This “High-Powered Action Pack” might not have the greatest movies – Equilibrium and The Lookout are the best – but at a low SRP of $30, it comes to $5 per movie and maybe less depending on which store you go to (i.e. Best Buy had it for $10), so if you’ve enjoyed any of these and don’t care about features or average audio/video transfers, then by all means check it out.
High-Powered Action Pack (1995-2007)
REVIEW NAVIGATION
The Movie | Special Features | Video Quality | Audio Quality | Overall
Genre(s): Action, Crime
Echo Bridge Home Entertainment | R – 590 min. – $29.99 | April 17, 2012
MOVIE INFO – EQUILIBRIUM:
Directed by: Kurt Wimmer
Writer(s): Kurt Wimmer (written by)
Cast: Christian Bale, Emily Watson, Taye Diggs, Angus MacFadyen, Sean Bean
Theatrical Release Date: December 6, 2002 (limited)
MOVIE INFO – HIDDEN ASSASSIN:
Directed by: Ted Kotcheff
Writer(s): Yves Andre Martin (story), Yves Andre Martin & Meg Thayer and Billy Ray (screenplay)
Cast: Dolph Lundgren, Maruschka Detmers, John Ashton
MOVIE INFO – THE LOOKOUT:
Directed by: Scott Frank
Writer(s): Scott Frank (written by)
Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jeff Daniels, Matthew Goode, Isla Fisher, Carla Gugino
Theatrical Release Date: March 30, 2007
MOVIE INFO – NO CODE OF CONDUCT:
Directed by: Bret Michaels
Writer(s): Bret Michaels (story), Bret Michaels, Charlie Sheen, Shane Stanley, Bill Gucwa, Ed Masterson (written by)
Cast: Charlie Sheen, Martin Sheen, Mark Dacascos, Paul Gleason
MOVIE INFO – SUPERCOP:
Directed by: Stanley Tong
Writer(s): Edward Tang (characters); Edward Tang, Fibe Ma, Lee Wai Yee (written by)
Cast: Jackie Chan, Michelle Yeoh
Theatrical Release Date: July 26, 1996
MOVIE INFO – THE YARDS:
Directed by: James Gray
Writer(s): James Gray & Matt Reeves (written by)
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Joaquin Phoenix, Charlize Theron, James Caan, Ellen Burstyn
Theatrical Release Date: October 20, 2000 (LA/NY)
DISC INFO:
Features: None
Number of Discs: 2
Audio: English (DTS-HD MA 5.1), English (DTS-HD MA 2.0)
Video: 1080p/Widescreen 1.78, 1.85, 2.35, 2.40
Subtitles: None
Disc Size: NA
Codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Region(s): A
THE MOVIES
Equilibrium (2002)
In a futuristic society, the top enforcer (CHRISTIAN BALE) misses a dose of an emotion-blocking drug and begins to realize that things are not as they seem.
Hidden Assassin (1995)
Special Agent Michael Dane (DOLPH LUNDGREN) is on a top-secret mission to stop a killer suspected of political assassination.
The Lookout (2007)
Chris Pratt (JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT) whose once-bright future has been dimmed by a head injury, falls pretty to a con-man’s promise of a better life.
No Code of Conduct (1998)
While hot on the trail of the city’s most notorious heroin dealer, father (MARTIN SHEEN) and son (CHARLIE SHEEN) cops uncover rampant corruption in their own police force.
Supercop (1996)
Jackie Chan is undercover and out of control on a high-stakes mission to take down a powerful drug lord.
The Yards (2000)
Leo (MARK WAHLBERG) finds himself unwittingly drawn into a world of sabotage, high-stakes payoffs and even murder.
SPECIAL FEATURES – 0/5
The six films are housed on two discs (3 films each) inside a standard Blu-ray case. Unfortunately, while some of these movies came with features (commentaries, featurettes, deleted scenes, etc), none were ported over; not surprising, of course.
VIDEO – 3.5/5
Equilibrium – 3.75/5
The good news is, although the original Echo Bridge Blu-ray release opened up the matting giving the movie a 1.78 aspect ratio, this one contains the original 2.40 AR. It still doesn’t look fantastic in high-def but certainly a decent step up from the DVD version with some good detail levels and seemingly balanced colors.
Hidden Assassin – 3.0/5
Also known as The Shooter, this 1995 political thriller starring Dolph Lundgren is what you would expect from a film this old and no doubt, cheaply made. The picture, presented with a 1.78 aspect ratio and 1080p high-def, seems to be a modes upgrade probably taken from an old master. There’s a far amount of dust marks and scratches and the film grain can get pretty heavy especially during darker scenes leading to an image that’s not very sharp.
The Lookout — 4.0/5
Like Equilibrium, The Lookout was previously released by Echo Bridge in a double-pack with The Yards and similarly, this too is presented in its original 2.40 widescreen AR (the other release was 1.78). The picture here is actually decent enough with some good detail levels and black levels also seem to be even. Like the others, I did notice the occasional dust marks but it’s minimal.
No Code of Conduct — 2.75/5
This 1998 crime-drama seemed to come straight out of the 1980s as it looks dingy and dirty from beginning to end. There’s a gross amount of film grain and noise throughout leaving any kind of details kept in a rough state. Having not seen the DVD, I have to assume it’s only a marginal improvement but probably not by much.
Supercop — 3.5/5
The 1996 breakout for Chinese star Jackie Chan is presented with a 1.78 aspect ratio and although I’d hardly call this a fantastic looking picture that pops off the screen (it doesn’t), the detail levels are good and the amount of film grain or noise seemed to be even.
The Yards — 3.5/5
This transfer is probably middle of the ground compared with others on this release. The picture, presented in its original 1.78 widescreen aspect ratio, is pretty soft throughout but still good enough and an OK upgrade over its DVD counterpart. Like the others, there are some dust marks here and there but nothing distracting.
AUDIO – 3.25/5
All six films received lossless tracks and all vary in quality, though none of them really stick out. Equilibrium, The Lookout, Supercop and The Yards all received 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio tracks (The Lookout is a bump up as the other release was DTS-HD MA stereo). The other two, No Code of Conduct and Hidden Assassin, were given 2.0 DTS-HD MA tracks which are suitable for those movies, just nothing profound with most of the action coming from the front channel.
OVERALL – 2.25/5
Overall, this “High-Powered Action Pack” might not have the greatest movies – Equilibrium and The Lookout are the best – but at a low SRP of $30, it comes to $5 per movie and maybe less depending on which store you go to (i.e. Best Buy had it for $10), so if you’ve enjoyed any of these and don’t care about features or average audio/video transfers, then by all means check it out.
The Movieman
Published: 04/25/2012