Hey folks, Valkor here. Welcome back to another episode of BluView,
where we cover any and all things Blu-Ray. And thanks to the folks
at Warner Home Entertainment, I was able to get my hands on 80s
classic now Hi-Def - "Risky Business: 25th 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 80s,
you'll notice them right away. I'll admit this was the first time
I've actually seen the film and I have to say for a flick that's
25 years old, its pretty damn good and holds up well.
The Story
Risky Business tells the story of Joel Goodsen, who is something of an average teen with parents who are well off, good friends, dreams of making it big, wanting to get into a really good college, and, oh yeah, he loves women. One day his parents decide to take a trip, leaving Joel home alone. So what's a teen, with an entire house to all to himself, to 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 (a very funny scene I might add), which then leads him to another prostitute named Lana (played by Rebecca De Mornay, loved her in Hand that Rocks the Cradle). And after a night of hot sex, Joel doesn't have enough to pay for all that loving. When he goes to get the money, Lana steals a valuable crystal egg belonging to his mom. In an attempt to get it back, Joel is lead on a dark path where he learns that money really is everything and his world will never be quite the same again.
For an older film, Risky Business really has withstood the test of time and is completely watchable - even today. The premise of prostitution taking over a 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 looking for sex, they call them up as if they were ordering a pizza. But the plot, as a whole, works, and definitely fits in with the 80s style of films such as 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 something dark and just a touch suspenseful. Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay, both just getting their acting chops, give great performances. And if you're a child of the 80s you'll love spotting the "where are they now?" supporting cast. Right away I was surprised by Bronson Pinchot (Barry), who just feels out of place in this film, but you gotta love him in "Perfect Strangers". I mentioned Curtis Armstrong already, then there's Joe Pantoliano (Who was great in Daredevil, I don't care what anyone says, DD kicked ass). Rounding things out, you get a great plot, great acting, so what more could you want?
Audio/ Video
The film is represented in hi-def 1080p 1.85:1 and cleans up nicely. You'll notice a scratch here and there, but nothing serious that will detract from the viewing experience. You get two flavors of audio, the first being Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Digital, and while 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 hear 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" BD, 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 round 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.
