Blu-ray Review: EPIC SHOWDOWNS – 4 ACTION MOVIES

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Feb 19, 2023 Posted by Kyle Nolan in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

Mill Creek has released a new 2-disc Blu-ray set containing four “Epic Showdown” action movies from Universal Pictures. The films included in this collection are Kull the Conqueror (1997), End of Days (1999), The Cowboy Way (1994) & The Jackal (1997). All of these have previously made their way onto Blu-ray from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, and two of them were even previously re-released by Mill Creek. We had reviewed Mill Creek’s Blu-ray releases of Kull the Conqueror and The Cowboy Way, so pieces of those reviews are included below.

The four films reside on two Blu-ray discs. Kull the Conqueror and End of Days are on the first disc, while The Cowboy Way and The Jackal are on the second. Here’s the rundown of the movies included on this set:

Kull the Conqueror (1997)

When axe-wielding barbarian Kull (Kevin Sorbo) lucks into becoming the new king of Acheron, rightful heir-apparent General Taligaro (Thomas Ian Griffith) bites his lip and plays along. That is until Kull starts freeing the slaves, and making other changes that upset the wealthy and win favor with his subjects. So Taligaro seeks the help of wizard Enaros (Edward Tudor-Pole) so he can reclaim the topaz throne for himself. They resurrect the red witch Akivasha (Tia Carrere), the former Sorceress queen of Acheron, to seduce and eliminate Kull. However, the witch develops feelings for him, locking Kull up rather than killing him. Now that the Queen has returned, the whole kingdom of Valusia will literally become Hell on Earth in just 6 days unless Kull can stop the witch. So, with the help of fortune teller Zareta (Karina Lombard), high priest Ascalante (Litefoot), and old friend/pirate scoundrel Juba (Harvey Fierstein), he sets out on a dangerous quest to find the mystical Breath of Valka, the only thing powerful enough to extinguish the flame of Acheron, the source of Akivasha’s power, and restore the kingdom of Valusia.

Kull the Conqueror is your typical swords and sorcery fantasy tale, with lots of magic, action & adventure and a love triangle, but also with humor. There are lots of one-liners, such as when Kull finds out that his bride is over 3000 years old, and he quips, “she said she was 19”. There is a running joke of Akivasha torturing and mistreating wizard Enaros, and Harvey Fierstein’s Juba is also brought in to add some levity. The story is pretty much your standard fantasy quest, with some obstacles for the hero along the way. However, the fight/action scenes (which are well-choreographed) make use of a high octane rock/heavy metal score that really amps things up. I never really watched the Hercules: The Legendary Journeys series, but I suspect this series is why Kevin Sorbo was cast in this role, as it seems quite similar. Kull is a bit cocky and self-assured, but overall quite charming and affable, and a benevolent king who cares about his subjects. There is an instant connection that forms between him and Zareta, though she is not royal and thus not on his radar for a bride. Enter the alluring Akivasha, who has this power over Kull that makes him instantly fall in love with her. Sure, the film is a bit campy and over-acted at times, but it feels like this fun vibe is what the filmmakers were going for—a film that is a solid fantasy film, but also doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Kull The Conqueror had previously been released on Blu-ray by Universal in 2015, also with no bonus material. This re-release likely features the same audio and video presentation as that previous Blu-ray, which is pretty solid. The opening of the film is a bit dark and grainy at times, but after that the picture looks very good. Closeups look great, with a clean, clear picture and an excellent amount of detail in faces. Wider shots don’t look quite as detailed, but still very nice, with a pleasant amount of film grain. The audio track makes excellent use of the stereo and surround channels to provide a fully-immersive viewing experience. In the opening moments of the film, things can be heard whizzing back and forth across the room, and during the film the ambiance is filled with the sounds of owls hooting, storms and winds blowing, horses riding in, the clanking of metal swords, and more. The audio track also provides clear dialogue, when not filling the room with the film’s loud metal score.

End of Days (1999)

Y2K is quickly approaching, and it’s not just a potential computer glitch the world has to worry about. The devil has returned to Earth and has taken over the human body of a ruthless Wall Street banker (Gabriel Byrne), in search of the young woman whose birth was prophesized 20 years earlier as the future mother of his child. Ever since the devil arrived, there’s been chaos in New York City, and contractors Jericho (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Chicago (Kevin Pollak) have been hired as security transport for the banker. An assassination attempt is made but the would-be-assassin turns out to be a former priest named Thomas Aquinas (Derrick O’Connor), who warns Jericho that “1000 years have ended and the Dark Angel is loose from his prison”. As Jericho investigates this odd revelation, he starts to uncover the truth about what is going on, and makes it his mission to locate and protect Christine (Robin Tunney), the woman the devil is looking for, in hopes of preventing the end of days.

