Best of Blu-Ray, Vol. 2 [Blu-ray] DVD

The Fugitive
This 1993 box-office smash partly adheres to the 1960s TV series on which it is based and partly goes off on several tangents of its own. Harrison Ford stars as Dr. Richard Kimble, convicted of murdering his wife. While being transferred to prison by bus, Kimble is involved in a spectacular bus-train collision (one of the best of its kind ever filmed). Surviving the disaster, Kimble escapes, vowing to track down the elusive professional criminal whom he holds responsible for the murder. Dogging the fugitive every foot of the way is U.S. marshal Sam Gerard (an Oscar-winning turn by Tommy Lee Jones), who announces his intention to search "every whorehouse, doghouse, and outhouse" to bring Kimble to justice. Unlike his dour TV-series counterpart Barry Morse, Jones plays the role with a sardonic sense of humor: when a cornered Kimble screams, "I didn't kill my wife," Gerard shrugs and famously replies, "I don't care." Once the premise has been established, scripters Jeb Stuart and David Twohy and director Andrew Davis pull off several audacious plot twists, ranging from Kimble's rendezvous with a sympathetic lab technician to a jaw-dropping dive into a huge waterfall. The second half of the film offers one surprise after another (including the true identity of the murderer), brilliantly avoiding the letdown that plagues many movie adaptations of old TV series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Last Samurai
Edward Zwick returned to the director's chair for the first time since 1998's The Siege with this sweeping period drama set in 19th-century Japan. After centuries of relying on hired samurai for national defense, the Japanese monarchy has decided to do away with the warriors in favor of a more contemporary military. Tom Cruise stars as Nathan Algren, a veteran of the U.S. Civil War who is hired by the Emperor Meiji to train an army capable of wiping out the samurai. But when Algren is captured by the samurai and taught about their history and way of life, he finds himself conflicted over who he should be fighting alongside. Billy Connelly, Tony Goldwyn, and Ken Watanabe co-star. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

The Phantom of the Opera
One of the most popular stage musicals in the history of Broadway and London's West End makes its long-awaited arrival on the motion-picture screen in this lavish adaptation directed by Joel Schumacher. Christine (Emmy Rossum) is a beautiful and gifted young woman who longs to join the company of the Paris Opera House. During rehearsals for one of the opera's grand productions, a backdrop falls and crashes to the floor, nearly crushing leading lady Carlotta (Minnie Driver). When several members of the company suggest this could be the work of the "Phantom of the Opera," a spectral presence said to haunt the building, Carlotta drops out of the show, and the fates permit Christine to step in as her replacement. Christine's performance is a triumph, and on opening night she becomes reacquainted with Raoul (Patrick Wilson), a former childhood friend who is now a wealthy and well-known nobleman. Christine soon finds herself smitten with the handsome Raoul, but the same evening she makes a startling discovery -- the story of the Phantom is not just a legend. A brilliant but horribly disfigured composer (Gerard Butler) lives deep in the depths of the opera house, and taken with the beauty of Christine's voice, he abducts her and brings her to his lair, where he offers to help her perfect her talents, offering to write an opera especially for her. As the terrified Christine is comforted by Raoul, the two fall in love, but the phantom sees her affection for Raoul as a tremendous betrayal, and the jealous phantom nearly kills Christine as he nearly killed Carlotta. When the phantom emerges to present the opera's management with the piece he has written for Christine, the singer is asked to put her life on the line in an effort to capture the mad genius once and for all. Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical version of Gaston Leroux's novel, which had already enjoyed several stage and screen adaptations in the past, opened in London in 1986 and has been a popular favorite around the world ever since; the show was still running in New York and London when the film version premiered in late 2004. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Unforgiven
Dedicated to his mentors Sergio Leone and Don Siegel, Clint Eastwood's 1992 Oscar-winner examines the mythic violence of the Western, taking on the ghosts of his own star past. Disgusted by Sheriff "Little Bill" Daggett's decree that several ponies make up for a cowhand's slashing a whore's face, Big Whiskey prostitutes, led by fierce Strawberry Alice (Frances Fisher), take justice into their own hands and put a $1000 bounty on the lives of the perpetrators. Notorious outlaw-turned-hog farmer William Munny (Eastwood) is sought out by neophyte gunslinger the Schofield Kid (Jaimz Woolvett) to go with him to Big Whiskey and collect the bounty. While Munny insists, "I ain't like that no more," he needs the bounty money for his children, and the two men convince Munny's clean-living comrade Ned Logan (Morgan Freeman) to join them in righting a wrong done to a woman. Little Bill (Oscar-winner Gene Hackman), however, has no intention of letting any bounty hunters impinge on his iron-clad authority. When pompous gunman English Bob (Richard Harris) arrives in Big Whiskey with pulp biographer W.W. Beauchamp (Saul Rubinek) in tow, Little Bill beats Bob senseless and promises to tell Beauchamp the real story about violent frontier life and justice. But when Munny, the true unwritten legend, comes to town, everyone soon learns a harsh lesson about the price of vindictive bloodshed and the malleability of ideas like "justice." "I don't deserve this," pleads Little Bill. "Deserve's got nothin' to do with it," growls Munny, simultaneously summing up the insanity of western violence and the legacy of Eastwood's Man With No Name. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide

