Trigger Man Blu Ray Review (Glass Eye Pix)

Trigger Man is a 2007 suspense thriller film written, edited, shot, produced, and directed by Ti West (The Innkeepers, Pearl, MaXXXine, The Roost, The Sacrament, X, Cabin Fever 2, The House of the Devil, The ABCs of Death, and V/H/S). It was executive produced by Larry Fessenden (Blackout, Sisters, The Innkeepers, Satan Hates You, The Roost, I Can See You, Automatons, The Last Winter, Habit, Birth of the Living Dead, I Sell the Dead, The House of the Devil, Late Phases, and Stake Land franchise). It had an estimated budget of $10,000 and it was shot in 7 days. Reggie (played by: Reggie Cunningham from Likeness), Sean (played by: Sean Reid from The Innkeepers, The Sacrament, Satan Hates You, I Sell the Dead, and The Roost), and Ray (played by: Ray Sullivan from Law and Order, Special Victims Unit, and In Her Shoes) leave Manhattan for a day trip of deer hunting in Delaware. They are just expecting to drink a few beers in the woods free of the city-life responsibilities that are slowly forcing these childhood friends apart. When one well-aimed shot from an unknown sniper, a walk in the sun is transformed into a frantic and desperate fight for their own survival!!!! Trigger Man is inspired by true events. This is the 2nd full length production from director TI West. He was coming off The Roost and he wanted to try something different with this one. It’s more of a thriller rather than horror. It still has some bloody violence and crazy scenarios. The script focuses on a group of friends trying to bond together again after dealing with real life stress. The 3 leads were unknowns so it makes it feel a little more real. Reggie Cunningham, Ray Sullivan, and Sean Reid have good chemistry together. They have a friendship that’s on the edge. They are put to the test when someone hunts them down. They become the prey in this deadly suspense filled ride. The rest of the supporting cast includes James Felix McKenney (Automatons), Larry Fessenden (Bringing Out the Dead), Heather Robb (The Sacrament), Graham Reznick (The Roost), Suyash Pachauri (The Roost), Seth Abrams (The Crack Down), and Daniel Mazikowski (Satan Hates You). Trigger Man is another slow burn from West. It makes the audience wait for it’s hectic situation. I thought it added some nice tension keeping the shooter a mystery rather than showing him all the time. It works better that way especially in this. Trigger Man feels like a nod to the classic The Most Dangerous Game. It has a unpredictable and frantic tone to it. This doesn’t have much of a budget but it uses it’s departments wisely. Ti West goes for something different here than his usual horror features. Trigger Man is all about it’s final act. That’s when almost everything happens. This will be appreciated by fans that like a build up because it’s not packed with non stop action or gore. It’s a solid addition to the suspense thriller and survival sub-genres. If you want to see the origins of a skilled film maker, this is worth checking out sometime!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from Glass Eye Pix! This 1080p (1.85:1) uncensored transfer is from a brand new restoration. This is a stellar upgrade compared to the original 2008 DVD from Kino Lorber. I don’t see this getting any better than this on home video, it’s at the best possible quality when it comes to this low budget production. It has English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track on the disc. It takes awhile for the audio to shine for this but it’s finale uses it to the absolute max with it’s brutal hunting. All of the dialogue is very clean, the survival is elevated, and the music has a nice boost to it. It has English SDH subtitles. It has a brand new exclusive “Audio Commentary” with director TI West and producer Larry Fessenden. It has an archive 2007 “Audio Commentary” with Ti West and Graham Reznick. It has an additional 2007 “Audio Commentary” with Reggie Cunningham, Ray Sullivan, and Sean Reid. All 3 tracks are very different from each other which makes them great companion pieces. They share all kinds of personal stories and inside information about the low budget shoot. They go over several things which includes the cast, script, being the 2nd Scareflix project, the budget, other films being considered but this was the cheapest option, the visual style, technical aspects, music, shooting in order, locations, previous projects, origins, and so much more. It has the almost 59 minute “Trigger Man: Behind the Scenes” documentary. It has all kinds of conversations with the cast and crew here. It’s loaded with footage from the set and on location. It shows them putting it all together. It takes you through their experiences on it. It almost feels like you are actually there. It’s a great fly on the wall type of extra. It has the little over 15 minute “Question and Answer from the Los Angeles Film Festival” with a variety of people involved with it. They used Larry Fessenden’s own camera and a familiar location in Delaware with a 18 page script but they made it all work. It was a simple production that had a very skilled behind the scenes crew on it. They wanted a completely different film compared to The Roost. They joke about paying $100 a day so if you were wrapped, it was time to go. The difficulty of guns on a no budget effort is explained. Lots of stuff is answered in this, it’s blunt and funny. It has the 2001 little over 10 minute short film “Prey” from director TI West. Two friends have taken photos of something in the woods. They become it’s prey as they try to escape. This has the same location as the independent suspense thriller. It’s a chilly atmosphere creature feature. It has a “Behind the Scenes Photo Gallery”. It has the “Trailer” for Trigger Man. It comes with a high quality slipcover, 2 different artworks underneath, and an 16 page booklet. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!