End of Days may not be one of Schwarzenegger’s best films, but it does have its moments. Gabriel Byrne is excellent in his role as the devil, who can immediately change minds and make people bend to his will just by staring into their eyes. He is a menacing threat who is almost like an unstoppable Terminator for Schwarzenegger’s Jericho to come up against. The filmmakers have also given some depth to Jericho. As we first see him, he’s a troubled man, contemplating suicide. He lost his wife and daughter in a brutal way, and has never really come to terms with this, but still wakes up and does his job each morning. A lot of that is thanksto his caring partner Chicago. They are like cops, just without the badges. There is a lot of fun banter between these two—Kevin Pollack brings a lot of humor to the role. We also see that despite not being law enforcement officers, these partners still have a great relationship with the cops, often sharing information with Detective Marge Francis (CCH Pounder), as long as it benefits them. The film has a lot of twists and turns, and some exciting action sequences. There’s lot of fire and explosions and the effects generally hold up pretty well.

Universal’s previous Blu-ray release had contained a director commentary track, but that is not included here. The film is very dark throughout, but the picture remains clean and clear, with a solid level of detail and no signs of black crush. Oddly, Mill Creek has inexplicably dropped the 5.1 audio track from the previous disc release, opting instead for a 2.0 track. While dialogue remains clear, and the track was sufficient to not detract from my enjoyment, the audio lacked the more-immersive feeling of the other 3 movies on this set.

The Cowboy Way (1994)

Pepper Lewis (Woody Harrelson) and Sonny Gilstrap (Kiefer Sutherland) won the 1993 New Mexico State Rodeo Championship and were set to win the National Rodeo Championship, but Pepper was a no-show, leaving his partner (or is that pardner?) in the lurch. And so, for the past year, Sonny hasn’t really spoken with his former best friend. That is, until their common friend, ranch hand Nacho Salazar (Joaquín Martínez), goes missing after heading to New York to bring home his daughter Teresa (Cara Buono). Nacho had paid an unscrupulous man named John Stark (Dylan McDermott) to illegally smuggle his daughter out of Cuba and into the U.S. However, Stark constantly changes the terms of his deals after the fact, demanding more money from the immigrant families, forcing them to pay off their debts in his sweat shops.

Sonny begrudgingly allows Pepper to join him in his trip to New York City to find Nacho and his daughter, but the bickering during their road trip is just the start of their adventure. As they make their way into the loud city, it quickly becomes clear that they’re not in ~~Kansas~~ New Mexico anymore…these cowboys are nothing like these city folks! They soon get the attention of Stark and his goons, who try to put a permanent end to their investigation into the Salazars. But Sonny and Pepper are a resourceful team when they work together, and they’re going to have to put aside their issues and cowboy up if they’re going to succeed.

The Cowboy Way is a great mix of action and humor. It starts off as an estranged buddy road trip, then turns into more of a fish-out-of-water comedy, before going full buddy action-comedy. The film has a surprising amount of heart mixed in as the cowboys work to reconcile the issue that has been dividing them. At the start of the movie, there is this strained relationship between Sonny and Pepper. Sonny is the more responsible, gentleman-like, iconic cowboy. He had planned to settle down and buy a ranch with his rodeo winnings. Meanwhile, Pepper is much more of a wild card. He drinks, chews tobacco, and spends his money faster than he earns it. When we first see Pepper after the incident, he’s playing a sexy game of “Big Chief” with his married girlfriend, role-playing as the Indian “savage” trying to get the “pale face woman” (this scene would never get made in a movie today!). Sonny is still furious about what happened in the past, but he needs to put his grudge aside in order to help Nacho, who may be in dire trouble. Once the cowboys arrive in NYC, we get more of a fish-out-of-water comedy, with these uncultured guys shocking the staff of the ritzy Waldorf Astoria—though Pepper’s odd behavior catches the eye of fashion designer Margarette (Marg Helgenberger, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation). They also make a scene at Stark’s Latin dance club, where they strike up a bar fight with one of Stark’s goons, Chango (Luis Guzmán), who they later use some unorthodox cowboy interrogation methods on. The movie also has an action/comedy vibe as the guys team up with mounted NYC police officer Sam ‘Mad Dog’ Shaw (Ernie Hudson, Ghostbusters) in their search for Nacho and takedown of Stark. This all culminates in a big action sequence that perfectly blends the guys’ cowboy rodeo talents with their new asphalt jungle location.

Kiefer Sutherland and Woody Harrelson are a hoot, and have such great chemistry with one another. They really do feel like longtime buddies. Sutherland’s Sonny is the perfect straight guy to Harrelson’s wild Pepper. There’s even a bit of that simple-minded, dim-witted “Woody” mixed into Harrelson’s performance. Dylan McDermott’s John Stark is much more of a straightforward, ruthless bad guy. There isn’t anything tongue-in-cheek or played for laughs in his performance. He will do whatever it takes to further his career, permanently eliminating any obstacles that get in his way. Some of the other humor comes from the side characters who interact with these out-of-their-element cowboys.

Mill Creek Entertainment has brought The Cowboy Way to Blu-ray for the first time, but unfortunately, the picture quality leaves much to be desired. Darker scenes—such as the opening sequence when we see Stark at the dock welcoming his latest imports—are a bit too dark and details are difficult to make out at times. Other scenes have been over-sharpened, making the original film grain really stand out in a distracting way. I eventually got used to this, but the picture quality was pretty disappointing overall. The audio track was far more impressive, making excellent use of the surround channel to add some ambiance and make the film feel more immersive—such as the roar of the crowd and echo of the announcer at the rodeo competitions, the sounds of music and patrons at Stark’s night club, or just the general noise of the city. Dialog was also easy to understand throughout.

