Average customer rating:

Review: Deluxe Edition 3-disc set
Don't listen to them!
Rangers Lead The Way
Keeping it real
"We Lost the Initiative"

Black Hawk Down [Region 99]
Starring: Josh Hartnett , Ewan McGregor , Tom Sizemore , Eric Bana , and William Fichtner
Director: Ridley Scott
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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We Were Soldiers (Widescreen Edition)
Saving Private Ryan (Special Limited Edition)
Platoon (Collector's Edition Steelbook)
Pearl Harbor (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
Full Metal Jacket

ASIN: B000065U1N
Release Date: 2002-06-11

Amazon.com essential video

Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Down conveys the raw, chaotic urgency of ground-force battle in a worst-case scenario. With exacting detail, the film re-creates the American siege of the Somalian city of Mogadishu in October 1993, when a 45-minute mission turned into a 16-hour ordeal of bloody urban warfare. Helicopter-borne U.S. Rangers were assigned to capture key lieutenants of Somali warlord Muhammad Farrah Aidid, but when two Black Hawk choppers were felled by rocket-propelled grenades, the U.S. soldiers were forced to fend for themselves in the battle-torn streets of Mogadishu, attacked from all sides by armed Aidid supporters. Based on author Mark Bowden's bestselling account of the battle, Scott's riveting, action-packed film follows a sharp ensemble cast in some of the most authentic battle sequences ever filmed. The loss of 18 soldiers turned American opinion against further involvement in Somalia, but Black Hawk Down makes it clear that the men involved were undeniably heroic. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Review: Deluxe Edition 3-disc set.......2007-06-24

I rate BLACK HAWK DOWN only below BAND OF BROTHERS as the best war dvd available (I don't include SAVING PRIVATE RYAN because of the Hollywoodized, heavy-handed ending) for its accurate and graphic portrayal of combat.
I have the 3-disc Deluxe edition, which I recommend over the 1-disc because it includes the History Channel's THE TRUE STORY OF "BLACK HAWK DOWN" and PBS' FRONTLINE: AMBUSH IN MOGADISHU. The tv versions give more information on the political situation which led to the battle (which are only briefly mentioned in the movie) and provide more accurate accounts of the battle (the movie had to change some details in order to fit the entire battle into the given time, make it easier for the movie audience to understand and dramatize certain events). The 3-disc set also includes features showing the enormous amounts of computer-generated special effects which are so realistic that I was unaware they were CGI (the first Black Hawk helicopter crashing is entirely CGI, the dust clouds during the helicopter landings are CGI, many of the explosions, etc. are also CGI).
In response to some earlier reviews, here's some clarifications:
1. In the movie, Pvt. Blackburn is shown falling from the helicopter rope after the helicopter suddenly swerves to avoid a rocket-propelled grenade. This is a dramatized version--the dvd commentary by the real Sgt. Eversmann said there's no real explanation for why Blackburn fell from the rope as Blackburn doesn't remember although everyone remembers the helicopter did suddenly jerk, but not to avoid a RPG.
2. Col. McKnight (Tom Sizemore) actually did walk upright during combat despite the constant Somali gunfire. This is mentioned in the book and the dvd commentary.
For the very best in movie portrayal of combat and war, I highly recommend this dvd set.

Don't listen to them!.......2007-06-11

The extra footage on this version means that my original copy is for sale.
Nothing extra as far as what happens, but great additional human reflections.

Rangers Lead The Way.......2007-05-31

It's a great movie for a guy who just endured a chick flick with his girl. It puts manhood back in you!

