The Killing Tide
VHShitfest / Vinegar Syndrome
Original Release Date 1997
Written by David Dubay
Directed by David Dubay
Starring Steve Jones, Benedetto Sorrentino II, Carl Lamb, John St. James, John McKinnon
Language options English (English & Japanese subtitles available)
Buy it HERE from Vinegar Syndrome, or HERE from Diabolik.
by "Doc" Hunter Bush, MovieJawn Podcast Director and Staff Writer
The Killing Tide comes to Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome partner label VHShitfest. Writer / director David Dubay moved up from film advertising to producing and eventually this, his debut and only feature. VHShitfest's release of The Killing Tide features a very respectable video transfer and audio package with an excellent selection of bonus features.
The Movie Itself: Excellent
I love big, dumb action movies. To be fair, I enjoy a LOT of different genres and styles of film, but over-the-top action films will always have a special place in my heart. There are, of course, good ones, but I have a special affinity for the Big Swings. Weird vanity or passion projects that have more chutzpah than professional polish. The Killing Tide isn't quite one of those, but it certainly scratches the itch for me.
Writer / director David Dubay began his film career in advertising, working for a company responsible for I Spit on Your Grave (1978) and The Boogeyman (1982) before transitioning to producing films like Brainwaves (1982), The Devonsville Terror (1983), and The Boogeyman 2 (1983) all with Ulli Lommel directing. Lommel, who had come up as an actor under Rainer Werner Fassbinder shared Fassbinder's ethos of getting a film made cheaply with Dubay, who brought that mindset home to Michigan where he made The Killing Tide.
When a local land deal causes the corrupt cops, lead by Sheriff Cody (Carl Lamb) to clash with local crime boss Bruno Kotarski (John St. James), with hitman-for-hire Frank (Steve Jones) and his pal Benny (Benedetto Sorrentino II) caught in the middle and given good reason to wipe everyone involved off the board. Bullets fly, bodies fall, cars flip, a helicopter crashes, and numerous unconventional methods of dispatching one's enemies are utilized from, including one notable high-rise hanging with a firehose. The whole thing is awash in casual nudity, crass language, and great, bad, hard-nosed dialogue, all set against the backdrop of a citywide 4th of July celebration!
Part Steven Seagal vanity rampage, part low-budget stunt show and part cartoonish power fantasy, The Killing Tide is a genuinely entertaining independently-made film that is so under-seen I don't think it even qualifies as a cult classic... yet. VHShitfest is truly out here doing the (dark?) lord's work trying to spread the word about hidden gems that went completely overlooked during the DVD era. In the case of The Killing Tide, I believe it only received a Japanese VHS release.
I cannot understate how ambitious a film Killing Tide is. I love Big Swings in films, and this is awash in them. There's a really fascinating interview with the director included in the bonus features that answered a lot of my questions, but they still "crash" a "helicopter" in this flick! I will not explain why certain of those words are in quotes except to shrug and say: Movie Magic. I hope that piques your interest enough to take a chance checking it out.
The Packaging: Good
This is a solid release, offered in the style and up to the expected quality of your usual Vinegar Syndrome partner label releases. The case is of the slightly wider, sturdier, clear variety, allowing for you to appreciate the double-sided cover. On one side is an image of a blonde woman lying facedown with poker chips spilled across her back as well the silhouettes of two figures hanging upside down. The reverse is similar, with the image of the woman with the poker chips, but also a Polaroid of Frank standing over a figure lying prone next to a helicopter. This cover also includes some Japanese writing, so I'm guessing it is either recreating or referencing the cover of the Japanese VHS release.
The Video: Good
When viewed in a void, you might think my rating is a little high. This is obviously a low budget VHS-era film, with some, but importantly not all, of the flaws that come with that. I was expecting much worse, or rather, I didn't know what to expect, so I was preparing myself. I was pleasantly surprised, however! Since this restoration comes directly from the original master, there are no tracking issues, no ghosting, none of that.
The visuals are pretty sharp, all things considered, and the colors are quite vivid in a seedy, neo-noir way. By contrast, the Japanese VHS version (included in the bonus features) looks closer to what I was imagining (though, still, notably better than some things that come across my desk). The opening sequence is almost aggressively green and I was initially worried about the color balance, but I think it just WAS that green along the river at that time of year (in fairness, it was July).
The Audio: Good
As with the visuals, I was prepared for much worse, but by and large the audio here is very well-preserved. There's a certain dustiness, a muffled sound to some of the dialogue, but nothing is ever unintelligible. Well, not from an audio quality standpoint. The dialogue still has that vintage, 1990s tough-guy silliness to it: "I got ugliness on my eyes, sheriff. I got their corpses on my brain. My face feels like shit, sheriff." and my three-channel soundbar delivered them all with aplomb.
A special shout-out demands to be made, to Mark Rivera and Tony Beard who performed several original songs on the soundtrack, notably "Rescue Me", which plays in its entirety over the opening credits sequence. My note refers to it as "...legally not Phil Collins" which isn't exactly right, but y'know: first thought, best thought. The synths are less energetic, but the commitment to plaintive crooning and evocative imagery is close.
Before moving on, I just want to clarify that these songs, but especially "Rescue Me" are bangers! A thing can be of a quote/unquote "imperfect" quality and still be really damned satisfying. I am still humming "Rescue Me", as I write this!
The Supplements: Excellent
I was very pleased with the supplemental options offered here and that was before I checked them out! The interviews with writer / director David Dubay and actor Benedetto Sorrentino II were both really illuminating about the experience, especially in the places where they disagreed. But regardless, I went into the features after my viewing of the film having really enjoyed the experience, and I came out of them kind of loving Dubay, his crew, and the people of Macomb County, Michigan who by all accounts were really on-board with a local boy making a movie.
Dubay's historical documentary / local tourism Clinton River Chronicles is included, as well as the Japanese VHS version which seems, aside from some differences in quality and the presence of Japanese subtitles, like exactly the same movie? As far as I could tell, all the violence, language, and nudity present in the main release was still there, which, having no real knowledge of international VHS release guidelines at the time, I wasn't sure would be the case.
- Commentary track with actor Steve Jones
- Interview with writer/director David Dubay (56:17) (HD)
- Interview with actor Benedetto Sorrentino II (26:35) (HD)
- Location Tour (5:15) (HD)
- Clinton River Chronicles (1995) (1:06:23) (SD)
- Japanese VHS Version (1:24:41) (SD)
- Original Trailer (1:58) (SD)
Final Thoughts: Highly Recommended
I'm right on the cusp of giving this the highest possible recommendation. Not because it is the pinnacle of cinematic achievement or anything, but because it deserves to be seen by as many people as possible. Certainly, for fans of action cinema, or film preservation, I would say this is a Must Watch.
For normies (no disrespect meant) I still highly recommend this as a testament to what one man can do when given a small support system (which, in this case, necessarily includes the local government). I know I knocked the quality of certain aspects, but I'm just, as folks used to say, keepin' it real. In my estimation, The Killing Tide is an instant hangout classic that demands to be shared with some buddies.
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