Cast Harrison Ford as Dr. Richard Kimble Tommy Lee Jones as Deputy US Marshal Samuel Gerard Sela Ward as Helen Kimble Joe Pantoliano as Cosmo Renfro Jeroen Krabbé as Dr. Charles Nichols Julianne Moore as Dr. Anne Eastman Andreas Katsulas as Sykes "One Armed Man" Daniel Roebuck as Biggs L. Scott Caldwell as Poole Tom Wood as Newman Tom Cruise as Nathan Algren Timothy Spall as Simon Graham Ken Watanabe as Katsumoto Billy Connolly as Zebulon Gant Tony Goldwyn as Colonel Benjamin Bagley Hiroyuki Sanada as Ujio Koyuki as Taka Shichinosuke Nakamura as Emperor Meiji Shun Sugata as Nakao Seizo Fukomoto as Silent Samurai Masato Harada as Omura Shin Koyamada as Nobutada Gerard Butler as The Phantom Emmy Rossum as Christine Daae Patrick Wilson as Vicomte Raoul de Chagny Miranda Richardson as Madame Giry Minnie Driver as La Carlotta Simon Callow as Gilles Andre Ciarán Hinds as Richard Firmin Jennifer Ellison as Meg Giry James Fleet as Lefevre Victor McGuire as Piangi Kevin McNally as Buquet Murray Melvin as Reyer Paul Brooke as Auctioneer Laura Hounsom as Young Mme. Giry Chris Overton as Young Phantom Imogen Bain as Carlotta's Maid Miles Western as Carlotta's Wigmaker Judith Paris as Carlotta's Seamstress Halcro Johnston as Passirino Oliver Chopping as Porter Alison Skilbeck as Nun/Nurse Lee Sellers as Chauffer Ramin Karimloo as Christine's Father Annabel Porter as Young Meg Max Thomas as Clint Eastwood as Bill Munny Gene Hackman as Sheriff "Little Bill" Daggett Morgan Freeman as Ned Logan Richard Harris as English Bob Jaimz Woolvett as The "Schofield Kid" Saul Rubinek as W.W. Beauchamp Frances Fisher as Strawberry Alice David Mucci as Quick Mike Rob Campbell as Davey Bunting Anthony James as Skinny Dubois

