"THE PATRIOT" would almost certainly have been much better had its star, Mel Gibson, taken over the directing reigns.  While this reviewer "hated" his "MAN WITHOUT A FACE", his directing talent in "BRAVEHART" can't be denied.  "THE PATRIOT" is an epic similar in theme to "BRAVEHEART", although it's far more heavy-handed.  Gibson plays a man haunted by his memories of the French-Indian war, where it's continuously hinted at that he took part in dastardly deeds.

The film also tries "heavy-handidly" to define the "revolutionary war" as being more about this character's actions than anything else.  Director Roland Emmerich is clearly enamored with big productions, and "THE PATRIOT" is "big" in almost every way.  The production design is magnificent, and the costumes, music,...practically everything screams "big"!  The problem is that wherein a murmur would be enough, Emmerich wants to pile on too much, making the film feel bloated in many spots.

COLUMBIA TRISTAR presents this release in a 16:9 enhanced 2.35:1 aspect ratio.  Everything about it looks great!  Fleshtones are  natural, and the contrast is flawless with deep blacks and perfect resolution in the darkest scenes.  There is some minor grain however, but it's overshadowed by an otherwise outstanding image.

Director Emmerich has another gift with his attention to sound design.  This was evident in his "STARGATE" and "ID4", and his winning trek continues here!  The sound mix is extremely aggressive with ample surround sounds and frequent, effective use of subwoofer effects.

There are extensive supplements, including: A running audio commentary in which Emmerich and producer Devlin provide great insight into the actual production and its related obstacles.  It's much more informative than the commentary offered for ID4, even though there are still some lulls between scenes.  An interactive featurette explores the "behind-the-scenes" of five different scenes in the film, peeling back the layers as to how certain effects were achieved within them.  Another featurette, "THE ART OF WAR" provides another "behind-the-scenes" look at how the battle scenes were completed.  This short documentary provides interviews with cast and is fairly entertaining.  "True Patriots" is yet another featurette exploring the historical relevance of the film.

The deleted scenes segment is disappointing, as they're only offred with 2.0 surround sound and in  "non-anamorphic"!  While none of the scenes are spectacular, it would've been nice to view and hear them as they were intended.  There's still even more supplementary material, including trailers with their proper "dolby digital 5.1 sound" and 16:9 enhancement!

We're pleased that "HIDEAWAY", a film based on the Dean Koontz novel, has finally made it to dvd.  It was completely dismissed in theaters, video and even laserdisc!  But, we were really surprised at how effective the film managed to be, in spite of its flaws. After Jeff Goldblum dies and is then resuccitated after an automobile accident, he returns to the land of the living with something extra!  He's haunted with images of various women meeting an untimely end.  He's somehow "linked" with the killer.  While the continuing narrative of the film is a little too gritty and graphic for most viewers' tastes, it's still effective.  The film's ending is also well thought out and provocative.

COLUMBIA TRISTAR has provided a 16:9 enhanced image along with the proper 2.35:1 theatrical aspect ratio on one side and a pan&scan image on the other side.  There's a lot of grain here, but the colors are solid and fleshtones are generally natural.  All together, a decent transfer, but not quite as sharp as typical with COLUMBIA TRISTAR releases.  The dolby digital 5.1 sound mix is "DEMONSTRATION QUALITY!"  The sound mix is extremely aggressive, offering non-stop directional effects and terrific LFE effects. The bass is well utilized throughout the film, especially during the special effects sequences.

There is an alternate ending offered in the "extra features" area.  While the ending is semi-predictable, it looks great and is offered in dolby digital 5.1 sound, as well as with the option of director commentary.  There is also a featurette offered, but for some reason, we couldn't get the sound to work on it after many repeated attempts!  There's also an audio commentary with director Brett Leonard.  His discussion is screen specific, and "never" dull! He's a great film lover, and his passion is conveyed throughout!

While we were pleased with the previous dvd offering of "LEGENDS OF THE FALL", it pales in comparison to this new "SPECIAL EDITION"!  To begin with, Director Edward Zwick and Brad Pitt provide a commentary that's one of the best ever offered on dvd!

The transfer is flawless! There are none of the noticeable artifacts apparent on the earlier "movie-only" release.  John Toll's cinematography is perfectly complimented here, and it's obvious why he won the Oscar for this film in 1997!  There is virtually no grain, and the detail and clarity to every shot is amazing!

The dolby digital 5.1 sound mix is aggressive.  Zwick is one of the most gifted directors at staging battle scenes(remember "GLORY"?) and the WW1 scenes here are no less stunning!  There's an enormous amount of directional effects, as well as LFE effects.  The viewer will feel engrossed with every moment on-screen, but not missing out on the perfectly balanced dialogue.  The musical score is also wonderful, and offered on a separate track, but only in 2.0, not 5.1!

The commentary with Pitt and Zwick offers terrific details behind the film's production.  We learn specifics about the enormous cost of building a whole city for "one shot!" and other production details.  But, most importantly we learn about the heart lying behind every scene.  Pitt and Zwick explore the themes being constantly wrestled with by the two, sometimes pouring out onto the set, causing great fights.  Pitt also explains how he summed up certain emotions in the toughest scenes.  Another interesting commentary is with John Toll and production designer Lilly Kilvert.  This track is much more technical and will undoubtedly please aspiring cinematographers more than anyone else, but it's still captivating none-the-less.  Three deleted scenes are also offered in non-anamorphic 2.0 sound!  One can choose whether to listen to Zwick's commentary or not here.  None of the scenes were really essential to the film, although one involving Pitt's interview following his WW1 actions, is powerful.