American Gangster (US HD DVD) in February
16-01-2008 12:29 | 2901 views | Dave Foster | Show Backlinks
Universal Studios Home Video have announced the US HD DVD release of American Gangster on 19th February 2008 priced at $39.98 SRP. Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe team with director Ridley Scott for this epic gangster story. Armed with ruthless, street-wise tactics and a strict sense of honour, crime boss Frank Lucas (Washington) rules Harlem's chaotic drug underworld. When outcast cop Richie Roberts (Crowe) sets out to bring down Lucas's multi-million dollar empire, it plunges both men into a legendary confrontation.
Arriving day-and-date, this HD DVD Combo release features the Theatrical Cut (2hrs 38mins) on the HD DVD side with Picture in Picture, while the DVD side of the disc includes both the Theatrical and Unrated Extended (2hrs 57mins) cuts.
Side A: HD DVD – Theatrical Cut
Side B: DVD – Theatrical & Unrated Extended Cuts
None of the other extensive extras from the DVD releases are carried over.
Arriving day-and-date, this HD DVD Combo release features the Theatrical Cut (2hrs 38mins) on the HD DVD side with Picture in Picture, while the DVD side of the disc includes both the Theatrical and Unrated Extended (2hrs 57mins) cuts.
Side A: HD DVD – Theatrical Cut
- 1080P 1.85:1 Widescreen
- English and French Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 Surround
- English SDH and French subtitles
- Alternate Opening
- Deleted Scenes
- Uncovering the Past: The Real Frank Lucas and Richie Roberts
- Feature Commentary with director Ridley Scott and writer Steven Zaillian
- Picture in Picture
Side B: DVD – Theatrical & Unrated Extended Cuts
- 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
- English DD5.1 Surround
- French DD5.1 Surround (Theatrical Cut only)
- English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles
- Commentary with Director Ridley Scott and Writer Steven Zaillian (Theatrical Cut only)
None of the other extensive extras from the DVD releases are carried over.
Comments
Member
Posts: 391
I would love to know the thinking behind the people at the various studios. Why do they think that HD-DVD owners would not want to also see the unrated cut of the film. The extras that are missing may turn up in the pip segment so I will reserve judgement on that aspect. The whole combo disc is an idea good in prinicple bad in practice. If you are someone without an HD-DVD player I doubt you are going to pay £18 for a film when you can get the DVD for £9 or so. HD-DVD owners are being punished with combos as the prices are too high.
Hopefully the UK release which will not be a combo as no combos have been released over here will contain both cuts of the film.
Legend of Sorts
Posts: 15
You'd think FOX were releasing this. Depriving the HD market of the Unrated cut is absurd.
This should have been a 2-disc set and included the extras available on SD.
At a time when HD DVD needs home runs, to cripple the HD version of this film is ridiculous. I know that personally I would now rather rent it than buy it knowing that I'm missing out on all the extra content available on SD.
Member
Posts: 2
It would seem that Universal not willing to do the extra work to support the format.
Member
Posts: 391
Originally Posted by MoonPanda:
You'd think FOX were releasing this. Depriving the HD market of the Unrated cut is absurd.
This should have been a 2-disc set and included the extras available on SD.
At a time when HD DVD needs home runs, to cripple the HD version of this film is ridiculous. I know that personally I would now rather rent it than buy it knowing that I'm missing out on all the extra content available on SD.
I could not agree more. The logic behind this baffles me. I still can't get my head around it. How hard can it be to put the unrated cut of the film on the HD side. This is happening far too much with HD releases. Universal have shocked me with this as to my knowledge and from all the Universal HD releases I have they all have the bonus features from the DVD.
Fox on Blu-ray are the worst offenders though they really do anger me. Man on Fire looks great and sounds great but all the extras are missing from the Blu-ray.
Member
Posts: 67
I wonder what the UK version will offer?
+1 @ MoonPanda's comment.
Member
Posts: 9
Originally Posted by filmfan316uk:
I could not agree more. The logic behind this baffles me. I still can't get my head around it. How hard can it be to put the unrated cut of the film on the HD side. This is happening far too much with HD releases. Universal have shocked me with this as to my knowledge and from all the Universal HD releases I have they all have the bonus features from the DVD.
