Blu-ray Review: Disorganized Crime

Blu-ray Reviews, Reviews

The ’80s were a good time for Lou Diamond Phillips. He had three great films in a row with La Bamba, Stand and Deliver and Young Guns. Then came Disorganized Crime. That’s not to say Crime is a bad film, because it’s not, but being the biggest name in the film at the time, Phillips takes on the role of the least interesting character.

Frank (Corbin Bernsen) has a great plan to rob a bank in small town and hires some of the best men around to help him. The trouble is Frank has just been arrested by two bumbling cops (Ed O’Neail and Daniel Roebuck). So his team meet up not knowing one another, nor the big plan. The team consists of Ray (Phillips), Max (Fred Gwynne), Carlos (Ruben Blades) and Nick (William Russ).

The two that steal the show in this film are Blades and Gwynne. Gwynne, best known has Herman Munster plays the classic elder criminal. He’s tough and knows what he’s doing and shines every moment he’s on screen, even giving a classic Herman Munster laugh once towards the end. Blades plays the feisty Latino criminal, Carlos who has most the best lines in the film. All the while Phillips’ Ray is a bland uninteresting character who has little to offer the film. While this doesn’t hurt the film per say, it does seem odd as he was easily the biggest box office draw for the film at the time.

O’Neill and Roebuck play the typical idiot cops trying to chase down the criminals. These cops have been seen in dozens of heist movies and while these two bring nothing new to the table for these characters, they do prove to be pretty entertaining.

The biggest problem with Disorganized Crime is that it’s not sure what genre it calls into. It’s a either a light-hearted crime film, or a comedy that isn’t very funny. It’s an entertaining film, but completely forgettable. Once you’ve watched it once you’re not going to want to see it again.

This film is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen and English 2.0 Dolby Digital. This is a really solid transfer, it doesn’t pop the way most blu-ray films do, but it looks really good for a late 80’s crime comedy.

This DVD offers no special features, not even the trailer.

Disorganized Crime is a fun film with a few decent laughs, but unless you’re a massive fan of one of the stars, there is really no reason to buy this film. Maybe rent it if you feel like there’s nothing else you want to watch. It’s amusing but ultimately forgettable.

Mill Creek Entertainment presents Disorganized Crime. Written and Directed by: Jim Kouf. Starring: Lou Diamond Phillips, Fred Gwynne, Ruben Blades, Ed O’Neill and Daniel Roebuck. Running time: 98 min. Rating: R for language and moments of violence. Released on Blu-ray: October 11, 2011. Available at Amazon.com.

Mike Noyes received his Masters Degree in Film from the Academy of Art University, San Francisco. A few of his short films can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/user/mikebnoyes. He recently published his first novel which you can buy here: https://www.amazon.com/Seven-Days-Years-Mike-Noyes-ebook/dp/B07D48NT6B/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1528774538&sr=8-1&keywords=seven+days+seven+years