Keeping it real.......2007-05-20

Having served, I appreciated the reality with which Black Hawk Down was presented. For example, the Ranger falling to his death because he missed the repeling rope as the Black Hawk manuevers to avoids enemy fire, showcases an unavoidable mishap. For me this movie revealed some of the subtle and rarely talked about realities soldiers face daily. It also showcased some of the overlooked political realties. Conflict is conflict; but real combat is a major advantage for real life guerilla fighters. Yes, our soldiers are well trained, but nothing prepares a soldier for combat like combat. Our soldiers do not have the opportunity to fight as much as militia fighters; yet we are always fighting battles in our enemies backyard creating a distinct disadvantage for our soldiers; and if they loose, for our militarys' reputation. And we always underestimate their (third world guerilla fighters) level of experience. We usually fail to take them serious until they kill one of our soldiers. This arrogant American mentality puts our soldiers at another distinct disadvantage. In one of the scenes the Ranger commander disagrees with the Delta Forces Non-Commissioned Officer In Charge (NCOIC) and subsequently reprimands him by telling him, "you are combat ineffective soldier!," for disobeying his directive in front of his subordinates. This may have been the most realistic depiction in the entire movie. Anyone who's been in the Army knows that Delta Forces soldiers are on an elite level rarely seen in any military setting and should be respected as such. It's not that I recommend or condone disobeying orders, I think experience trumps ego's and should be set aside during stressful situations. The egotistical infighting of arrogant leadership may be the military's most lethal killer....of American troops! Ironically, one of the most pronounced differences between the experienced and nonexperienced combat soldier, is the level of compassion with which they approach life. Those soldiers that have experienced combat shy away from bravado, while those that haven't actually seen war seek the glory of the sterotypical brave man. This overlooked aspect of military life is rarely exposed, but still puts lives at risk. "It's amazing what we can be accomplish, if it weren't for egos," Ronald Reagan. The method of international target selection also needs to be improved. The U.S. will always be called upon to help other nations with their political mishaps. (And don't discount the difficulties NATO Forces have communicating with each other.) But at some point we're going have to learn to be painfully selective. Don't we owe it to the parents of the young men and women who are, were and will be killed or maimed, to produce tangible results from these skeptical overseas missions? I'm sure they would think so. It's condescending of us (the US) to downplay the patriotism of the families of our nations fallen soldiers, by nonchalantly selecting insignificant international political targets. Black Hawk Down not only successfully salutes the soldiers involved in the Somalia experience with it's authenticity, it succeeds in showing the audience the always miserable and chaotic circumstances our soldiers face while in the exercise of heated international conflict.

"We Lost the Initiative".......2007-05-10

"Black Hawk Down" is not a complex movie, but it is gritty and real. Holding nothing back in the violence stakes, it plunges the viewer right into the middle of a ground battle in an urban setting.

Following a unit of Rangers in an extraction mission in Somalia's Mogadishu. The mission goes disastrously wrong when the local militia decide to hit back. The militia shoot down a helicopter and the mission goes downhill from there.

The action scenes, of which the movie is full, are gritty, realistic and close up. The violence is reasonably graphic, but not overly so. I think We Were Soldiers (Widescreen Edition) is more graphic in this sense. "Black Hawk Down" makes the action frenetic and dirty, and that makes it one exciting movie to watch.

The movie does something to introduce the complexities of operating in Somalia, and the obstacles that faced the US forces there. The fact that Hoot could wander about the arms markets in Mogadishu goes some way to increase the confusing relations between the locals and the US forces.

For a movie heavy on action, lots of battles and tension, but relatively light on the intellectual loading, "Black Hawk Down" is a great one. I loved it and have seen it a number of times.

Gladiator - Extended Cut (Three-Disc Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

Combat, the Way it Should Be.
A Roman Epic
Great movie!!!
Gladiator one of the best
INCREDIBLE MOVIE

Gladiator - Extended Cut (Three-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: Russell Crowe , Joaquin Phoenix , Connie Nielsen , Oliver Reed , and Richard Harris
Director: Ridley Scott
Manufacturer: Dreamworks Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

Braveheart
Saving Private Ryan (Special Limited Edition)
The Patriot (Special Edition) [Region 99]
Black Hawk Down [Region 99]
Troy (Two-Disc Special Edition)

ASIN: B0009QTS1M
Release Date: 2005-08-23

Amazon.com essential video

Customer Reviews:

Combat, the Way it Should Be. .......2007-06-24

A Roman Epic.......2007-06-20

Great movie!!!.......2007-06-17

Lots of action and great special effect! 5 stars!!!

Gladiator one of the best.......2007-06-14

Glad I bought this one, saved me from renting it at least twice a year from here on out...

INCREDIBLE MOVIE.......2007-05-17

Blade Runner - The Director's Cut (Remastered Limited Edition)

Average customer rating:

Highly recommended
Something has been lost since I first saw this movie
A deep look at humanity.. basic existencialism..and dystopia
Dark and brooding, (e.g.) a great film
I want a Double Deckard

Blade Runner - The Director's Cut (Remastered Limited Edition)
Starring: Harrison Ford , Rutger Hauer , Sean Young , Edward James Olmos , and M. Emmet Walsh
Director: Ridley Scott
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Apocalypse Now - The Complete Dossier (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)
Brazil - The Criterion Collection - (Single Disc Editon)
Seven Samurai - Criterion Collection - 3-Disc Remastered Edition
The Departed (Two-Disc Special Edition)
The Prestige

