Mean Guns: Special Edition – MVD Rewind Collection (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1997
Director: Albert Pyun
Writer: Andrew Witham
Cast: Christopher Lambert, Ice-T, Michael Halsey, Deborah Van Valkenburgh, Tina Cote, Yuji Okumoto, Thom Mathews, Kimberly Warren, Hunter Doughty

Release Date: April 9th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 110 Minutes 15 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: R
Sound: LPCM Stereo English
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $29.95

"The world's most dangerous criminals are summoned to a new prison on the eve before its grand opening by Moon (Ice-T, New Jack City), the ruthless leader of the world's most powerful crime syndicate. Chaos ensues when weapons and ammunition are passed around and the group, including Lou (Christopher Lambert, Highlander) begin their fight to survive. The last three men standing by midnight have been promised $10,000,000 in cash by Moon, who watches from his surveillance camera as gunfire and bodies fly. Rivalries develop between friends and the lines of loyalty are crossed as each criminal attempts to outwit, outrun and outlive the other in the action packed game of elimination." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.75/5

Mean Guns comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 41.6 GB

Feature: 26.4 GB

The source looks great; any source debris is minor. Flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity and black levels are strong, and compression is very good.

Audio: 4.25/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM stereo mix in English. The audio is in great shape, the dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should. Included are removable English SDH, removable Spanish subtitles, and removable French subtitles.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a trailer (1 minute 28 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an introduction by director Albert Pyun (39 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with producer Gary Schmoeller (28 minutes 59 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with executive producer Paul Rosenblum (23 minutes 41 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with composer Anthony Riparetti (18 minutes 31 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with Albert Pyun, reversible cover art, a collectible mini-poster (first pressing only) and slipcover (first pressing only).

Other extras include trailers for Blast, Crazy Six, Nemesis, Nemesis 2, and Nemesis 3.

Summary:

Directed by Albert Pyun, whose other notable films are The Sword and the Sorcerer, Nemesis, and Cyborg.

A crime syndicate lures 100 individuals who have betrayed them into prison and forces them to kill each other.

The idea that you could get 100 cold-blooded killers to disarm themselves for a meeting they know nothing about is far-fetched. That said, despite an absurd premise, the result is a film that is entertaining throughout.

When it comes to the narrative, it is essentially a lengthy shootout. There is no character development and minimal exposition, and yet at 110 minutes in length, the narrative does a good job holding your attention.

Let's be honest, Mean Guns is not the type of film that one appreciates because of its performances. It does feature a few recognizable faces, like Christopher Lambert (Highlander) and Ice-T (New Jack City), in the role of Vincent Moon, the man who orchestrates the game of death. That said, the strongest performance is by Michael Halsey in the role of a hitman named Marcus.

What it lacks in other areas, Mean Guns more than delivers when it comes to its action sequences. Also, there is an ample amount of tension when it comes to the shootouts. Surprisingly, when it comes to the carnage, it is not as explicit as in other films with excessive body counts. Ultimately, Mean Guns is a text-book example of a film that is style over substance.

MVD Rewind Collection gives Mean Guns a first-rate release that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and a trio of informative interviews.

Written by Michael Den Boer