The Mighty Quinn Blu Ray Review (MGM)

The Mighty Quinn is a 1989 crime action hybrid film directed by Carl Schenkel (Dracula Blows His Cool, The Hitchhiker, Knight Moves, The Surgeon, Murder on the Orient Express, and Strike Back). It was written by Hampton Fancher (Blade Runner franchise and The Minus Man). It’s based on the novel by author Albert Z. Carr (The Unforeseen and Encounter). It grossed $4,557,214 worldwide at the box office. Xavier Quinn (played by: Denzel Washington from Malcolm X, American Gangster, Training Day, The Equalizer franchise, Man on Fire, Remember the Titans, and He got Game) is the chief of police in the Caribbean. Millionaire Donald Pater is found dead, Quinn’s best friend Maubee (played by: Robert Townsend from The Meteor Man, The Bear, Streets of Fire, and The Parent Hood) is considered the main suspect. Quinn clashes with Governor Chalk (played by: Norman Beaton from Desmond’s) and fixer Thomas Elgin (played by: James Fox from Sexy Beast and Sherlock Holmes) about proving his friend’s innocence. Quinn has been distant from his wife and he doesn’t see his son much. Maubee continues to be on the run. Quinn investigates the case as he talks to Ubu Pearl (played by: Esther Rolle from Driving Miss Daisy and Good Times), Isola (played by: Tyra Ferrell from White Men Can’t Jump, Boyz N The Hood, and Poetic Justice), Fred Miller (played by: M. Emmet Walsh from Blood Simple, Blade Runner, and Critters), Jose Patina (played by: Alex Colon from Invasion U.S.A and The Getaway), and a few others trying to find the real truth. Quinn discovers that Pater died before he was hacked up and planted to be found deceased. As Quinn gets closer, things start to happen around him. It gets dangerous once he’s going in the right direction to uncover everything. Can he save his friend and find the real killer before it’s too late???? The Mighty Quinn is early lead role from the iconic Denzel Washington before he blew up to the mainstream. Have you ever wanted to see him play a Jamaican police chief? The Mighty Quinn definitely delivers that, Washington plays a serious cop trying to prove that his best friend didn’t commit a murder. Robert Townsend as Maubee is a guy that always seems to get into trouble. His life is a mess and he’s the perfect scapegoat here. The Mighty Quinn has a decent supporting cast that includes M. Emmet Walsh, James Fox, Tyra Ferrell, Alex Colon, Esther Rolle, Mimi Rogers, and Art Evans. It’s a solid murder mystery, it has enough suspense and action to keep you entertained. This probably is one of the reasons why Denzel later on got bigger opportunities in his career. The script is full of twists, it keeps you guessing. It has all kinds of wacky characters. It features some real beautiful locations. It’s has a nice balance of drama, crime, action, and suspense. It’s definitely worth checking out if you are fan of 80’s action and Denzel Washington!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation from MGM! This 1080p (1.85:1) transfer is the same exact restoration from the 2015 Olive Films disc. It’s a big upgrade compared to the older DVD and VHS versions from back in the day. It has an English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track on the blu ray. The audio is great on this disc especially for being a catalog title. All of the dialogue is very clean, the action is elevated, and the music has a nice boost to it. It has English SDH subtitles. 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, CHECK IT OUT!!!!