Synopsis
As a young man, Mike Blueberry (Vincent Cassel) falls in love with a prostitute, but theirtryst is rudely interrupted by the black-hearted Michael Madsen. The woman is killed, andBlueberry is badly wounded. He is taken in and nursed back to health by Native Americans, andthus taps into a bunch of mystical hugger-mugger as well. Years later, he is the town marshal,and who should ride into town but Madsen again, now possessed of supernatural power andintent on capturing the s…cret of the forbidden Sacred Mountains for himself. Blueberry must stophim and prevent all-out-war between the settlers and the Natives. There’s hardly time forromance with rich man’s daughter Juliette Lewis.
And indeed, that romance is extremely perfunctory. Interesting to see Lewis do somethingother than trailer trash for a change. She also sings “The Londonderry Air,” but her vocal stylingsare less convincing here than they are on the new Prodigy CD. As for the film itself, this Frenchproduction (an Escargot Western?) is a bizarre concoction. Originally titled Blueberryafter the Moebius comic book series on which it is loosely based (the new title makes no senseat all), and co-scripted by frequent Roman Polanski collaborator Gérard Brach, the flick mixestraditional Western elements with wild CGI hallucinations (filled with glowing serpents andgiant centipedes). Though metaphysical finale is utterly pretentious claptrap, but there is so mucheye candy going on here that the film certainly keeps one’s attention.
Audio
The hallucinatory environment is helped no end by the 5.1 soundtrack, which is extremelyactive. The sound effects never drown out the dialogue, but they are very loud, sinuously coilingout of first one speaker, then the next. The placement is excellent, and the left-right separation isjust as stunning.
Video
The colours are nothing short of eye-popping, and are accompanied by stupendous contrastsand blacks. The 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen image is extremely sharp. I’ve noticed on manyEuropean films that there is noticeable grain in darker scenes, and I can’t decide if this is a factorof the print or the transfer. In any event, even with this occasional flaw, the picture is veryimpressive.
Special Features
Nothing but a few trailers. The menu’s main screen and some of the transitions are animatedand scored.
Closing Thoughts
The film cannot live up to its pretensions, but it is damn fun to watch.
Special Features List
- Trailers
