‘The Forgiven’ is intriguing thriller
Redemption is the subject of “The Forgiven” (2018, Lionsgate, R, $20), an enlightening South Africa-set thriller about Archbishop Desmond Tutu (Forest Whitaker) and his Truth and Reconciliation Committee.
In the midst of trying to confront brutal chapters in South African history, Tutu becomes entangled in the case of a notorious death squad assassin (Eric Bana) possibly looking to confess his offenses. While there’s too many subplots vying for the viewer’s attention, the scenes set in the prison between the two men pack quite a wallop. Extras: none.
Also New on DVD Wonderstruck (2018, Lionsgate, PG-13, $20):
From Todd Haynes (“Carol”) comes a one-of-a-kind adventure about two hearing-impaired 12-yearolds (Oakes Fegley, Millicent Simmonds) in different eras who travel alone to New York City in search of their missing parents. While the finale, involving a mystery woman (Julianne Moore) who connects the parallel plots, lacks an emotional payoff, Simmonds and Fegley deliver flawless performances which are never less than touching and true. Extras: none.
Caught (2018, Cinedigm, unrated, $15):
A home invasion thriller like no other, this intriguing entry begins with a married couple of journalists (Mickey Sumner, Ruben Crow) inviting into their home a pair of welldressed strangers (Cian Barry, April Pearson). The visitors have questions about photographs the journalists snapped out on the moors, near a secret military base. Quickly, the polite encounter descends into a ferocious fight for survival. “Caught” is a little too in love with its own ambiguity but director Jamie Patterson knows how to create an atmosphere of tension and dread. Extras: none.
Underworld U.S.A (1961, Twilight Time, unrated, $30):
Have you seen “GoodFellas” and “The Godfather” too many times? For a fresh blast of gangster grit and gravity, check out this superb, unsentimental look at a safecracker (Cliff Robertston) who joins the mob in order to get revenge against the four men who killed his father. Director Samuel Fuller is a master of pulp filmmaking and this terrifically taut offering is, along with “The Naked Kiss,” his most visually spectacular movie. Extras: intro by Martin Scorsese and featurette.
The Drowning Pool (1975, Warner Archive, unrated, $20):
New to Blu-ray, the second film starring Paul Newman as private eye Lew Harper is set in a small town outside of New Orleans which is something of a hotbed for blackmailers, crooked cops and greedy oilman. Joanne Woodward is terrific as the old flame of Harper’s who calls on him to solve a seemingly simple blackmail scheme. But nothing is as it seems in the peppery parish. While the storytelling is occasionally slack, Newman is given a great showcase to strut his stuff and the final action scene is a real doozy. Extras: featurette.
Sleeping Dogs (1977, Arrow, unrated, $30):
The first film from New Zealand to open in the United States, this remarkable thriller directed by Roger Donaldson (“The Bank Job”) is full of surprises. It begins as a low-key character study of a man named Smithy (Sam Neill) who’s decided to live on a deserted island after his wife leaves him for another man. While Smithy shuts himself off from humanity, his country begins descending into martial law with members of the militia continually clashing with resistance fighters. A look at what can happen when people’s civil liberties are chipped away, “Sleeping Dogs” is an action movie with a lot on its mind. Extras: featurettes.
It’s Alive Trilogy (19751986, Shout Factory, R, $50):
Masterminded by Larry Cohen (“The Stuff”), these three horror thrillers are loopy yet strangely entertaining riffs on the dark side of modern life. The original is a demented delight, with John P. Ryan and Sharon Farrell giving birth to a monstrous mutant baby that goes on a rampage through Los Angeles. While riffing on the notion of a parent’s unconditional love for his or her offspring, Cohen pulls off a few set pieces that really get under your skin, especially a hospital sequence in which the fanged baby rips out the throats of attending doctors and nurses. Extras: featurettes and commentaries.
La Belle Noiseuse (1991, Cohen, unrated, $30):
Before the term “immersive” was coined, French filmmaker Jacques Rivette enjoyed immersing viewers in movies that seemed to go on forever. (His masterpiece “Out 1” lasts more than 12 hours). This entry, about a retired artist’s (Michel Piccoli) renewed commitment to painting courtesy of a much-young muse (Emmanuel Beart), runs about four hours and manages to make exquisite use of nearly every second. Piccoli and Beart engage in a riveting battle of wills but, at its heart, “La Belle” is a celebration of the creative process. Extras: featurettes and commentary track.
The Church (1989, Scorpion, unrated, $25):
In this gloriously gory Euro horror shocker, a renovation project at a gothic church unleashes evil spirits buried under the facility since the Crusades. Tomas Arana and Fedor Chaliapin star as the researchers who first encounter the nightmarish beasts but Asia Argento, daughter of co-writer Dario Argento, steals the show as a teenager who knows secret passageways in and out of the haunted cathedral. It all culminates in a third act that’s a pile-up of hellish imagery capable of raising a goosebump or two. Extras: featurettes.