Fox on Blu-ray are the worst offenders though they really do anger me. Man on Fire looks great and sounds great but all the extras are missing from the Blu-ray.
Which HD DVD combo released by Universal so far has not included the extended cut on the HD DVD side? I think every time apart from this one, the unrated cut has been in high def.
Looks like Universal wanted to keep the theatrical only commentary. It IS a shame though that branching wasn't used on the HD DVD side. Perhaps like some say it is harder to do on HD DVD than on Blu-ray, or perhaps it's just the PiP that makes it harder to do.
Still, I agree it should have been a 2 disc release and carry over everything from the SD release. I'm still smarting that Universal missed out content on the Knocked Up HD DVD...
Contributor
Posts: 1647
Hmm... My first reaction upon reading this announcement was "No!!! You morons! What are you thinking releasing it like this?"
The more that I think about it, though, the less this annoys me. Does anyone remember the last Ridley Scott film to be released as an "Unrated Extended Cut" (as opposed to a "Director's Cut")? It was Gladiator, and it opened with a visibly pissed off Scott, scarcely able to hide his contempt, telling us that the version we were about to release was categorically NOT the director's cut. The fact that he and Zaillian have provided their commentary for the theatrical version suggests to me that this is their preferred version. I wouldn't be at all surprised to discover that the extended version was just another Gladiator, with a few scenes that were rightly left on the cutting room floor spliced back in.
Bottom line, it would have been nice to have had both versions in HD, but I won't cancel my pre-order over this.
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Member
Posts: 813
You raise a very good point there Mike. I'm still well annoyed I'm being denied the chance to check out the Extended Cut in HD, and thus probably at all (why would I watch a 2.5 hrs film in SD when I also have it in HD?) but you do raise a good point.
I like liked 1-2 of the new scenes in Gladiator: EC but overall it so wasn't needed. One scene even just repeats literally what we're about to see anyway.
p.s - I am annoyed most of the extras have been dropped for the HD-DVD too (even the 2 Disc extras) :(
But strangely it seems to have different exclusive extras???
Contributor
Posts: 1647
Originally Posted by tonyleung:
p.s - I am annoyed most of the extras have been dropped for the HD-DVD too (even the 2 Disc extras) :(
But strangely it seems to have different exclusive extras???
Just a thought, but I wonder if the PiP feature could consist of some or all of the material that is stand-alone material on the 2-disc DVD release?
I do find it quite telling that this release is NOT being marketed as a director's cut, especially given that Ridley Scott virtually coined the phrase.
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Member
Posts: 813
Good point, maybe.
Agreed. I think it's 99% a given the Theatrical Cut is his Director's Cut. It's not "that" often Scott isn't happy with his Theatrical Cut and thus feels the need to release a Director's Cut.
Member
Posts: 77
Originally Posted by tonyleung:
I'm still well annoyed I'm being denied the chance to check out the Extended Cut in HD, and thus probably at all (why would I watch a 2.5 hrs film in SD when I also have it in HD?)
Maybe there can't be a HD version? Perhaps the extra scenes added back in were not of sufficent post-production quality and their viewing in HD might have looked out of place or disjointed compared to the quality of the scenes from the theatrical version?
Good point on the commentary being on the theatrical and not the extended cut also.
Member
Posts: 813
Fair point but considering the age of the film I'd say that's very unlikely. Have any HD Discs used seamless branching? Maybe they've not mastered it yet on HD.
Then again maybe due to the limited popularity of the HD version (i.e - compared to the mass market DVD) they just couldn't be bothered.
I would be more annoyed if the Extended Cut but not Theatrical cut was included. I look out for web listings of the new/altered scenes and just watch those on the DVD side.
Contributor
Posts: 1647
Originally Posted by tonyleung:
Have any HD Discs used seamless branching? Maybe they've not mastered it yet on HD.
Blade Runner does. The third disc in the 5-disc set contains three versions of the film and uses seamless branching throughout.
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