ASIN: B000HC2LIK
Release Date: 2006-09-05

Product Description

Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) prowls the steel-and-microchip jungle of 21st Century Los Angeles. He's a "blade runner" stalking genetically made criminal replicants. His assignment: kill them. Their crime: wanting to be human.<BR /><BR />The story of Blade Runner is familiar to countless fans. But few have seen it like this. Because this is director Ridley Scott's own vision of his sci-fi classic. This new version omits Deckard's voice narration, develops in slightly greater detail the romance between Deckard and Rachael (Sean Young) and removes the "uplifting" finale. The result is a heightened emotional impact: a great film made greater. Most intriguing of all is a newly included unicorn vision that suggests that Deckard may be a humanoid. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Is Deckard a replicant? As with all things in the future, you must discover the answer yourself.<BR />
Running Time: 116 min.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Customer Reviews:

Highly recommended.......2007-06-15

If you're a Blade Runner fan, this is the one to own.

Something has been lost since I first saw this movie.......2007-06-01

I heard the "suits" at Warner made Scott add the voice over because they thought the movie's plot was too vague without it, looks like they were right. But this movie has other weaknesses. First the FX which set the mood has lost much of its power to impress, granted that can't be helped, but its still a fact. The not so subtle Japan bashing, from a time when Japan was seen as our #1 threat, seems as corny today as a Red Scare movie from the `50s. Last the endless philosophizing by beings, that don't exist, and probably never will, on the subject of "are skin jobs human". Maybe expecting a movie to have the same impact 25 years later is unrealistic, or maybe it was based on once trendy now passé ideas.

A deep look at humanity.. basic existencialism..and dystopia.......2007-05-10

43 yo No qualifications whatsoever as movie critic

This is one of my favorite films. I write recalling the first time I viewed it, somewhere in the mid 80's while in the university. The images and hidden messages is something that will captivate you and encourage always to look for some detail that may have been overlooked (trust me this is a movie to be seen)....fantastic images.. and yes.. Vangelis does the soundtrack...atmospheric setting

To me geniality of the movie lies in the fact of telling a tragic tell of a group of "humanoids"- improved biological replicas designed to have amazing physical powers- they were created to do chores and jobs such as soldiers, inter-stellar explorers and "pleasure models". Replicas have one limitation by design, they cannot live more than 4 years.

The replicas are manufactured by a supercorporation, whose CEO is a genious who still lives in earth (a place mostly inhabited by the degenerate, outcasts and unfit to pass the migration criteria for interplanetary travel).. a group of rebelious replicas want a to meet with their Creator and asks for more life, a request that this mortal god cannot concede... Harrison Ford is a retired "skin remover" - that is , a policeman in charge of removing replicas- that is forced back to his former job to help take the group of replicas or "become little people". He is a antiheroe we can quickly relate to.. the world is now a babelistic mixture of tongues, so we hear chinese, spanish and english words as a background of street pappiamento. No I am not going to spoil it for you.

At least the replicas have the chance to find their creator- they are moved by our same existencialistic motives, but they are not given the paths of faith to find the answers. What do they want? I guess the same as everyone else, they just want a fair share of life- We have created new slaves whose notion of equality is just to live longer or at least as much as we do.

I wonder what would I do if I found my maker and could openly ask for more life, and find out he has limitations on that? A god with limitations, if we could forget the damn Aristotelic and Scholastic tradition of the contradiction of such a term, and we indeed find a god- made into our same image- and listen to his benevolent amorous advice and consolation- but realice that- "Yes Virginia (I am so sorry to say)- there is no santa claus"-

I forgot where I read it, was it Nietche, was it Schopenhauer?, oh well, it goes like this " truth can only belong to those who can bear it"

In spanish sound better "La verdad es de quien la pueda soportar"

So many angles to start an interesting discussion with a group of good friends over a good argentinian Malbec wine.

Dark and brooding, (e.g.) a great film.......2007-04-26

Ridley Scott's film Blade Runner, based on the novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Phillip K. [...], is an allegory that teaches us something about the nature of our mortality. It asks the questions we all ask: "Where did I come from? Where am I going? How long have I got?" I know it asks these exact questions because the character of ex-cop Deckard tells us so exactly in the voiceover-laden theatrical version of the film.

