Search - King of the Ants on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Graphic Violence Movie Release: 2003 DVD Release: 06/29/2004 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 43 mins Studio: DEJ Productions Total Copies: 1 Genres: Crime, Crime Thriller, Psychological Thriller See Also: King of the Ants, King of the Ants [Steelbook Packaging]

Touted as something of a return-to-form for Re-Animator director Stuart Gordon, King of the Ants offers the brutal tale of a man discovering his previously untapped potential for violence. Despite the fact that his future seems relatively undefined, young drifter Sean Crawley (Chris McKenna) is an easygoing guy who makes a meager living by painting houses. When electrician Duke Wayne (George Wendt) suggests that the naïve young painter could make more money if he could expand his horizons, an eager Sean takes him up on the offer and Duke introduces Sean to local construction magnate Ray Mathews (Daniel Baldwin). Ray quickly enlists Sean's assistance in trailing a local city accountant whose number crunching is beginning to make the crooked construction heavy uncomfortable, and it's not long before Ray asks Sean to carry out a hit on the overzealous accountant. Although Ray and Duke subsequently attempt to distance themselves from the crime, Sean's attempt to collect on the hit results in a brutal attempt on the amateur hit man's life. Though he is beaten to within inches of death, Sean makes an unexpectedly speedy recovery fueled by an unquenchable thirst for revenge. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Chris L. McKenna - Sean Crawley
Kari Wuhrer - Susan Gatley
Daniel Baldwin - Ray Mathews
George Wendt - Duke Wayne
Timm Sharp - George

It may not be "horror" in the same sense as his classic splatter epic Re-Animator was, but director Stuart Gordon's harrowing revenge opus King of the Ants still retains the power to horrify, albeit in a very human sense. Now viewers can feel the true impact of Gordon's brutal shocker thanks to this release from DEJ Productions. The feature is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen, and though the film was shot on 35 mm stock, the overly washed-out transfer lends a decidedly "shot-on-video" feel to the feature that only adds to the gritty realism portrayed here. The transfer is clean, colors are vivid, and there seems to be little evidence of digital artifacting or edge enhancement. The English Dolby Digital audio mix, while not the most dynamic, is both clean and evenly mixed. Audio commentary by director Gordon and stars George Wendt and Chris McKenna is relaxed and laid back, offering little technical insight into production but remaining entertaining and passively informative nonetheless. The trio's passion for the project certainly shines through on the track, and viewers hoping for a little more can also check out the making-of featurette -- which offers interviews with all of the above in addition to star Alec Baldwin and producer/editor David Michael Latt. It's certainly interesting to hear how challenging it was to get such a bleak and violent movie produced and how the director and star walked a careful line in keeping the protagonist sympathetic, but the one glaring omission here is an interview with author Charlie Higson -- as it would have been great to hear how the man who wrote the novel thought his written word translated to film. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide