# Everly - Blu-ray Review



## Mike Edwards (Mar 10, 2011)

[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=43154[/img] 
*Title: Everly* 

*Movie:* :3.5stars:
*Video:* :4stars:
*Audio:* :4.5stars: 
*Extras:* :2.5stars: 

*HTS Overall Score:*79




[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=43162[/img]*Summary*
I saw the trailer for “Everly” about 6 months ago and new that I HAD to watch it. For one it’s directed by Joe Lynch, one of the best horror/comedy directors in the low budget market, and the other reason is because it stars Selma Hayek. I mean, who DOESN’T want to watch one of the most beautiful women on earth run around with more weaponry than most third world countries? I came out the other end of this viewing with a sloppy smile on my face and my eyes rolled firmly to the back of my head. Taking queue from “Kill Bill”, “The Raid” and even a few hints from “Die Hard”, “Everly” blasts its way into our homes with more guns, knives, explosions, gorgeous women and bad language than you can possibly imagine. 

Everly (Selma Hayek) has been forced to live as a high end prostitute the last 4 years, under the ownership of mob boss Taiko (Hiroyuki Watanabe), and has finally had enough this Christmas. She’s been collaborating with the cops in an effort to take down Taiko’s regime, but it appears that Taiko has found out when a swarm of his men try to take Everly out. When this fails, the crime lord sends in wave after video game wave of villains, ranging from more minions with guns, grenades and other such sundry weapons, to the other prostitutes in the high rise Everly is staying in. It’s one of those situations where everyone and their mother is a ninja and even prostitutes carry an armament of weaponry that would make John Wick jealous and has the skills to use them. Think “Sin City” style prostitutes. 

As Taiko’s men keep getting stronger and stronger, Everly desperately has to meet fire with fire and the body count rises. When her mother and daughter (whom she hasn’t seen for the last 4 years) gets dragged into the picture is when Everly really turns macho. Before she knew she was going to die, but wanted to take as many of Taiko’s goons out as she could, but now she’s got someone to live for and her desperation turns her into a lethal force that even Taiko finds a bit too much.

[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=43170[/img]I’ll say it right now. The movie is completely ludicrous and nuts beyond belief. There’s nothing realistic about it, but its here solely to satiate the crazed fans who love a good bloody action movie. The action scenes are actually quite well done, and even though many of them have been done to death in other action movies, I had a blast watching her hack, slash, grenade, and shoot through every wave of bad guys. At the end of the movie you honestly wonder how Everly is even still in one piece, as she’s taken more punishment than most superhero’s can take!

I also was very impressed with the decision to keep the movie within one building, and in reality only 3-4 different ROOMS in the building at that. It keeps the already shoestring budget within reason and allows for Joe Lynch to spend more time with the action sequences, which were the highlight of the movie. I laughed myself to death (pun intended) with the grenade and the doggie fetch scene, as for once, I was surprised with a completely new action joke. One that I will have to remember fondly. 

Now the movie is not all fun and games. There are some definite downsides to the film and many of them come from the script and budget. While action movies aren’t exactly known for being overly intelligent, some of the dialog between characters was a bit hokey. Especially the whole scene with “The Sadist” and a few near the beginning of the movie with the hookers with guns. Still, I had more fun than I didn’t and those of you who like your action movies blood soaked and starring girls with guns, it’s hard to have a bad time. 



*Rating:* 

Rated R for strong bloody violence, torture, nudity, sexual images and language 




*Video* :4stars:
[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=43178[/img]“Everly” comes to Blu-ray courtesy of Anchor Bay with a solid looking 2.40:1 AVC encoded Blu-ray disc. “Everly” was shot with a shoestring budget and despite relegating the film to a single building with only a couple of scene changes, the digital photography can only look so good. Colors are solid, with good saturation and plenty of pop to them. I was really surprised how natural they looked as most films these days have a ridiculously high amount of color grading going on. Detail is solid, with plenty of shots that allow you to drool over the stunningly gorgeous Ms. Hayek, although I noticed that some scenes looked abnormally soft, and would switch between sharp and clear to a slightly blurry shot the next. Black levels are quite competent and stayed consistent throughout. A good track that’s slightly hampered by a low budget, but one that gets the job done with good results. 









*Audio* :4.5stars:
[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=43186[/img]Boom! Blast! Explosions! That’s pretty much the gist of “Everly’s” 5.1 DTS-HD MA audio experience. Guns go boom, grenades explode, the walls shake and I had to hold on to my seat as I was afraid my subs were going to knock me straight out of it. To say it’s an aggressive track is an understatement as the whole 92 minute runtime is nearly once consistent bloodbath battle. The dialog is clean and locked up front as one would expect, but it’s coupled with a really large dynamic range, where one minute Everly is whispering instructions to her mother and the next your ears are ringing with the after effects of a rocked propelled grenade that flew through the window. It’s a well encompassing track as the surround channels get plenty of play from the simple things like a footstep crunching on glass, or the shriek of a rocket flying over your shoulder from front to back. 








*Extras* :2.5stars:
[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=43194[/img]
• Creative Feature Commentary
• Technical Feature Commentary
• Music Video 










*Overall:* :4stars:

I had way more fun with this bloody little girl power flick than I thought I would. It’s like “Kill Bill” meets “Desperado” meets “The Raid” in a way that had me giggling the entire time and cheering on Everly to a blood soaked victory. It’s not a perfect film, as the low budget script sometimes is a bit too cheesy, but the constant action and nonstop blood should keep action junkies well occupied, and the movie itself doesn’t overstay its welcome, which is something some action movies haven’t figured out yet. The video is quite decent, and the audio is incredible, which drives me to give this a cheerful thumbs up as a fun (and bloody) little revenge/actioneer. 



*Additional Information:*

Starring: Selma Hayek, Hiroyuki Watanabe, Laura Cepada
Directed by: Joe Lynch
Written by: Yale Hannon, 
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1
Studio: Starz/Anchor Bay
Rated: R
Runtime: 92 minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: April 21st 2015




*Buy Everly On Blu-ray at Amazon*


*Recommendation: Good Rental ​*








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