Crew Richard Roberts - Art Director Adrian H. Gorton - Art Director Julian Ludwig - Associate Producer Phyllis Huffman - Casting Clint Eastwood - Director Joel Cox - Editor David Valdes - Executive Producer David Peoples - Executive Producer Lennie Niehaus - Composer (Music Score) Rob Young - Musical Direction/Supervision Stan Edmonds - Makeup David Valdes - Production Designer Henry Bumstead - Production Designer Jack N. Green - Cinematographer Bob Gray - Production Manager Clint Eastwood - Producer Janice Blackie-Goodine - Set Designer James Murakami - Set Designer John Frazier - Special Effects Rob Young - Sound/Sound Designer Richard Alexander - Sound/Sound Designer Les Fresholtz - Sound/Sound Designer Verne Poore - Sound/Sound Designer David Peoples - Screenwriter Richard Roberts - Art Director Adrian H. Gorton - Art Director Julian Ludwig - Associate Producer Phyllis Huffman - Casting Clint Eastwood - Director Joel Cox - Editor David Valdes - Executive Producer David Peoples - Executive Producer Lennie Niehaus - Composer (Music Score) Rob Young - Musical Direction/Supervision Stan Edmonds - Makeup David Valdes - Production Designer Henry Bumstead - Production Designer Jack N. Green - Cinematographer Bob Gray - Production Manager Clint Eastwood - Producer Janice Blackie-Goodine - Set Designer James Murakami - Set Designer John Frazier - Special Effects Rob Young - Sound/Sound Designer Richard Alexander - Sound/Sound Designer Les Fresholtz - Sound/Sound Designer Verne Poore - Sound/Sound Designer David Peoples - Screenwriter Richard Roberts - Art Director Adrian H. Gorton - Art Director Julian Ludwig - Associate Producer Phyllis Huffman - Casting Clint Eastwood - Director Joel Cox - Editor David Valdes - Executive Producer David Peoples - Executive Producer Lennie Niehaus - Composer (Music Score) Rob Young - Musical Direction/Supervision Stan Edmonds - Makeup David Valdes - Production Designer Henry Bumstead - Production Designer Jack N. Green - Cinematographer Bob Gray - Production Manager Clint Eastwood - Producer Janice Blackie-Goodine - Set Designer James Murakami - Set Designer John Frazier - Special Effects Rob Young - Sound/Sound Designer Richard Alexander - Sound/Sound Designer Les Fresholtz - Sound/Sound Designer Verne Poore - Sound/Sound Designer David Peoples - Screenwriter Richard Roberts - Art Director Adrian H. Gorton - Art Director Julian Ludwig - Associate Producer Phyllis Huffman - Casting Clint Eastwood - Director Joel Cox - Editor David Valdes - Executive Producer David Peoples - Executive Producer Lennie Niehaus - Composer (Music Score) Rob Young - Musical Direction/Supervision Stan Edmonds - Makeup David Valdes - Production Designer Henry Bumstead - Production Designer Jack N. Green - Cinematographer Bob Gray - Production Manager Clint Eastwood - Producer Janice Blackie-Goodine - Set Designer James Murakami - Set Designer John Frazier - Special Effects Rob Young - Sound/Sound Designer Richard Alexander - Sound/Sound Designer Les Fresholtz - Sound/Sound Designer Verne Poore - Sound/Sound Designer David Peoples - Screenwriter

The Fugitive
Riddled with fast-paced action, taut suspense, and a blessedly wry, intelligent sense of humor, The Fugitive is one of the most thoroughly entertaining films ever to careen through the action genre. Directed with a sure, steady hand by Andrew Davis, the film's tight construction allows its lower-key moments to resound with the same compelling undertones as its action sequences; even the sight of Kimble's searching through medical files rings with nail-biting tension. Buoyed as much by its performances as by Davis' assured direction, The Fugitive benefits from the solid presence of Harrison Ford, here at his dependable, everyman best as the innocent Kimble, and a wily, Oscar-winning turn from Tommy Lee Jones as the relentless Gerard. The chemistry between the two adversaries is one of the film's most satisfying aspects, made so by believable, multi-dimensional characterizations that are all too rare in action films. Gerard is no idiot, and Kimble's eventual triumph is hard-won. Never possessing a clear, self-assured edge over his pursuers, his cleverness is well matched by that of the people determined to bring him to justice. The Fugitive contains enough tricks up its sleeve to satisfy even the most jaded action fans, and Ford fans will derive satisfaction from watching him prove that, though older and undeniably well-worn, he was still worthy of his status as one of the genre's most dependable heroes. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
 

