The End Blu Ray Review (MGM)

The End is a 1978 dark comedy produced and directed by Burt Reynolds (Gator, Hard Time, Stick, B.L. Stryker, The Man from Left Field, and Sharky’s Machine). It written and produced by Wayne Allan Rice (Suicide Kings, Freddy’s Nightmares, Only You, Just Like Dad, and Class Act). The script was originally written for Woody Allen. The budget was $3,000,000 and it grossed $44,917,151 worldwide at the box office. Sonny Lawson (played by: Burt Reynolds from Smokey and The Bandit franchise, Boogie Nights, The Longest Yard, Universal Soldier franchise, and Deliverance) is tragically diagnosed with a fatal disease that only gives him 6 months to live. He makes his rounds to everyone important in his life including his ex girlfriend Mary Ellen (played by: Sally Field from Smokey and The Bandit franchise, Punchline, Forrest Gump, Steel Magnolias, and The Amazing Spider-Man franchise). He decides to commit suicide with a bottle of pills after finally taking in his bad news but he ends up failing miserably. He gets sent a loony bin while he recovers. That’s where he meets the demented Marlon Borunki (played by: Dom DeLuise from The Cannonball Run franchise, Blazing Saddles, Fatso, Spaceballs, Loose Cannons, and The Silence of the Hams) who is eager to help Sonny succeeding on ending it all!!!! The End is pretty damn dark when it comes to it’s main subject. For a comedy, it’s a little depressing at first. The script takes it’s time to develop everything that’s happening. Burt Reynolds was a very underrated director, most of his work had high quality production value. Burt Reynolds shows a different side of himself as Sonny Lawson. He’s someone that doesn’t want to suffer after he finds out he only has 6 months left. Sally Field as Mary Ellen is the ex that Sonny tries to have some last good moments with before it’s all over. She’s at her prime here and she looks amazing. It’s no surprise, the chemistry between the two is always top notch. Dom DeLuise steals the show as the crazed Marlon Borunki. Yeah, he shows up a little later and it’s definitely a smaller role than expected but he’s the reason to check this out. It might be my favorite character from the iconic comedy performer. The rest of the supporting cast includes Strother Martin (Slap Shot), David Steinberg (The Wrong Guy), Joanne Woodward (Philadelphia), Norman Fell (Three’s Company), Myrna Loy (Thin Man franchise), Kristy Mcnichol (Two Moon Junction), Pat O’Brien (Angels with Dirty Faces), Robby Benson (Beauty and the Beast), Carl Reiner (Ocean’s trilogy), Frank McRae (48 Hours franchise), and James Best (The Dukes of Hazzard). Burt Reynolds stacked The End with so many veterans, familiar faces, and character actors. All of that talent really elevated this wacky feature. This was originally created for Woody Allen but I honestly can’t see him as the unstable Sonny. It’s a very weird project for something that was really being pushed to the mainstream. I think about 10 minutes could be shortened for it’s first half but besides that it has a good flow to it. It’s definitely entertaining and it’s more fun than you would expect considering it’s extremely dark concept. RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation from MGM! This 1080p (1.85:1) transfer appears to be the exact same restoration as the 2015 Olive Films home video release. It’s still a major improvement compared to it’s original DVD and VHS versions. It has an English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track on the disc. The audio is solid but it’s not really a explosive type of feature so don’t expect anything crazy here besides the characters obviously. All of the dialogue is crystal clear, the comedy is elevated, and the music has a good boost to it. There’s no extras on this release. Don’t let the artwork fool you, this is a pro pressed home video release and it’s not a BD-R. It’s available everywhere right now including MovieZyng.com!!!!