Search - The Butcher on DVD

Finally Mr. Roberts gets some screen time

Steve Kuehl | Ben Lomond, CA | 07/12/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Normally I would rate this kind of cheesy shoot-em-up lower (three star at the most) but this guy is such a work horse for the supporting roles - it was nice to see him adequately play the main guy with all of the screen time.

Eric Roberts plays the mob henchman who exacts some revenge after being set up for failure. There is some cheese, some overacting from the supporting cast, the well-known fake car scenes and plenty of hardware firing off, but in the end he makes for a decent watch from beginning to end. Ironside only has one scene in the beginning, so Davi and Eric are why one would watch this. Maybe for that car also. The picture quality looks good and the sound was fine so at least the budget existed this time to make it believable.

The supplement feature lasts 15 minutes and covers the usual interviews of cast and crew with the typical shots of the action logistics/production. The sneak peaks are the Michael Roesch fare that will someday make their way to DVD (Alone in the Dark II and Far Cry).

Overall, a decent watch for the Roberts fans and Jesse Johnson's best movie to date (I realize what little that can mean as my customers have despised his last few films), so I would say 3 1/2 for the movie, 1/2 for the extras and DVD quality; hope you enjoy this for what one would expect. As a side note, when Mr. Roberts came through this area to make Graves End a few years back (which is still not released in the US, grrr..) he was always an approachable guy that treated the locals nicely, even after 180+ films he still keeps it going."

So blood-soaked that it makes "The Departed" look like a chi

D. Raymond Hobart | midwest | 02/27/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was pleasantly surprised after viewing this gem. After a slow start with a lot of driving and seemingly pointless discussions, the films quickly picks up the pace.
While the language isn't as vile, it's a much bloodier film than, say, the Departed. It doesn't use the male-posturing crap that other movies seem to do to justify the carnage, either. Eric Roberts appears as if he's sleepwalking in the early scenes and I thought I was in for another straight-to-DVD snoozer.
Wrong!
While not portraying a "deep" character (after all, he is a hitman!), Roberts can handle the heavy ordnance with the best of them. (Refreshingly, he doesn't bust out crying in this one, folks.)
The film has its plot holes and silliness and is far from perfect. None the less, I give it a 9.5 out of 10. I sincerely recommend. Very well made."