The Jackal (1997)

American FBI Deputy Carter Preston (Sidney Poitier) and Russian MVD agent Major Valentina Koslova (Diane Venora) organize a joint effort to arrest criminal Ghazzi Murad (Ravil Isyanov) for murder, but the mission goes sideways and Ghazzi ends up dead. Now his brother, mobster Terek Murad (David Hayman) wants all of those involved in the incident eliminated, and also wants to make a very public statement. So he hires an infamous assassin known as “The Jackal” (Bruce Willis) to carry out this vendetta. As the FBI and MVD hear rumors of this, they are desperate to get any information on this unknown killer. So they enlist the help of IRA sharpshooter Declan Mulqueen (Richard Gere), who’s currently in an American prison, offering him a reduced sentence for help in tracking down the Jackal. What ensues is an tense game of cat and mouse as the Feds try to figure out the Jackal’s plans, location and target, while the Jackal constantly changes his appearance and identity, keeping two steps ahead of them.

The Jackal has always been a favorite of mine. While I’ve never seen the original 1973 film The Day of the Jackal, I’ve always enjoyed this remake, and it was great to be able to revisit it. The film does an excellent job of keeping the audience on the edge of their seats, trying to figure out The Jackal’s ultimate target and plan. It’s a tense, action-packed thriller. Bruce Willis is constantly transformed with his many different looks, names and accents, and is quite believable as this ruthless killer who is constantly using people to get what he needs for his mission. Meanwhile, hot on his tail are Preston and Koslova, who are working with Declan to try to track down this killer. I always enjoy Sidney Poitier’s work—he brings a level of gravitas to his role. FBI agent Preston is a man who’s close to retirement and doesn’t want his legacy to be letting The Jackal get away with murder. He is determined to close this case, but still remains calm and collected. Richard Gere (I feel like it’s been ages since I’ve seen him in something!) is also superb, delivering a convincing Irish accent. Declan is a complicated man. He did some bad things, but it was only during a time of war, and for a cause he believed in. Working on this case also brings Declan back in touch with his old love, Isabella (Mathilda May), and he would do anything to make sure she is protected from The Jackal. The film also has several other recognizable faces, such as J.K. Simmons as FBI Agent Witherspoon, who’s working with Preston and Koslova, and Jack Black in a more serious role as a guy The Jackal hires to procure some equipment he needs for his weapon.

Universal has released The Jackal several times on Blu-ray, but none of the DVD features—a director commentary and a 44-minute making-of featurette including some deleted scenes and alternate ending—have ever been carried over to the Blu-ray discs, and they still aren’t with this release. However, the picture quality is generally very good. There are some white flecks here and there, but the picture is very clean and clear otherwise, with a solid level of detail. There are some scenes where the effects look a bit green-screened, where you can slightly see the edges of characters, but I never found this overly-distracting. The audio track provides clear dialogue, and makes use of the surround channel sparingly but effectively.

Overall, I found this to be a very satisfying and entertaining collection of films, and Mill Creek has priced the set very reasonably—it’s currently the same price as the standalone disc for The Cowboy Way, and here you get three additional movies! The audio/video presentation is generally quite good, with two caveats. First, The Cowboy Way‘s video presentation is a bit sub-par, just like the standalone disc (see more details above). And second, the odd choice to use a stereo audio track for End of Days. Also, none of the bonus material from previous DVD/Blu-ray releases of these movies has been ported over.

The four films reside on two Blu-ray discs, each of which has a basic menu with a Subtitle On/Off option and selectable logos to launch either of the two movies on that disc. Kull the Conqueror and End of Days are on the first disc, while The Cowboy Way and The Jackal are on the second. The discs reside on either side of a standard HD keepcase. There is no slipcover, no bonus material on either disc, and no digital digital copies are included.

What’s Included:

Films:

Kull the Conqueror (1997) (1:35:37)
- 1080p / Widescreen 2.35:1
- Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- Subtitles: English SDH
End of Days (1999) (2:02:11)
- 1080p / Widescreen 2.35:1
- Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
- Subtitles: English SDH
The Cowboy Way (1994) (1:46:44)
- 1080p / Widescreen 1.85:1
- Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- Subtitles: English SDH
The Jackal (1997) (2:04:20)
- 1080p / Widescreen 2.35:1
- Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- Subtitles: English SDH

Extras:

Final Thoughts:

My Rating

Films:

Video:

Audio:

Extras:

Recommended

Mill Creek’s Epic Showdowns – 4 Action Movies Blu-ray collection is an entertaining and solid mix of films. While Kull the Conqueror and The Cowboy Way lean a bit more on the comedic side, End of Days and The Jackal are more tense thrillers. All four films are ones that I would watch again. Overall the presentation is quite good, with two caveats that are mentioned above. While there is no bonus material included on the set, the collection is very reasonably priced, making it an easy recommendation.