Stars: Tom Cruise, Dustin Hoffman, Valeria Golino
Writers: Ronald Bass and Barry Morrow, based on a story by Morrow
Director: Barry Levinson
Distributor: MGM Home Entertainment
Suggested Retail Price: $19.99

Director Barry Levinson is one of the most underrated directors – EVER. His ability to hone in on small moments within big scenes and keep multiple conversations going by various character and still make a scene engaging is unparalleled.

He honed his craft on such character pieces as DINER, TIN MEN and AVALON, but with RAIN MAN, he took his quirky skills to the next level and delivered an Oscar Award winning Best Picture and took home a director award for himself.

RAIN MAN follows the story of self-involved Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise) who has spent his life living within his head and not getting too close to the ones around him. When his father passes away (he was estranged from him), he discovers he has a long-lost older brother with autism Raymond (Dustin Hoffman), that no one ever told him about.

With Raymond inheriting his father’s fortunes, Charlie decides to go on a road trip with Raymond (or is it kidnapping?) so he can secure half the fortune for himself. Instead, he finds himself finally connecting with his brother who lives inside his head due to autism.

It’s a very well executed character study with Cruise giving a phenomenal performance and Hoffman quite literally losing himself in the role.

There are elements of RAIN MAN that might be a little too politically incorrect if the film were shot today, but there’s also an innocence in the road trip and the slowly evolving relationship both Charlie and Raymond were deprived of having much earlier in their life.

Levinson handles every scene with care. The big moments, are not heavy-handed, and the character bits are priceless – and still a part of our pop culture subconscious.

The film is also a reminder of what a compelling and enigmatic performer Cruise is. He’s always commanded the screen, but when his off-screen antics in the last five years came to the fore, it detracted from what he does best – being a movie star. RAIN MAN is that film that took him from matinee idol good looks to accomplished actor that later starred in BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY and JERRY MAGUIRE.

The new Blu-ray release doesn’t seem to be all that different transfer-wise from the 2004 DVD edition – in fact the early part of the film does not seem as crisp and pristine as it should.

There are also two commentaries leftover from the DVD release, while two new special featurettes include a solid documentary THE JOURNEY OF RAIN MAN about the making of the film while LIFTING THE FOG: A LOOK AT THE MYSTERIES OF AUTISM sheds more light on the subject.

Navigation is a bit of a problem with the RAIN MAN Blu-ray too. The film starts up immediately once you drop the disc in, and finding the documentaries are like searching for Easter eggs. It’s not very nav-friendly, considering Blu-ray has made these things far more accessible than DVD.

That aside, RAIN MAN is well worth owning on Blu-ray. It’s a Best Picture winner, that some 20 years later still holds up against that year’s nominees and proves why it took the honor.

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