Strays

Strays

DVD Rating: ***

Reviewed by: Leanne McGrath

Read Leanne McGrath's film review of Strays

The extras package includes a trailer and a making-of documentary. It's worth seeing as it actually makes you appreciate the film more, if only as a labour of love rather than for its cinematic merits. Strays is Diesel's baby and he and the cast and crew talk about it with affection. A lot of graft went into it and you have to give the big guy an A for effort.

Diesel reveals how he got the acting bug watching his father direct theatre but when he couldn't land roles he decided to write and make his own film - on a budget of $50,000. At this price, the boy done good.

Copy picture

He slept on couches and had to rewrite his script when they ran out of cash and had to scrap the final week of production. They even had to sneak on the subway and quickly film in one take as they did not have permission to shoot there.

Diesel comes across well on film and seems more intelligent than his screen image would suggest. He is more articulate as a filmmaker than when playing a character and shows promise.

There is no behind-the-scenes footage as they barely had the cash to shoot the movie let alone everything else - the docu was made for the dvd release 10 years later.

Picture and sound quality are what you would expect from low-budget indie but passable enough... aside from Vin's mumbling.

Reviewed on: 06 Jul 2008
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Strays packshot
A streetwise twentysomething seeks a more meaningful life than drugs, drink and womanising on the mean streets of New York.
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Product Code: REVD2160

Region: 2

Ratio: 16:9

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Extras: Trailer, making of documentary


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