Johnny Skidmarks

Studio Home Entertainment | minutes | | | Standard DVD reviewed by: Fusion3600

Johnny Scardino (Peter Gallagher) works as a crime scene photographer, but his real money comes from another source. He still uses a camera, but in this profession, he works for people who want a certain kind of photographic record. So Johnny snaps some sensitive photos of people, then he sells them to blackmailers, who then use the pictures to raise their own cash. Of course, Johnny has to keep a lid on these kind of assignments, as he would lose his daytime job if he was ever exposed. This comes into play when he finds himself in the middle of a string of murders, which involve many of his blackmailing clients. But even as he sees their bodies turn up, he is unable to offer any leads or tell anyone, as that would reveal his own underhanded deeds. So now Johnny must figure out who is behind the killings and while he knows it has to be someone he took photos of, that doesn't narrow the field all that much. As more corpses surface, it seems as though the line is leading right to Johnny, but can he somehow avoid being the next victim?

I'd never heard much about this film before this disc arrived, but with a cast that included Peter Gallagher, John Lithgow, and Frances McDormand, I figured it was worth a look. I was expecting a midlevel suspense/thriller from Johnny Skidmarks, but in the end, I was pretty impressed. The basic premise is a solid one, which allows for some cool turns and thanks to the actors involved, it all comes off even better than it should have. I think this material is strong to begin with, but the cast really elevates it and of course, that makes the movie much better also. I wasn't sure about Gallagher in this type of character, but he comes through in fine form, as per usual. In a thriller like this one, you need plenty of suspense and some twists tossed in and here, we have both of those elements. I think Johnny Skidmarks starts off slowly, but build up well and once the story busts open, it takes off and just sucks you inside. I don't know why this movie didn't get more press than it did, but I think it will find a fanbase on home video, like so many other solid flicks. If you like a good suspense/thriller, then I recommend a rental for this release.

I have to think this film turned out as well as it did thanks to the casting, which brought in gifted workers to bring these characters to life. As I said before, the basic premise and dialogue are well written, but never could have worked so well without such a talented cast of performers. That is not to say the material here is bad, but it looks much better when in the hands of actors such as this lot. I always look forward to seeing Peter Gallagher and as usual, his work is on the mark and worthwhile. This material doesn't allow him to showcase his full talents, but Gallagher still manages to be impressive and bring this character to life well. Other films with Gallagher include American Beauty, The Man Who Knew Too Little, House On Haunted Hill, Bob Roberts, Short Cuts, While You Were Sleeping, and Malice. The cast here also includes Jack Black (The Cable Guy, High Fidelity), John Lithgow (Harry and The Hendersons, Twilight Zone: The Movie), John Kapelos (The Breakfast Club, The Relic), and Frances McDormand (Fargo, The Butcher's Wife).

Johnny Skidmarks is presented in a 1.85:1 widescreen transfer, which is not enhanced for widescreen televisions. The lack of an anamorphic transfer shows here, as I saw frequent shimmering, edge enhancement, and moire patterns, which I think the added resolution would have minimized. But aside from those issues, this is a solid transfer, although those flaws are frequent, so I am forced to knock the score down. I found the colors to be bold here, very rich hues and warm, natural flesh tones, no real problems to discuss here. The contrast is also sharp, detail levels are good and shadows are well layered also. I was going to lower the score a little more due to lack of anamorphic enhancement, but I have to admit, this is a solid transfer and as such, I won't knock it much.

This is a dialogue driven film, so the included 2.0 surround track is more than up to the task. Some sequence make better use of the channels than others, but on the whole, this material uses a conservative presence. But when the tension mounts or the action picks up, this mix handles the bumps without much trouble, so no worries on that front. Most of the movie is fueled by dialogue though, which is well replicated here and no problems arise in the least. The vocals sound very crisp and clean at all times, I found nothing to complain about with this mix. This disc also includes a 2.0 surround track in French, as well as Spanish subtitles.

You can listen to an audio commentary track with director John Raffo, who shares a lot of insight on the details, which makes for an interesting listen to be sure. Raffo never talks much about technical stuff, but he has some amusing and interesting anecdotes about the production, which more than make this track worth a spin. This disc also contains some talent files, as well as a trailer for this picture.