Supremacy Blu-ray Review

    Actors: Danny Glover, Joe Anderson, Dawn Olivieri

Director: Deon Taylor

Format: Blu-ray, Widescreen

Language: English

Subtitles: English

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Well Go USA

Release Date: April 21, 2015

Run Time: 104 minutes

 

 

        Supremacy makes the mistake of relying too heavily on the impact from the fact that the story was inspired by true events, offering up a few contrived revelatory moments and an endless stream of melodrama in favor of developed characters and compelling dialogue. The plot may open the film up for discussion of real social issues, but instead falls back on caricatures and contrived scenarios that can’t seem to make up its mind between exploitation and message. Despite director Deon Taylor’s ability to get convincing performances from most of his cast members, it is effort made in vain within Eric J. Adams’ two-dimensional screenplay.

 

        There are two major issues with the screenplay, as I can see it. The first comes with the plot, which contains the amount of material for a short film stretched to an overwrought feature. Tully (Joe Anderson) is a member of the Aryan Nation and is out of prison for less than one day when he kills a black police officer who made the mistake of stopping him for a traffic violation. Partnered with a drug addicted pen pal and white power advocate (Dawn Olivieri), Tully holes up in the first home that he comes across. The house happens to belong to an ex-con turned family man, Mr. Walker (Danny Glover), and this serves as a continuation of further bigotry-infused dialogue that serves no discernable purpose within the narrative.

 

        With very little actually occurring within the plot once the convict has invaded the Walker home and taken the family hostage, the narrative occasionally flashes back to the incident with the police officer, though it reveals nothing new in the senseless flashbacks. At the same time, very little of importance happens within the portion of the story taking place in the hostage situation. Nearly two hours of gun-waving and shouting melodrama leads to one mildly compelling scene of dialogue that is not nearly good enough to make the 111-minute running-time justifiable. The entire supporting cast is ineffectually used to pad the minimal plot, from the estranged Walker son (Derek Luke) conveniently working as a police officer to a cartoonish Aryan Nation leader (Anson Mount) making moves from behind bars. Not enough happens to make this film engaging, and what does happen is dragged out to the point of tedium.

 

        The Blu-ray release offers little to improve or enhance the film, either in the high definition presentation or miniscule collection of extras. The special features basically only contain a behind-the-scenes featurette, although a trailer is also included.

 

Entertainment Value: 4/10

Quality of Filmmaking: 4.5/10

Historical Significance:  3/10

Special Features: 3/10