The Last Samurai
While it certainly is not groundbreaking or original, Edward Zwick's The Last Samurai does succeed in telling a moving story in a well-crafted manner. With similarities to Dances With Wolves and Zwick's own Glory, the film also tries to capture the magic of such classic samurai films as Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai. But the skewing of the story to reflect the experience of a Western intruder/visitor unfortunately places the audience somewhat outside of the full experience of the samurais themselves. Occasional voice-overs with Tom Cruise's Algren reading out diary entries are a much too overt plot device that takes away from the film's more subtle, restrained storytelling elements. The sometimes slow pacing of the film can feel overdone at times, but it is more often very effective in creating the emotional impact of the story. Cruise acquits himself well in his role, portraying his Captain Algren passionately and showing a flare for swordplay and fighting skills in the action scenes. But off of the battlefield, Cruise never really seems to embody a character that has truly experienced what Algren has; one does not get the sense that he is a battle-worn veteran (of the Civil War and the Indian Wars in the West). This is the kind of movie that works best when its actors are able to summon the period authenticity of their characters and to disappear into their roles. Though Cruise gives the part his all and conveys emotions well, he doesn't seem to have the right presence for the part. The real stars of the film are its Japanese actors, even if it does relegate them to "supporting" roles. Ken Watanabe is stoic yet heartbreaking as the samurai leader Katsumoto, truly conjuring the essence of samurai/warrior life. Watanabe should be considered among such greats as Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura. He is incredibly effective as Katsumoto, and his are the best scenes in the film. Also impressive is Hiroyuki Sanada as a fierce and highly skilled samurai and Shin Koyamada as Katsumoto's son, Nobutada, who shows great courage and heart in one of the film's most moving scenes. Koyuki, who has the only real female role in the film, does as much as she can with her part as Taka, the widow of a samurai whom Algren has killed and the sister of Katsumoto. Taka must care for Algren and nurse him back to health after a battle injury, and Koyuki expresses a lot with few words as her character goes from feeling shamed by Algren's presence in her home to harboring a subtle affection for him. Lastly, the young child that plays the older of Taka's two sons delivers a touching performance; he develops a natural rapport with Cruise's Algren, especially in a later scene in the film in which he reveals his emotional attachment to the American captain. The cinematography for The Last Samurai and its production design are excellent, expressing a poetic respect for the Japanese culture, land, and history. Algren's samurai training scenes and many fights are choreographed and shot with great skill and are rousing pieces of action. The battle scenes are also photographed and edited with flair; however, though they are stirring and beautifully shot, most are so heartbreaking that their effect is bittersweet. The battles seem authentic and are often bloody; special effects and stunts are worked in seamlessly, not taking away from the film's elegant style. Attempts at political explanations for the state of affairs are so-so. Masato Harada is adequate as the emperor's greedy advisor Omura, personifying the "selling out" of Japan to the West, but too much is left unsaid about how the country has gotten to this state of, essentially, civil war. It's the meeting between Katsumoto and the young emperor (Shichinosuke Nakamura) that elucidates the two men's plights and gives their standpoints a greater amount of emotional weight. Overall, The Last Samurai tells a fascinating and moving story despite its flaws. ~ Dana Rowader, All Movie Guide
 

The Phantom of the Opera
Again proving himself game for any genre, Joel Schumacher takes the helm of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, a musical whose long delay to the screen represents a rare failure of Hollywood to strike when the iron is hot. No doubt thinking it could be his Chicago, Schumacher was probably as surprised as anyone to see his grandiose production shut out of the major Oscar categories. The film is an incredibly faithful rendering of the popular show. But with Webber's fingerprints all over it, it's never precisely more than that, and that's what separates it from Chicago. Coming only two years on the heels of that film, there's an unjust tendency to judge Phantom according to Chicago's success, and true enough, it doesn't measure up to either that or the stage phenomenon that inspired it. One real difference from the stage: it's unavoidable that the phantom (Gerard Butler) will lose some of his crucial mystery when brought up close and personal with the audience. Seen at a distance, lurking in the shadows, he's a more remote and effective figure. Emmy Rossum fares better as Christine Daae, projecting a disarming mixture of beauty and innocence, and Patrick Wilson is a dashing Raoul. All three leads -- not to mention a funny Minnie Driver as the opera's resident diva -- come off pretty impressively in terms of their singing, which sounds enough like the original Broadway recordings to please ardent fans of the material. In fact, the exquisite sets, lush costumes, and sweeping camerawork -- even the black-and-white frame story -- all compliment the performances well enough. The result is a costume drama that's at times genuinely rousing. It's just not an Oscar winner. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
 