In spite of the persistent flaw of the VO's, this film goes on my list of top 15 favorites nonetheless. It is a beautiful film, moody, poetic and yet suspenseful. It is an intensely human drama set in a dark and rainy future where genetically engineered humans are relinquished to roles of servitude. Disenfranchised, they are built and programmed to be prostitutes, laborers, soldiers or other grunts. All the jobs "real" humans either can't or won't do are the rice bowls for this new generation of slaves called "replicants". Programmed into them is a biological clock that shortens their life span, making them easier to manage and very expendable. The knowledge of their shortened life span sends a small group of replicants on a quest...oh, hell, I'm telling you the storyline -- see the movie for that... One of the many memorable things about this film is the relationship between Deckard and Rachael, a replicant so well made and supplied with memories so complete she has no idea she's one of them.

Deckard's job is to terminate errant, runaway replicants, and when he forms a relationship with Rachael, his ambivalence, already to the point of impairing his professional judgment, is made worse. This sets the stage for the powerful transformation of Deckard later in the film, making his repentance about killing who he now perceives as real people, replicants or not, all the more moving. The end of the film has one of the most beautiful, hanky-dabbing cinematic sequences I've ever seen when Rutger Hauer as the replicant Roy Batty recites in his moment of death: "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe - troop ships on fire off the..." Crud. I used to have that especially poetic passage memorized, but I'm afraid I'll just butcher it now.

Strong characterizations, fascinating themes, great special effects and brilliant art direction make this one of the best SF dramas ever made. Replicants Pris and Rachael are wonderfully portrayed by Darryl Hannah and Sean Young, and Harrison Ford is spot on as the morally tortured blade runner, Deckard. The movie is filled with characters and concepts you just won't forget. If you can, see the director's cut without the VO's. It's a much better version of the film and makes one wonder why the VO's were used in the first place.

I want a Double Deckard.......2007-04-19

I want the original and the directors cut and won't settle for less. I saw the original in the theater more than once. No other movie besides "Star Wars" impressed me so much. This movie is in the top 5 of all time great SciFi movies. No other movie will do a better job of immersing you in a future world than Ridley Scott did here. Imagine how impressive it was in the theater over twenty-five years ago if it can do that even today. It is an astounding vision of the future. When it comes to robot movies I will take this over "I, Robot" any day. This movie showed how good of actors that Harrison Ford and Rutger Hauer could be. Both have done alot since, but not necessarily better. This was probably Hauer's best film, but I do like "Ladyhawke" quite a bit. Ford, well he has several good ones, "The Fugitive" is hard to top and I enjoy him in "Star Wars", but this is still my favorite of all he has done. Any fan of SciFi must have this in their collection. This almost seems like a cop drama crossed with a SciFi movie. The sets, lighting, and camera work are amazing and will make you feel you are living in the future. This one is a keeper that you will want on DVD. I wish Ridley Scott would put Isaac Asimov's Foundation series into movies. If it was half as good as what he did with Blade Runner I'm sure it would be breath taking.

The Hannibal Lecter Collection (Manhunter / The Silence of the Lambs / Hannibal)

Average customer rating:

Classic, fantastic horror set
Worth it....
Great buy, but a little disappointed.
Hannible "Trilogy"
It was more than what I expected

The Hannibal Lecter Collection (Manhunter / The Silence of the Lambs / Hannibal)
Starring: Anthony Hopkins , Julianne Moore , Gary Oldman , Ray Liotta , and Frankie Faison
Director: Ridley Scott , Jonathan Demme , and Michael Mann
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

Red Dragon - Collector's Edition (Widescreen)
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The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning - Unrated (New Line Platinum Series)

ASIN: B00000G3R0
Release Date: 2007-01-30

Amazon.com

Manhunter:Though it will always be remembered as the movie featuring the "other" Hannibal Lecter, Michael Mann's 1986 thriller Manhunter is nearly as good as The Silence of the Lambs, and in some respects it's arguably even better. Based on Thomas Harris's novel Red Dragon, which introduced the world to the nefarious killer Hannibal "the Cannibal" Lecter, the film stars William Petersen (giving a suitably brooding performance) as ex-FBI agent Will Graham, who is coaxed out of semiretirement to track down a serial killer who has thwarted the authorities at every turn.

