Robert Redford does his stint in a prison movie with the entertaining "The Last Castle", now banged-up on DVD.

TECHNICAL FEATURES

Picture You get slammed in the pokey and you've got a sea of grey shades to admire, much like anyone who purchases this DVD. Despite the somewhat depressing colour scheme, this transfer carries an icy sheen that does a lot to enhance the mood of the film.

Sound The Dolby 5.1 mix makes a commendable attempt to convince you that you've been slammed into the clink through clever use of subtle ambient effects. Once the action kicks off, so does the sound, with a bass-heavy rendition of the Jerry Goldsmith score, along with a few explosions thrown in for good measure.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Audio Commentary Director Rod Lurie does devote a good chunk of his commentary time to complimenting the actors, with Robert Redford earning more praise than is surely healthy. That said, he offers a good technical analysis of how the film was made and is comfortable enough to share moments which he feel don't quite work. Lurie's a big fan of commentaries, and as a result he's both enthusiastic and clearly well prepared with a slew of anecdotes to pepper the track with.

Inside the Walls of "The Last Castle" Once again we come upon the DVD extra that is an "HBO First Look Special". Occasionally these can be quite good, but in the case of "The Last Castle", this 15-minute effort is a typically cheesy promotional tool to persuade you to see the film. The cast and crew interviews are plot and character focused, with little of interest to anyone who's actually seen the movie. For the behind-the-scenes footage this is worth a skim, but you're unlikely to ever watch it more than once.

Additional Extra Features Included on the DVD are eight deleted scenes with optional commentary and a trailer.

Region: 2
Chapters: 24
Ratio: 2.40:1 (anamorphic)`
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
Technical Features: Scene selection, animated menus, multiple languages and subtitles.

This DVD was reviewed on a JVC XV-S57 DVD player.