Mill Creek has released another one of its double-feature Blu-rays. This Double Danger collection features two films whose connection appears to be Vondie Curtis-Hall, who wrote/directed the 2006 film Waist Deep and stars in the 1994 film Drop Squad.
The films are as follows:
Waist Deep (2006)
Citizens in South Los Angeles have hit the streets protesting for the past three days, and with a heat wave going on, tensions are at an all time high. Otis “O2” (Tyrese Gibson) is an ex-con trying to go straight, starting a new job as a security guard. When his unreliable cousin Lucky (Larenz Tate) fails to pick his son Junior (Henry Hunter Hall) up from school, Otis is forced to leave his job and do it himself. While driving home, he’s distracted by the street-smart hustler Coco (Meagan Good), causing him to get carjacked and his vehicle stolen with his son still inside. Now he’s on a desperate hunt to find and rescue his son, who’s being held for ransom by gang leader Big Meat (The Game). He only has one day to come up with $100K to save Junior, and so he recruits Coco to help him, going on a Bonnie and Clyde like adventure, robbing two rival gang leaders, trying to pit them against one another and kick off a turf war. But with the gangs after him, and cops lining the streets due to the protests, there’s danger around every corner.
Drop Squad (1994)
The DROP (Deprogramming and Restoration of Pride) Squad are a renegade team of outlaws operating from their secret headquarters under a restaurant. The team kidnaps fellow Black folks who they deem have sold out and betrayed their community, and try to deprogram them into once again having a sense of pride in their race and culture. The group is contacted by Lenora (Nicole Powell), whi is concerned for her brother Bruford Jamison, Jr. (Eriq La Salle, ER), an ad exec in the minority development division who has approved several problematic ad campaigns—the latest of which is a very offensive ad for malt liquor. As the team tries to deprogram Bruford, a conflict arises among the team members as to their methods. Founder Rocky (Vondie Curtis-Hall) wants to stick with the team’s policy of non-violent tactics, but Garvey (Ving Rhames) believes they need to step things up and implement harsher methods to influence Bruford and the other patients they currently have locked up, which include a corrupt politician and a drug dealer.
I had never seen either of these films before—I hadn’t even heard of the latter until this release. Lets start with the good. I really enjoyed Waist Deep, which finds a nice blend of action, drama and humor. The film wastes no time getting into the action, as O2 chases after the men who stole his car/son. The filmmakers are constantly building this tension and excitement, putting Otis into new dangerous situations as he pulls out all the stops to get his son back. At the same time, the film also has many lighter more humorous moments. Just before everything kicks off, Otis is waiting at a stop light, when Coco catches his eye. Immediately the music switches to add a more comedic feel as he’s mesmerized by her. Later on, there’s this really fun sequence as Otis and Coco go on their bank robbery spree, with their approach getting more and more ridiculous (and hilarious) with each heist. While Gibson plays things mostly straight, Good is given a lot of the more comedic scenes, such as Coco distracting the bank teller, or using her feminine wiles to ward off some cops. Gibson and Good have great chemistry, and the idea that their characters start to fall for one another feels quite believable. I’d watch a movie just with these two going on a Bonnie & Clyde like crime spree.
I was not a fan of Drop Squad at all. Maybe I wasn’t the target audience, but I would have preferred a second action movie to be paired up with Waist Deep rather than this often bland satire. The film never really seems to go anywhere, constantly switching between the Squad arguing and interrogating their tied-up captives in the basement while trying to avoid a curious cop overhead, and flashbacks to Bruford and the others’ lives that led them to become targets of the Squad.
Waist Deep had previously received a Blu-ray release from Universal Pictures, but this is the first time Drop Squad has been made available on Blu-ray. Mill Creek has placed both films on a single disc, with just subtitle on/off options for each. The picture quality of Waist Deep looks fantastic, with a crisp, clean picture throughout, even during the darker nighttime scenes. The film also makes nice use of the surround sound track to give an immersive feel. This is especially noticeable during the chase scenes as helicopters hover overhead. The presentation for Drop Squad isn’t quite as impressive, but still decent. The picture is a bit grainy at times, and the 2.0 soundtrack provides clear dialogue, but doesn’t give that immersive feeling.
Mill Creek’s Blu-ray is barebones, with no bonus material. The single disc is placed in a standard HD keepcase without a slipcover. The 2006 DVD release of Waist Deep had included a lot of bonus material, but unfortunately none of that made it to either Universal’s 2011 Blu-ray or this release. Similarly, none of the bonus material from the original DVD release of Drop Squad has been ported over.
What’s Included:
Films:
- Waist Deep (2006) (1:36:36)
- 1080p / Widescreen 2.35:1
- Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
- Subtitles: English SDH
- Drop Squad (1994) (1:27:02)
- 1080p / Widescreen 1.85:1
- Audio: English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio
- Subtitles: English SDH
Extras:
-
No bonus material included.
Final Thoughts:
While I really enjoyed Waist Deep, I was not a fan of Drop Squad at all. That said, the release is worth a look for Waist Deep alone, and fans of Drop Squad should be pleased that it’s finally available on Blu-ray. While the presentation is good overall, those who already own the previous DVD releases of these films may want to hold onto those as none of the bonus material from either of those discs has been carried over.
Double Danger: Drop Squad & Waist Deep [Blu-Ray]
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