Unforgiven
Appearing two years after Kevin Costner's Oscar-winning megahit Dances With Wolves, Unforgiven helped spur a mini-revival of the moribund genre in the 1990s that included Posse (1993), Tombstone (1993), and Sharon Stone's "Man With No Name" turn in The Quick and the Dead (1995). Written by David Webb Peoples in 1976, the script was bought by Clint Eastwood in the early '80s, though he waited until he was old enough to play psychotic antihero William Munny as a grizzled veteran of a bloody past, rather than someone closer to the younger Eastwood of Sergio Leone's "Dollars" trilogy and Don Siegel's Dirty Harry (1971). Upon its release in August 1992, seven years after Eastwood's previous western Pale Rider, Unforgiven was praised as an uncompromising revisionist masterpiece, showcasing Eastwood's visual command of western landscapes and locations and his perceptive yet critical view of the genre's mythology and his own place in its "machinery of violence." After deliberately pacing the reemergence of Munny's pathology, Eastwood shrouds the climactic shoot-out in cinematographer Jack N. Green's dark shadows and heavy rainfall reminiscent of film noir, rendering Munny's return to Eastwood's lethal star form unsettling in its victory. Unforgiven became an unexpected serious hit in a season of popcorn movies, eventually grossing over $100 million and reviving Eastwood's star standing after a series of late '80s flops. After winning several critics' prizes, it became one of only a handful of westerns to win the Best Picture Oscar; Eastwood's status behind the camera was finally acknowledged with a Best Director statuette. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
 

Disc Title: The Fugitive - People Awards: Andrew Davis: Directors Guild of America, Best Director (nominated) Andrew Davis: Golden Globe, Best Director (nominated) Bruce Stambler: Academy, Best Sound Effects (nominated) David Finfer: Academy, Best Editing (nominated) Dean Goodhill: Academy, Best Editing (nominated) Dennis Virkler: Academy, Best Editing (nominated) Don Brochu: Academy, Best Editing (nominated) Donald O. Mitchell: Academy, Best Sound (nominated) Dov Hoenig: Academy, Best Editing (nominated) Frank A. Montaño: Academy, Best Sound (nominated) Harrison Ford: Golden Globe, Best Actor (Drama) (nominated) James Newton Howard: Academy, Best Score (nominated) John Leveque: Academy, Best Sound Effects (nominated) Michael Chapman: Academy, Best Cinematography (nominated) Michael Chapman: American Society of Cinematographers, Best Cinematography (nominated) Michael Herbick: Academy, Best Sound (nominated) Richard Nord: Academy, Best Editing (nominated) Scott D. Smith: Academy, Best Sound (nominated) Tommy Lee Jones: Academy, Best Supporting Actor (winner) Tommy Lee Jones: British Academy Awards, Best Supporting Actor (nominated) Tommy Lee Jones: Golden Globe, Best Supporting Actor (winner) Tommy Lee Jones: L.A. Film Critics Association, Best Supporting Actor (winner)

The Fugitive - Film Awards: Academy, Best Picture (nominated)

Disc Title: The Last Samurai - People Awards: Andy Nelson: Academy, Best Sound (nominated) Anna Behlmer: Academy, Best Sound (nominated) Edward Zwick: Producers Guild of America, Producer of the Year (nominated) Gretchen Rau: Academy, Best Art Direction (nominated) Hans Zimmer: Golden Globe, Best Score (nominated) Jeff Wexler: Academy, Best Sound (nominated) John Toll: American Society of Cinematographers, Best Cinematography (nominated) Ken Watanabe: Academy, Best Supporting Actor (nominated) Ken Watanabe: Golden Globe, Best Supporting Actor (nominated) Ken Watanabe: Screen Actors Guild, Best Supporting Actor (nominated) Lilly Kilvert: Academy, Best Art Direction (nominated) Marshall Herskovitz: Producers Guild of America, Producer of the Year (nominated) Ngila Dickson: Academy, Best Costume Design (nominated) Paula Wagner: Producers Guild of America, Producer of the Year (nominated) Tom Cruise: Golden Globe, Best Actor - Drama (nominated) Tom Cruise: Producers Guild of America, Producer of the Year (nominated)

