• Avail: Now
• Distributed by: Warner Home Video
• Run Time: 99 minutes

Hey folks, Valkor here. Welcome back to another episode of BluView, where we cover any and all things Blu Ray. Thanks to the folks at Warner Home Entertainment, I was able to get my hands on 80’s classic now turned Hi-Def “Risky Business: 25^th anniversary edition” starring Tom Cruise, written and directed by Paul Brickman, and has a host familiar cameos, who if you’re a child of the 80’s, you’ll notice them right away . I’ll admit this was the first time I’ve actually seen this film and I have to say for a flick that’s 25 years old, its pretty damn good.

The Story

Risky Business tells the story of Joel Goodsen. Joel is your average teen, parents are well off, good friends, dreams of makin it big, wanting to get into a really good college, and oh yea women. One day he parents decide to take a trip, leaving Joel home alone. So what’s a teen, with an entire place to all to himself, do in a situation like this? He puts on a pair of sunglasses, strips to his tighty whities, and dances around in the living room. Heh. Well after that his friend Miles (Curtis Armstrong AKA “Booger” from Revenge of the Nerds) sets him up with a prostitute, who turns out to be a tranny (And a very funny scene I might), which then leads him to another prostitute called Lana (played by Rebecca De Mornay, loved her in Hand that Rocks the Cradle). After a night of hot sex, Joel hasn’t enough to pay for all that lovin. He goes to get the money, but Lana steals a valuable crystal egg belonging to his mom. In attempting to get it back, Joel is lead on the dark path and learns that money really is everything and his world will never be quite the same again.

For such an older film, Risky Business really has withstood the test of time and is completely watchable. The premise of prostitution taking over this young man’s life is a bit far fetched because the film takes a safer approach; rather than showing the guys go out on the street lookin for sex, they call em up, like ordering a pizza. But the plot, as a whole, works, and definitely fits in with the 80’s style of films, like Private Lessons, Revenge of the Nerds, or Porky’s. But where Risky Business differs, is that it goes from something that starts out as light-hearted fun, to just a touch of suspense. Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay, both just getting their acting chops, give great performance here. And if you’re a child of the 80’s you’ll love spotting the “where are they now?” supporting cast. Right away I was surprised by Bronson Pinchot (Barry), who just feels completely out of place in this film, but you gotta love him in “Perfect Strangers”. I mentioned Curtis Armstrong already, Joe Pantoliano (Who was great in Daredevil, I don’t care what anyone says, DD kicked ass). Great plot, great acting, what more could you want?

Audio/ Video

The film is represented in Hi-def 1080p 1.85:1 and cleans up very nice. You’ll notice a scratch here and there, but nothing serious that will detract from the experience. You get two flavors of audio, the first being Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Digital, and though I’m running 2.1, the film sounds pretty sweet to me.

Extras

The cream of the extras is the commentary by Tom Cruise, writer and director Paul Brickman, and producer Jon Avnet; it’s good to here them reflect on the past and the commentary as a whole is pretty insightful and delves a bit further into the film. Myself not being a huge fan of extras, found this one to be most enjoyable. You also get a 25 year retrospect of the film, theatrical trailers, screen test, and a director’s cut of the ending. Finally you get a digital copy of the film for your PSP, IPod, or other portable media device.

Tighty whities are back in business with Risky Business, a film deserving of its place amongst the classics. If you haven’t seen it and looking to fill in that ever growing Blu Ray library, then Risky Business is a definite pick up. Fun plot, great cast and some crazy memorable moments rounds out the perfect package. Out of 5 stars, I gotta give the movie a perfect 5 and Risky Business has been Valkor tested and TOV approved.    

Valkor Out!

Email: valkor@the-other-view.com