Rajinikanth is a religious icon in some places in India. More people know him than almost all of Hollywood. You might not know that. You wont if you listen to Josh Hurtado, blow by blow piece that tells you the mans film movements but not the reason it was such a big deal to the west and not to the East, he appeared here. This is the problem with Arrows release of BLOODSTONE. It is, for all its positives, still very euro and western centric.
A story of a gem, the bloodstone, that has a megnetic draw. Well it is the largest any have seen and priceless to boot. It has been stolen in the past but accidentally ends up in the possession of American newlyweds Sandy (Brett Stimely) and Stephanie (Anna Nichola). Mean hearted Van Hoeven (Christopher Neame) wants it back. Hoeven kidnaps Stephanie to show he is serious and ransoms her for the jewel, Sandy finds his only hope is Shyam Sabu (Rajinikanth) a talented taxi driver and guide.
Nico Mastorakis productions have always had a blend of the absurd and the divine. THE ZERO BOYS is a personal fave and in BLOODSTONE it seems he finds the perfect blend. Bryan Reesman commentary gets the film. Its a fusion piece. A film looking, like Mastorakis, to target audiences outside of the profile. Those in India, from India and exposed to Indian cinema. Rajinikanth makes the film his own. Mixing his masala acting, with the energy and embellishment of his best films. BLOODSTONE will satisfy cult, pulp and crap action film fans no doubt. But it did not achieve its ultimate goal. It disappeared because it was probably ahead of its time. This is the conversation missing. The point that if this were 20 years later in 2008. It might have been a superhit.
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
- Original 2.0 Stereo PCM Uncompressed audio and 5.1 Surround audio options
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Optional Greek subtitles
- Brand new audio commentary by Bryan Reesman
- Keeping it to Myself – brand new interview with producer and co-writer Nico Mastorakis
- Brand new video essay on Bloodstone’s star Rajinikanth by Indian cinema expert Josh Hurtado
- Trailers
- Image gallery
- Original screenplay [BD-ROM content]
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly-commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys
FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Mark Cunliffe
