Building a DVD library—the Warner way: the Warner Home Video backlist, with more than a dozen of the American Film Institute's 100 Best American Films, is a treasure trove for collectors - Entertainment

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), March, 2003 by Robert S. Rothenberg

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

Lethal Weapon (117 minutes, $19.98), the first in a series that has churned out three sequels with another in the talking stages, teamed Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in a variation of the old good cop-bad cop routine. Here, it's crazy cop-sane cop, with Gibson, more than half-mad after the death of his wife, assigned to partner with family man Glover, who's just trying to make it to retirement. They are pitted against a ruthless heroin smuggling ring consisting of ex-Vietnam Special Forces troops, and the sparks and bullets fly, as Gibson's death wish turns him into the titular lethal weapon. Despite its leavening humor springing from the interplay between opposites reluctantly paired to bring down the villainous Mitchell Ryan and his psychopathic number-two man (Gary Busey), the slam-bang action keeps viewers on the edge of their seats. The special Director's Cut DVD restores seven minutes lopped from the original 1987 release, which further clarify the two cops' personas, but there are no special features.

Strangers on a Train (103 minutes, $19.98) is a classic Alfred Hitchcock film, taking off from a seemingly random conversation between tennis star Farley Granger, complaining about his unfaithful wife, and Robert Walker, who, in turn, confides his hatred for his father. The plot twist is that--after Walker offhandedly posits that a perfect crime would be if each murdered the other's problem, since neither would have a motive and thus wouldn't possibly be suspected of having committed the deed, while the logical suspect would have a prearranged alibi--only Granger regards the conversation as hypothetical. So, Walker kills Granger's wife and, when a horrified Granger refuses to return the favor, the sociopathic Walker plants evidence that will link Granger to the crime. Having set this ingenious plot into motion, Hitchcock returns to his oft-repeated theme of an innocent man trying to prove his innocence against overpowering odds while also bringing the villain to justice. Typically arch Hitchcockian touches pepper the film, such as the murder being seen as a reflection in the victim's glasses that are lying on the ground and the climactic chase through an amusement park culminating on a runaway merry-go-round. The film is another triumph from the master of suspense. While there are no special features, the DVD is a special treat for collectors since it includes the original prerelease British print as well as the 1951 theatrical version. The former clearly revealed Walker's homoerotic attraction to Granger, a Hollywood no-no, so that aspect was neatly excised from the final release.

So, there you have it--28 DVDs that will fill in the gaps in many collectors' video libraries. Sit back, couch potato, and enjoy!

Robert S. Rothenberg is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of USA Today.