Sabotage Blu Ray Review (MVD Rewind Collection)

Sabotage is a 1996 action film directed by Tibor Takacs (The Gate, Gate 2, I Madman, Police Academy: The Series, The Crow: Stairway to Heaven, Spiders, Mega Snake, Killer Rats, Bad Blood, and Redline). It was written by Rick Filon (Kickboxer 5, To Die To Sleep, and Stranger by Night) and Michael Stokes (No Contest II, Shadow Builder, Sanctuary, Exit Speed, and Paw Patrol). Colonel Michael Bishop’s (played by: Mark Dacascos from John Wick: Chapter 3, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., American Samurai, Double Dragon, Kickboxer 5, The Crow: Stairway to Heaven, The Island of Dr. Moreau, Brotherhood of the Wolf, Mortal Kombat: Legacy, and Cradle 2 the Grave) last mission went horribly wrong. It was a complete sabotage and he was the only survivor from the black operation that never happened. After years of recovery, Bishop becomes a successful bodyguard protecting famous clients. His past catches up to him and his wealthy employers end up dying in vicious ways from a cold blooded hitman known as Sherwood (played by: Tony Todd from the Candyman franchise, The Rock, The Crow, Night of the Living Dead, Wishmaster, Platoon, The Flash, Hatchet franchise, Final Destination franchise, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and Tales from the Hood 3). The gruesome murders are being investigated by F.B.I agent Louise Castle (played by: Carrie Anne Moss from The Matrix franchise, Memento, Fido, F/X: The Series, Red Planet, Suspect Zero, Jessica Jones, Silent Hill: Revelation, and Disturbia). Bishop is forced to go on one last mission against the men that ruined his life back in the day. Can he finally get his revenge? or Will they finish what they failed at before???? Sabotage is a very entertaining and fun 90’s action film. Veteran director Tibor Takacs who is mainly known for his earlier horror movies gets behind the camera for this violent crime thriller. The script is steady, it’s suspenseful and it has some surprise twists to it. Sabotage is loaded with intense explosive action, it keeps you on your toes and your eyes stay glued to the screen. Lead actor Mark Dacascos is usually known for his martial arts work but he does something different here in Sabotage. He is more of an action hero rather than a fighter as Michael Bishop. It’s one of his better performances from his earlier career. Carrie Anne Moss provides a great balance to the other roles in this. She plays someone completely opposite compared to most of the main characters featured in Sabotage. She’s trying to solve these unexpected crimes and uncover this dark conspiracy. I really appreciated and respected that they didn’t force any cliche relationship with Mark Dacascos. Their chemistry felt more natural that way here. I think this smaller movie and role helped her get The Matrix franchise later on. Tony Todd steals the show as the blood thirsty assassin Sherwood. He’s a little over the top at times but it totally works as the psychotic villain. It has a solid supporting cast that includes Graham Greene (Dances with Wolves), John Neville (A Study in Terror), James Purcell (The Hitman), and Heidi von Palleske (Dead Ringers). Sabotage delivers almost everything that you would want from this type of film when it comes to the sub-genre. It has great replay value, I always thought this one was underrated and hopefully this home video release from MVD Rewind helps it get more attention. RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from the MVD Rewind Collection! This 1080p (1.78:1) transfer appears to be the same restoration from 2015. Sabotage looks much better than expected, the explosive visuals really shine here. It’s a solid upgrade compared to the older DVD home video release. It has an English:DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. All of the dialogue is very clean, the brutal chaos is elevated, and the music has a nice boost to it. It has English SDH subtitles. It has a brand new and exclusive little over 32 minute “Interview” with lead actor Mark Dacascos. He chats about how he got the role for Sabotage. He was finishing up his work for The Island of Dr. Moreau when he got offered the lead because the original actor dropped out the last minute. He had rush over from that production to this one. He talks about how he met and all his collaborations with director Tibor Takacs. He says had little time to prepare for everything and he breaks down his process for it. He goes over his character for Sabotage and his special abilities. It has a brand new and exclusive little over 13 minute “Interview” with villain Tony Todd. He chats about Canada and enjoying the scene after wrapping for the shoot. He goes over the process on picking his next role and how he doesn’t like doing similar roles back to back. He brings up some of his earlier films and how it kept him working non stop after that. He breaks down his assassination character here. He says that this was a top tier B Movie and not a bigger Hollywood production. He brings up working with lead actor Mark Dacascos and he shows his appreciation for him. He brings up that he rarely checks out his own movies in theaters. He goes a little bit into on how he became an actor before doing it as a full time gig. It has a Mark Dacascos “Trailer” reel. It has a slipcover, reversible artwork, and a collectible mini poster. It’s available everywhere on May 7th, CHECK IT OUT!!!!