Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow, Empire), John Savage (The Deer Hunter), Amanda Righetti (The Mentalist), and Dolph Lundgren (Rocky IV, Universal Soldier) star in the no-holds-barred action-comedy Showdown At The Grand. Proud cinephile George Fuller (Howard) loves the movies like no one else. As the owner of a movie theater, he’s always got the best seat in the house. But when corporate developers threaten his livelihood, he finds himself closer to the action than he ever imagined! Now Fuller must defend his family business against an onslaught of ne’er-do-wells alongside legendary action star Claude Luc (Lundgren) as art imitates life in a showdown for the ages.

For in-depth thoughts on Showdown at the Grand, please see my colleague Gaius Bolling’s review from its original theatrical release here.

Video Quality

Showdown at the Grand comes to Blu-Ray in a 1080p presentation that is very impressive. This is a thoughtfully composed film with numerous shots where you can see an incredible amount of detail. There are sequences outside of the theater setting featuring vegetation in the background that provides a nice reference to showcase the depth at play in the image. The film plays very well with the hues on display in the lighting and costumes, especially. This is a film with a natural color palette that is reproduced perfectly here with a fetching radiance. The highlights are handled beautifully, along with the deep blacks that do not appear to suffer from any compression artifacts. There are no egregious signs of any noise or other such digital nuisances outside of some fleeting banding. The skin tones look very detailed and natural all around. This presentation does everything that is asked of it.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray disc comes with a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that captures the very deliberate soundscape at play. This is a fairly lively film with moments that give the track more of an intense workout such as combat. The score is showcased beautifully here with an enveloping use of the surround speakers. Dialogue comes through clearly without ever being overshadowed by the environmental effects or the score.

The sound design is just as precisely thought-out as the on-screen visuals with all of the sounds positioned just right in the mix. The environmental effects create a nice soundscape of straightforward and heightened cinematic flourishes. Activity in the low end knows when to spring to life for a few key moments. This is a rock-solid release that brings the movie to life in a splendid way. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Writer/Director Orson Oblowitz provides a steady and informative commentary track in which he discusses his inspirations for the film, why he has always been drawn to Dolph Lundgren, collaborating with the ensemble, the influence of Goodbye Dragon Inn, the impressive work of his crew, and more.

Trailer: The nearly two-and-a-half-minute trailer is provided here.

Final Thoughts

Showdown at the Grand is a very entertaining ode to the power of the theatrical experience that is broadly appealing yet destined to find a special place in the heart of cinephiles. The themes at the heart of the film give it an emotional weight that distances it from your stand action schlock that can be fun but is not always nourishing for the soul. The action introduced into the movie is impressively executed on this scale while still not losing sight of the overall narrative thrust. Terrence Howard turns in one of his best performances in a little bit as he brings additional layers to the character that transcends the written word. Even if there are a few narrative hiccups along the way, this movie is very satisfying and well worth seeking out. Shout! Studios has given this film a Blu-Ray with a terrific A/V presentation and a great commentary track. Recommended

Showdown at the Grand is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD, and Digital.

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

Disclaimer: Shout! Studios 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.