The Last Samurai - Film Awards: American Film Institute, Best Picture (winner) National Board of Review, Best Director (winner) National Board of Review, Best Picture (nominated)

Disc Title: The Phantom of the Opera - People Awards: Andrew Lloyd Webber: Academy, Best Song (nominated) Anthony Pratt: Academy, Best Art Direction (nominated) Celia Bobak: Academy, Best Art Direction (nominated) Charles Hart: Academy, Best Song (nominated) Emmy Rossum: Broadcast Film Critics Association, Best Young Actress (winner) Emmy Rossum: Golden Globe, Best Actress - Comedy or Musical (nominated) Emmy Rossum: National Board of Review, Breakthrough Performance - Female (winner) John Mathieson: Academy, Best Cinematography (nominated)

The Phantom of the Opera - Film Awards: Broadcast Film Critics Association, Best Picture (nominated) Golden Globe, Best Original Song (nominated) Golden Globe, Best Picture - Comedy or Musical (nominated)

Disc Title: Unforgiven - People Awards: Clint Eastwood: Academy, Best Actor (nominated) Clint Eastwood: Academy, Best Director (winner) Clint Eastwood: British Academy Awards, Best Director (David Lean Award) (nominated) Clint Eastwood: British Academy Awards, Best Film (nominated) Clint Eastwood: Directors Guild of America, Best Director (winner) Clint Eastwood: Golden Globe, Best Director (winner) Clint Eastwood: L.A. Film Critics Association, Best Actor (winner) Clint Eastwood: L.A. Film Critics Association, Best Director (winner) Clint Eastwood: National Society of Film Critics, Best Actor - Runner-up (winner) Clint Eastwood: National Society of Film Critics, Best Director (winner) David Peoples: Academy, Best Original Screenplay (nominated) David Peoples: British Academy Awards, Best Original Screenplay (nominated) David Peoples: Golden Globe, Best Screenplay (nominated) David Peoples: L.A. Film Critics Association, Best Screenplay (winner) David Peoples: National Society of Film Critics, Best Screenplay (winner) Dick Alexander: Academy, Best Sound (nominated) Gene Hackman: Academy, Best Supporting Actor (winner) Gene Hackman: British Academy Awards, Best Supporting Actor (nominated) Gene Hackman: Golden Globe, Best Supporting Actor (winner) Gene Hackman: L.A. Film Critics Association, Best Supporting Actor (winner) Gene Hackman: National Society of Film Critics, Best Supporting Actor (winner) Gene Hackman: New York Film Critics Circle, Best Supporting Actor (winner) Henry Bumstead: Academy, Best Art Direction (nominated) Jack N. Green: Academy, Best Cinematography (nominated) Jack N. Green: British Academy Awards, Best Cinematography (nominated) Janice Blackie-Goodine: Academy, Best Art Direction (nominated) Joel Cox: Academy, Best Editing (winner) Les Fresholtz: Academy, Best Sound (nominated) Rob Young: Academy, Best Sound (nominated) Verne Poore: Academy, Best Sound (nominated)

Unforgiven - Film Awards: Academy, Best Picture (winner) American Film Institute, 100 Greatest American Movies (winner) Golden Globe, Best Film (Drama) (nominated) L.A. Film Critics Association, Best Picture (winner) National Board of Review, Best Picture (nominated) National Society of Film Critics, Best Film (winner) National Society of Film Critics, Best Picture (winner)

General Specifications: Language Options: English, French, Spanish Subtitle Options: English, French, Spanish Sound Processing: DD5.1: Dolby Digital w/ sub-woofer channel DD2: Dolby Digital Stereo Additional Features: The Last Samurai: Deleted scenes Director commentary Extensive making-of documentary/ featurettes The Fugitive: Tommy Lee Jones/ director Andrew Davis intro Director commentary Making-of featurette The Phantom of the Opera: Additional scene Detailed making-of documentaries on the story's stage-to-screen history Unforgiven: Biographer commentary Making-of featurettes Eastwood profile documentaries Classic Maverick episode DVD Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1: 2.40:1 1.85:1: Theatre Wide-Screen MPAA Rating: R DVD Discs Included: 4 DVD Sides: 4 DVD DVD Region Code: Content Length: 556 min