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Ghost Canyon

Drive: 4K Ultra HD
(Mark Dacascos, Kadeem Hardison, Brittany Murphy, John Pyper-Ferguson, et al / 4K Blu-ray / NR / (1997) 2022 / MVD Visual)

Overview: This fast and furious action flick combines the superhero film with the cop buddy movie in a high-octane chase feature populated with explosive Shaw Brothers style martial arts set pieces in a bombastically entertaining slice of nineties fun.

When special agent Toby Wong (Dacascos) is fitted with an advanced bio device giving him super-human powers he fears that he and the new technology will be exploited for ill gain when the Chinese government takes back control of Hong Kong.

Fleeing to San Francisco he plans to sell the device to a company in Los Angeles but when he teams up with down on his luck singer Malik (Hardison) he finds himself being pursued by ruthless assassin Madison and his band of mercenaries.

Like a sort of mash-up of ROBOCOP, IRON MAN and LETHAL WEAPON with added Kung Fu along with an all-star supporting cast cast that includes Brittany Murphy (Clueless), Sanaa Lathan (Alien vs Predator), Tracey Walter (Repo Man) and Ron Yuan (Mulan), this unashamed hybrid genre piece will keep you hooked with it’s thrill a minute pace and fabulous science fiction premise.

4K Blu-ray Verdict: Drive, which I’d never even heard of before (and would have avoided like the plague in the local video shop with a cover like that), is impossible to dislike if you’ve got any appreciation of chop-socky and something resembling a sense of humor!

Naturally, it’s riddled with faults: calling the plot and characterization sketchy would be an understatement, and the whole thing takes a while to power back up to full momentum after the frenetic opening scene, but once the action gets into full swing again you’re in for hyperactive entertainment the likes of which western cinema rarely manages to pull off.

As for the cast, well, Mark Dacascos dishes out more ridiculous kicking’s than you’d think could possibly be crammed into the running time, being far better suited to this kind of raw action material than the would-be clever-clever sci-fi drivel he always seems to be getting himself caught up in (DNA, Redline etc.).

Kadeem Hardison does well in the inevitable fast-talking sidekick role, while the late Brittany Murphy’s completely mental turn as an amusingly horny motel manager / potential love interest is all too short, in my humble opinion.

In closing of course, everything in Drive is just an excuse for loads of fights in exotic locations, but if that’s all you’re after, then hey, they honestly don’t come much better than this.

Oh, and there are some mighty fine references to other movies as well - such as The Defiant Ones (1958), or Fled (1996), if you prefer. At one point Malik says Toby is The original Five Fingers of Death, and when a cop asks Toby’s name, Toby replies Sammo Hung. So genre fans have little winks and nods in their direction, if they’re paying attention to that sort of thing. This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

Limited Edition Slipcase with Artwork by Sam Gilbey
4K Ultra HD (2160p) presentation of the Director’s Cut in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Audio: Dolby Atmos, 2.0 PCM, 5.1 DTS-HD MA
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
Audio commentary on Director’s Cut with Director Steve Wang, Fight Choreographer Koichi Sakamoto and Stars Mark Dacascos and Kadeem Harrison
Drive: Original Cut in 2K HD with optional English Subtitles (HD, 1:39:00)
NEW! Highway to Nowhere - Jason Tobin & Drive featurette (HD, 20:00)
Drive: The Force Behind The Storm documentary (SD, 47:42)
Six Deleted Scenes (SD, 08:42)
Interview gallery with cast, director and crew including stars Mark Dacascos and Kadeem Hardison, director Steve Wang, Second Unit Director Wyatt Weed and Stunt Coordinator Koichi Sakamoto (SD, 24:30)
Original Trailer (SD, 01:38)
Reversible Artwork

www.MVDvisual.com





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