‘Men At Work’ Blu-Ray Review – Sheen And Estevez Team Up For Outrageous Action Comedy

With little respect for their superiors, and even less for the law, garbage collectors Charlie Sheen (Wall Street, Platoon) and Emilio Estevez (Young Guns, The Breakfast Club) have made trouble a way of life. Practical jokers with a gift for the truly twisted gag, the two pranksters glide through work with one eye on the ladies and the other on the surf shop they dream of owning. But their fun-loving life is turned upside down when they discover the corpse of a local politician – and realize they will be prime suspects. Pursued by both the police and the real killers, Sheen and Estevez know that to save their hides, they’ll have to solve the case.

Hilarious supporting performances from Leslie Hope (Talk Radio), Keith David (They Live), Dean Cameron (Summer School) and Cameron Dye (Valley Girl) and an all-star soundtrack keeps things hot as they careen through kidnappings, car chases, and an unlikely romance, all in the name of justice… It’s a dirty job, but someone’s gotta do it!

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[youtube https://youtu.be/sx8C4bA7Tws?t=3469]

Video Quality

Men at Work makes its return to Blu-Ray via the MVD Rewind Collection with a 1080p transfer after previously being available from Shout! Factory in a two-pack with Easy Money. While I do not have access to that release, it is pretty likely this slightly dated master is derived from the same source. A fresh scan would likely clear up some minor issues, but the results are for the most part very fetching with organic film grain that has not been digitally scrubbed and robbed of its texture. Significant damage does not plague this release, but you will still spot some occasional nicks and scratches during your viewing.

This is a film that has a good deal of its activity taking place during the bright daytime with colors that pop off of the screen. The palette is nicely suffused as it captures the vivid seaside landscape. The black levels are fairly strong with a fair amount of depth in the nighttime sequence with only the intermittent moment of crush or banding. The transfer is mostly clear and detailed, but you do have moments that run on the soft side or experience some fluctuations in density in certain shots. The transfer does reveal some admirable detail in the production design and texture of clothing. Even if there is some room for improvement, most will be pleased by the look of this film which has been out of print for a moment.   

Audio Quality

MVD Entertainment brings us this new Blu-Ray with an LPCM 2.0 track that presents this information without issue. The dialogue holds up perfectly well, coming though clearly without being overshadowed by the tunes or sound effects. Environmental effects are precisely delineated including heavy machinery and other sounds of the city. The music of the film never lacks in fidelity as it flows through the speakers with authority. This track does not present any major instances of age related wear and tear. MVD Entertainment has provided a great track here. Optional English (SDH), French and Spanish subtitles are provided on this disc.

Special Features

• Trailers: This disc provides the two-minute trailer for Men at Work. The disc also features trailers for other MVD releases including Canadian Bacon, Panther and Ski Patrol.  

• Poster: A fold-out poster of the cover art is included in the case. 

Final Thoughts

Men at Work is not a great comedy, but it holds up as a decently entertaining romp thanks to the personalities within. The sibling leads serve their purpose, but it is some of the ensemble players like Keith David who steal the show. The plot is outrageous, but this was never intended to be a film striving for intense realism. This one skews more to the forgettable side of the spectrum, but it is worth a watch if you are a fan of the talent. MVD Entertainment has offered up a nice Blu-Ray with a great A/V presentation and not much in the way of special features. If you missed out on the first go-around, now is a great time to add to your collection. Recommended 

Men at Work is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray. 

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: MVD Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.