Graham's approach to the case is a perilous one. First he seeks counsel with Lecter (Brian Cox) in the latter's high-security prison cell--an encounter that is utterly horrifying in its psychological effect--and then he begins to mold his own psyche to that of the killer, with potentially devastating results. As directed by Mann (who was at the acme of his success with TV's Miami Vice), this sophisticated cat-and-mouse game never resorts to the compromise of cheap thrills. Predating Anthony Hopkins's portrayal of Lecter by four years, Cox plays the character closer to Harris's original, lower-key conception, and he's no less compelling in the role. Petersen is equally well cast, and as always Mann employs rock music to astonishing effect, using nearly all of Iron Butterfly's heavy-metal epic "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" to accompany the film's heart-stopping climactic sequence. All of this makes Manhunter one of the finest films of its kind, as well as further proof that Harris's fiction is a blessing to any filmmaker brave enough to adapt it. --Jeff Shannon

The Silence of the Lambs: Based on Thomas Harris's novel, this terrifying film by Jonathan Demme really only contains a couple of genuinely shocking moments (one involving an autopsy, the other a prison break). The rest of the film is a splatter-free visual and psychological descent into the hell of madness, redeemed astonishingly by an unlikely connection between a monster and a haunted young woman. Anthony Hopkins is extraordinary as the cannibalistic psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter, virtually entombed in a subterranean prison for the criminally insane. At the behest of the FBI, agent-in-training Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) approaches Lecter, requesting his insights into the identity and methods of a serial killer named Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine). In exchange, Lecter demands the right to penetrate Starling's most painful memories, creating a bizarre but palpable intimacy that liberates them both under separate but equally horrific circumstances. Demme, a filmmaker with a uniquely populist vision (Melvin and Howard, Something Wild), also spent his early years making pulp for Roger Corman (Caged Heat), and he hasn't forgotten the significance of tone, atmosphere, and the unsettling nature of a crudely effective close-up. Much of the film, in fact, consists of actors staring straight into the camera (usually from Clarice's point of view), making every bridge between one set of eyes to another seem terribly dangerous. --Tom Keogh

Hannibal: Yes, he's back, and he's still hungry. Ten years after The Silence of the Lambs, Dr. Hannibal "the Cannibal" Lecter (Anthony Hopkins, reprising his Oscar-winning role) is living the good life in Italy, studying art and sipping espresso. FBI agent Clarice Starling (Julianne Moore, replacing Jodie Foster), on the other hand, hasn't had it so good--an outsider from the start, she's now a quiet, moody loner who doesn't play bureaucratic games and suffers for it. A botched drug raid results in her demotion--and a request from Lecter's only living victim, Mason Verger (Gary Oldman, uncredited), for a little Q and A. Little does Clarice realize that the hideously deformed Verger--who, upon suggestion from Dr. Lecter, peeled off his own face--is using her as bait to lure Dr. Lecter out of hiding, quite certain he'll capture the good doctor.</p>

Taking the basic plot contraptions from Thomas Harris's baroque novel, Hannibal is so stylistically different from its predecessor that it forces you to take it on its own terms. Director Ridley Scott gives the film a sleek, almost European look that lets you know that, unlike the first film (which was about the quintessentially American Clarice), this movie is all Hannibal. Does it work? Yes--but only up to a point. Scott adeptly sets up an atmosphere of foreboding, but it's all buildup for anticlimax, as Verger's plot for abducting Hannibal (and feeding him to man-eating wild boars) doesn't really deliver the requisite visceral thrills, and the much-ballyhooed climatic dinner sequence between Clarice, Dr. Lecter, and a third unlucky guest wobbles between parody and horror. Hopkins and Moore are both first-rate, but the film contrives to keep them as far apart as possible, when what made Silence so amazing was their interaction. When they do connect it's quite thrilling, but it's unfortunately too little too late. --Mark Englehart </p>

Description

Disc 1: HANNIBAL Disc 2: THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS Disc 3: MANHUNTER

Customer Reviews:

Classic, fantastic horror set.......2007-06-06

I recently bought Hannibal Rising, and was very impressed. It reminded me of the horrific energy I remembered from the earlier Hannibal Lecter movies.

It's been years since I've seen the earlier movies, so I bought this set from Amazon. I also ordered Red Dragon, individually. It has not yet arrived.

All of these movies are excellent. They're some of the best horror movies I'd seen in decades. I love this boxed set.

Worth it...........2007-05-29

I am a relatively new fan to this genre of movies and after reading the book Silence of the Lambs it was the next best thing. I throughly enjoyed this movie and haven't yet watched the others, yet is the key word, I'm sure I'll enjoy them as much as Silence of the Lambs. I highly recommend this collection for purchase....

2-Chance

Great buy, but a little disappointed........2007-03-31

I love the Hannibal movies. So I bought the three disc edition. The thing that was a little disappointing was that these dvds had NO BONUS FEATURES. I understand maybe Manhunter or even Silence of the Lambs probably wouldn't have any. But Hannibal definitely was released in the time frame to have special features. Regardless, they're still great movies, and I really enjoy them.

Hannible "Trilogy".......2007-03-27

Being the movie buff I am, I enjoyed this set; however, I was disappointed a bit.