New York City 1979. Every Jungle Needs a King. Joey Travolta (Oscar, Beverly Hills Cop III) makes his feature film debut as Nick Martin, a young tough guy from Sunnyside, Queens. He aspires to move his mother and two brothers to a better way of life, but he’s entangled in the politics of the street as the leader of the Nightcrawlers gang. When vendors at a local carnival swindle Sunnyside residents, the Nightcrawlers join forces with rival hooligans, the Warlocks and the Deathmakers, to rob the amusement park. But when violence erupts, Nick is forced to wage a turf war and choose between his family and the street. John Lansing (More American Graffiti), Stacey Pickren (Runaway Train), Andrew Rubin (Police Academy), Talia Balsam (TV’s Mad Men) and Michael Tucci (Grease) also star in this action-packed gangland drama from director Timothy Galfas (Black Fist, TV’s Night Gallery).
For thoughts on Sunnyside, please check out our discussions on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
Sunnyside comes to Blu-Ray via Kino Classics and Code Red with a 1080p transfer from a new 2K master in 1.85:1. Even with the new master, this presentation looks pretty rough with pretty consistent print damage and scratches throughout. The transfer provides an organically filmic presentation that only occasionally suffers from hazy looking shots. For the majority of the film, the transfer is moderately detailed, but there are the occasional shots that run on the soft side or experience some fluctuations in density. The presentation features some decent detail in the production design and texture of clothing. Colors are fairly vibrant and bright, especially in the daytime exteriors of the film. The black levels could be a bit stronger as they struggle with depth. This film has not been treated very well over the years, so do not go in expecting greatness. Fans of the film will probably view it as a win to have this in high definition with at least some effort put forth by Code Red.
Audio Quality
Code Red brings us this new Blu-Ray with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that offers a very strong audio experience. This film utilizes music well throughout, and it always presents with a pleasing fidelity. The dialogue holds up quite nicely, coming through clearly without being stepped on by the score or sound effects. The environmental effects are delineated nicely including the chatter when the members of the gangs are together and the sound of various altercations. This track does not present with any glaring instances of age related wear and tear. This is a track that represents the film in a very pleasing way. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are provided on this disc.
Special Features
- Interview With Chris Mulkey: A new 10-minute interview with the great Chris Mulkey (Whiplash) in which he talks about his interest in gang movies, how the experience was not radically different from his actual life, how he came to be in the film, his relationship with the creative team, how this film jump-started his career, his memories of his co-stars, filming the fight scenes and more. This is a really fun watch!
- Trailers: The three-minute trailer for Sunnyside is provided here. There are also trailers provided for Dirty O’Neil: The Love Life Of A Cop, Checkered Flag Or Crash, and Walk Proud.
Final Thoughts
Sunnyside never really does anything to set itself apart in the “gang movie” genre. Despite this, it provides an entertaining enough experience to not completely write it off thanks to some swift editing and decent performances. Code Red and Kino Classics have brought this on to Blu-Ray with a fine A/V presentation and an entertaining new interview. If this one sounds interesting to you, be sure to seek it out, just make sure you know which Travolta you are going to be seeing on screen.
Sunnyside is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Code Red and Kino Classics have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.