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Body of Evidence (1993) - Blu-ray Review

3 beers“Have you ever seen animals make love?”  The question is not as innocent as it sounds.  Neither is the answer.  Especially when Madonna, portraying a suspected bedroom murderer, is the one asking the questions.  She’s being accused of fornicating a rich man to death.  Is that even possible?! Who cares?  When the results are this ... curvy, one does not argue.

Thankfully, though, she has a really good lawyer in Willem Dafoe.  Rebecca Carlson, with his help, might just get off.  Heh, heh, heh.  You guessed it, Body of Evidence, featuring Madonna showcasing her natural talent in all of her enormous and bountiful glory finally gets the Shout Factory treatment.

 

"Get handcuffed to the bed all over again with this Body of Evidence.  Just promise me you won’t waste your time on the R-Rated version. It’s Unrated (in HD no less) or bust."


 

Now, I am not a dummy.  I know a lot of you heathens out there HATE this movie.  It’s poorly acted, you say.  It’s so damn dull, you say.  It’s a rip, you say.  Yada yada yada is all I hear from your babbling mouths.  This movie, as far as B-movies go, is damn successful in creating an intriguing atmosphere even if the acting is as bad as you say it is.  For the record, I don’t see it.  Even Madonna does what she has to do to make Miss Carlson captivating.  Maybe YOU have a problem with pop singers turning into actresses. {googleads}

The film, directed by Uli Edel (Last Exit to Brooklyn), features B-grade performances from Joe Mantegna, Anne Archer, and Julianne Moore.  They are all professional enough to know exactly what type of movie they are in and they deliver on the pulpy matter.  The film, in spite of its graphic nudity, is a throwback thriller to the noir flicks of yesteryear.  Listen to the score.   Note the layered cinematography from Douglas Milsome, who was the camera operator for Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon and The Shining.       

This B-movie, certainly a knockoff of Basic Instinct, might be full of shadows and resolutely low-key lighting but it does have a purpose.  And it’s not to be soft core shenanigans at its worse either.  Past being just an obvious cash grab for yet another topless blonde, Body of Evidence – bonus points for Graeme Revell’s moody 1940s-like score – is a pulpy courtroom drama with a lot of hot and heavy bedroom action. 

Body of Evidence (1993) - Blu-ray Review

It is an erotic thriller courtesy of producer Dino De Laurentiis.  Those of you who know of his past work know exactly what to expect.  Thing is, at the time of its release, Madonna was in the middle of public backlash due to her explicit forward-thinking book about S-E-X and her Erotica album.  So, yeah, there was NO WAY audiences were going to be embracing this performance anytime soon.  That extended to the critics.  Body of Evidence’s cold reception was damn predictable; the world had had just too much Madonna.     

But the film remains a testament to the early 1990s sexually-charged thrillers AND to the buoyancy of pulp material.  You just have to give it a chance and now, thanks to Shout Factory, you have that chance.

Hot wax anybody?  Maybe Beck was right, “Yo soy un disco quebrado. Yo tengo chicle en cerebro.”  Whatever the reason, Body of Evidence isn’t exactly deserving of its ridiculous reputation.  It is a film that does exactly what it needs to do and nothing more. 

Get handcuffed to the bed all over again with this Body of Evidence.  Just promise me you won’t waste your time on the R-Rated version. It’s Unrated (in HD no less) or bust.

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Body of Evidence (1993) - Blu-ray Review

MPAA Rating: R for violence, language and a scene of sexuality.
Runtime:
99 mins
Director
: Uli Edel
Writer:
Brad Mirman
Cast:
Madonna, Willem Dafoe, Joe Mantegna
Genre
: Drama | Thriller
Tagline:
An act of love, or an act of murder?
Memorable Movie Quote: "There's nothing wrong with admitting that you want me, Frank."
Theatrical Distributor:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Official Site:
Release Date:
January 15, 1993
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
June 12, 2018
Synopsis: Rebecca Carlson (Madonna) is a powerful woman. Intelligent, successful, and breathtakingly beautiful, she can bring almost any man to his knees ... and that's exactly where she wants them. But when a night of unbridled sexual abandon results in the death of a prominent businessman, Rebecca finds herself on trial for murder. Now it's up to her attorney (Dafoe) to prove her innocence ... but when he becomes entangled in her web of erotic games, his road to the truth proves to have as many curves as his enigmatic and seductive client!

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Body of Evidence (1993) - Blu-ray Review

Blu-ray

Blu-ray Details:

Home Video Distributor: Shout Factory
Available on Blu-ray
- June 12, 2018
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles
: English SDH
Audio:
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; single disc
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

Shout Factory presents Body of Evidence with a detail-rich HD transfer.  It has dark layers, yes, and those shadows are well-defined and crisp but the new 1.85:1 aspect ratio does not disappoint. Obviously, the film looks better than ever. Crisp contrasts and solid textures lead the charge in this transfer. Colors are solid, with reds being a standout. Blacks are, too. Surprisingly, there's enough fine detail on display to make this seem revelatory. The era-ready color palette looks terrific, too. The disc comes with a new DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround audio.

Supplements:

Commentary:

  • None

Special Features:

There aren’t a lot but, with two versions of the movie, what we do have is enough.

  • Unrated Version Of The Film (HD)
  • R-Rated Version Of The Film (Standard Definition)
  • "Love Or Murder" Featurette
  • Still Gallery
  • Theatrical Trailer

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Body of Evidence (1993) - Blu-ray Review

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