Redline (MVD) Blu-ray Review

Sizzling Car Cheesecake

Within twenty minutes you’ll know if Redline is a movie for you. For those who enjoy seeing expensive cars in fiery crashes, here’s your chance witnessing a mint Maserati and Ferrari explode in fireballs. The cheesy drag racing thriller is a poor man’s version of the Fast and Furious franchise, made with less recognizable Hollywood stars like comedian Eddie Griffin and soap opera actress Nadia Bjorlin leading the way instead of Vin Diesel and Paul Walker. Beyond them the cast includes Angus MacFadyen, Tim Matheson and a completely forgettable Nathan Phillips.

Director Andy Cheng’s film is a testosterone-soaked b-movie of hot cars and beautiful women as wealthy men gamble over illegal street races between a bevy of stunning automobiles. Redline somewhat resembles what Andy Sidaris may have produced if given a huge budget of luxury cars and the mission to film a PG-13 Fast and the Furious clone.

Redline is pure comfort food, a check-your-brain at the door guilty pleasure made for adolescents

There’s plenty of eye candy to go around in the dangerous races, everything from the stunning curves of a Koenigsegg CCX to a Porsche GT. The Koenigsegg CCX can hit 245 MPH and will set you back about five million dollars. The car insurance must be killer.

The narrative hangs around Natasha (Nadia Bjorlin), a young woman whose the daughter of a legendary NASCAR driver. The lead singer of a band, she’s drawn into the high-stakes world of wealthy street racing when a music mogul (Eddie Griffin) entices her into driving for him. There she’ll encounter the smarmy Michael (Angus MacFadyen), who nicely fills Redline’s need for an over-the-top movie villain. There’s some other nonsense going on that plays a role, but the plot is mostly an excuse to show off the car action.

Nadia Bjorlin hasn’t had much of a movie career but it’s a wonder why she didn’t get more roles in her heyday. The soap opera actress flashes star power in Redline, displaying a charismatic smile and shine. Nadia would have been a perfect choice for Wonder Woman back in the 2000s. Eddie Griffin hams it up, spoofing Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs for his character. Angus MacFadyen chews the scenery as an increasingly demented millionaire driven by his gambling debts.

Redline is pure comfort food, a check-your-brain at the door guilty pleasure made for adolescents and those stuck in adolescence. More entertaining than it has any right being, it’s not a critically acclaimed masterpiece but a dumb blast of fun.

Video

Brimming with vivid clarity and excellent definition, the 2007 production looks great on Blu-ray. One of the earlier movies finished as a digital intermediate from actual film, the video quality is quite impressive. Handled by WB’s MPI, it’s a quality image harvest from pristine elements with virtually no excess processing.

Sharp and inviting, bright colors and a rich contrast light up the 2.35:1 presentation. The 1080p video is loaded with superior fine detail in close-ups. Depth and dimensionality are highlights during the racing sequences.

The main feature runs 93 minutes on a BD-25, encoded in solid AVC. There aren’t many darker scenes pushing the encode’s limits; black levels are superb. Redline’s crisp video looks almost as good as a new film today.

Audio

Redline offers a fantastic array of energetic car sounds in a nicely immersive 5.1 surround mix. Throttling engines and screeching tires fill the room. Boasting often stunning sound design, you’ll almost believe you’re in a drag race. The only issue here is a lossy 5.1 Dolby Digital track which should have been lossless. That probably cuts the bass down a nick though it’s certainly not a problem.

The flashy, discrete panning and directional cues fly all over the soundstage. Rumble is a constant presence, making for a lively atmosphere. Redline’s soundtrack may have earned a perfect rating if this had been the standard 5.1 DTS-HD MA option. Dynamics are full with completely intelligible dialogue.

Optional English and Spanish subtitles play in a yellow font outside the scope presentation.

Extras

MVD issues Redline as part of their Marquee Collection with a smattering of special features pulled from the film’s DVD debut in 2007. The disc is coded for all regions. Those looking for lossless audio should hunt down the region-free German BD from Capelight Pictures.

Under the Hood: The Making of “Redline” Featurette (11:48 in SD) – A bevy of set footage and behind-the-scenes stunt work fill this rather engaging look at how they staged one of the street races, including comments from the cinematographer Bill Butler and a second-unit director. Star Nadia Bjorlin also makes an appearance.

Redline at the LA Auto Show Featurette (03:34 in SD) – An awkward jaunt around the auto show interviewing the scantily-clad ladies who help sell the experience.

Redline Original Theatrical Trailer (02:26 in SD)

Action USA Trailer (01:51 in HD)

Kill Zone Trailer (03:04 in HD)

LA Wars Trailer (03:03 in SD)

Full disclosure: This Blu-ray was provided by the label for review. This has not materially affected DoBlu’s editorial process. For information on how we handle all review material, please visit DoBlu’s about us page.

The following six screen shots serve as samples for our subscription-exclusive set of 38 full resolution, uncompressed HD screen shots ripped directly from the Blu-ray: