Cohen & Tate is the buddy movie you’ve never seen before. Roy Scheider is excellent, as always, in the lead; for a child actor, Harley Cross is remarkably strong-is performance while Adam Baldwin went over-the-top, in a good way, as a psychopathic killer for the mob.
Cohen & Tate (1989)
Genre(s): Drama, Thriller
Shout! Factory | R – 86 min. – $19.97 | July 9, 2013
MOVIE INFO:
Directed by: Eric Red
Writer(s): Eric Red (written by)
Cast: Roy Scheider, Adam Baldwin, Harley Cross
Theatrical Release Date: January 27, 1989
DISC INFO:
Features: Audio Commentary, Interviews, Deleted Scenes
Number of Discs: 1
Audio: English (DTS-HD MA 5.1), English (DTS-HD MA 2.0)
Video: 1080p/Widescreen 1.78
Subtitles: English
Disc Size: 34.6 GB
Codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Region(s): A
THE MOVIE
Plot Outline: Cohen and Tate are two mafia hit men who don’t exactly hit it off. Cohen (ROY SCHEIDER) is an old pro, a cold-blooded killer who is all business. Tate (ADAM BALDWIN) is a young hothead who kills for fun. Together they kidnap nine-year-old Travis Knight (HARLEY CROSS), an eyewitness to a recent mob rub-out. Now, they’ve got 24 hours to deliver him to Houston for interrogation and elimination. Realizing their mutual hatred is his only hope, Travis plays this lethal odd couple against one another. But when their volatile words explode into a fiery gun battle, he’s caught in the crossfire.
SPECIAL FEATURES – 3.0/5
Audio Commentary – Writer/Director Eric Red sits down for a relatively lively commentary talking about how the film came about, casting and working with Roy Scheider as well as the other actors. He also breaks down certain scenes and shooting in the various locations.
A Look Back at Cohen & Tate (20:42; HD) is an interesting retrospective featurette where writer/director Eric Red, and others including a grown up Harley Cross, talks about the origins of the story and the violence. It’s also an honest discussion particularly by the editor and cinematographer who felt Adam Baldwin’s performance was over-the-top.
Deleted and Uncut Scenes (19:41; SD) include a healthy number of scenes that got cut down for one reason or another and also have the uncut scenes which were nixed due to the ratings board.
Still Gallery (9:52; SD) contains some pictures while on the set.
Theatrical Trailer (2:26; SD)
VIDEO – 3.75/5
Shout! Factor continues its success releasing cult favorites and obscure titles, the latest being Cohen & Tate. Presented in its original 1.78 widescreen aspect ratio, this 1080p high-definition transfer actually doesn’t look too bad especially given its low budget nature and that I doubt Shout put a whole lot of money in doing a full restoration. There are a few scenes where dust marks can be seen but it’s kept to a minimum. The shots are also littered with bigger grain marks and are especially noticeable in night-times scenes. Even so, the detail level isn’t bad and on the whole it’s a fine transfer that makes it worth dumping your old DVD copy.
AUDIO – 3.5/5
The disc offers both 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD MA tracks, neither of which are terrible impressive with uneven sound design and a flatness during other parts. The dialogue levels are OK although it is spread thin and sometimes will come through other channels. Again, satisfactory… nothing more.
OVERALL – 3.0/5
Overall, Cohen & Tate is the buddy movie you’ve never seen before. Roy Scheider is excellent, as always, in the lead; for a child actor, Harley Cross is remarkably strong-is performance while Adam Baldwin went over-the-top, in a good way, as a psychopathic killer for the mob.
Published: 07/06/2013