# Has there ever been a good direct to video movie? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 28, 2005, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-good-direct-to-video-movie/323777 "2005-09-28T01:42:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-good-direct-to-video-movie/323777/1 "2005-09-28T01:42:48Z")
My impression is that direct to DVD movies are universally crappy. Can anyone name a good movie that never made it to the theaters? ---
**Author:** ![fusoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@fusoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fusoya)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-good-direct-to-video-movie/323777/2 "2005-09-28T02:01:38Z")
Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-good-direct-to-video-movie/323777/3 "2005-09-28T02:15:07Z")
Hopefully, we’ll be able to include the Futurama direct-to-DVD movies. ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-good-direct-to-video-movie/323777/4 "2005-09-28T02:18:59Z")
I liked **The Boondock Saints** , and if that actually opened in any theatres it was pretty limited! ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-good-direct-to-video-movie/323777/5 "2005-09-28T02:23:56Z")
> [@Silentgoldfish](#): > > I liked **The Boondock Saints** , and if that actually opened in any theatres it was pretty limited! [A whopping five screens!](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0144117/business) ---
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-good-direct-to-video-movie/323777/6 "2005-09-28T02:46:06Z")
**Cube** has attained a sort of cult status, mostly for its interesting plot concept rather than for being a particularly good film. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-good-direct-to-video-movie/323777/7 "2005-09-28T02:56:43Z")
I’m not sure if it’s direct-to-video, but the only copy I’ve ever seen is mine. Maybe this showed up on TV in Britain or something. It’s an adaptation of Frederick Forsyth’s **A Careful Man**. It was extremely well done, but it’s not listed on the IMDB. Forsyth himself introduced it at the start. ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-good-direct-to-video-movie/323777/8 "2005-09-28T03:01:13Z")
[The Last Seduction](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110308/) was an HBO movie that generated some Oscar buzz for Linda Fiorentino, but (IIRC) wasn’t eligible for Oscars because it hadn’t played theaters or something like that. I don’t recall the specifics that well; it was a terrific movie though. ---
**Author:** ![bonzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@bonzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bonzer)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-good-direct-to-video-movie/323777/9 "2005-09-28T12:32:16Z")
Sticking with John Dahl films, his immediately previous [Red Rock West](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105226/) only got a theatrical release in the US after being shown on cable and dumped to video - see [Ebert’s review](http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19940506/REVIEWS/405060304/1023). It did get released in cinemas outside the US before that; when I recommended it to my younger brother after seeing it during its belated US release, he was surprised I’d only just heard of it since he’d seen it at a cinema in Britain quite some time before. ---
**Author:** ![bonzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@bonzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bonzer)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-good-direct-to-video-movie/323777/10 "2005-09-28T12:43:54Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I’m not sure if it’s direct-to-video, but the only copy I’ve ever seen is mine. Maybe this showed up on TV in Britain or something. > > It’s an adaptation of Frederick Forsyth’s **A Careful Man**. It was extremely well done, but it’s not listed on the IMDB. Forsyth himself introduced it at the start. [Made for US TV in 1984?](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0418264/) ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-good-direct-to-video-movie/323777/11 "2005-09-28T13:12:34Z")
Seconding _Red Rock West_. Great film noir with Nic Cage, Dennis Hopper, Lara Flynn Boyle, and the late J.T. Walsh. Did _Equilibrium_ ever play in theaters? I have no recollection of it ever coming out, but it’s one of the cooler sci-fi films I’ve seen in many years. If it came out directly to DVD/video, that makes it even more impressive in my eyes. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-good-direct-to-video-movie/323777/12 "2005-09-28T13:19:27Z")
Once a manga series becomes popular enough, often, it is made into a direct to video animation, called an O.V.A. (Orginal Animation Video.) Often, this is the first step towards an animated series. The production quality, script, etc. of the O.V.A is often top notch. ---
**Author:** ![BluePitbull](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9bcb4/32.png) [@BluePitbull](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BluePitbull)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-good-direct-to-video-movie/323777/13 "2005-09-28T14:11:14Z")
> [@Scott Plaid](#): > > Once a manga series becomes popular enough, often, it is made into a direct to video animation, called an O.V.A. (Orginal Animation Video.) Often, this is the first step towards an animated series. The production quality, script, etc. of the O.V.A is often top notch. Quite a few OVA’s I liked: Gunbuster, Read Or Die, Magic Users Club. About the Family Guy Movie, is it an actual movie or is it just 3 episodes with various sub-plots? ---
**Author:** ![cardsfan1975](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f9b8f/32.png) [@cardsfan1975](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cardsfan1975)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-good-direct-to-video-movie/323777/14 "2005-09-28T14:56:02Z")
> [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > …the late J.T. Walsh. :eek: I’d really like to know what planet I was on when he passed away. It’s been 7 years, and I had no idea. I think a lot of that has to do with [The Negotiator](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120768/) and [Breakdown](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118771/) being older movies than I remember. Walsh was also in the previously mentioned _The Last Seduction_. cf’75 ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-good-direct-to-video-movie/323777/15 "2005-09-28T16:11:53Z")
> [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > Did _Equilibrium_ ever play in theaters? I have no recollection of it ever coming out, but it’s one of the cooler sci-fi films I’ve seen in many years. If it came out directly to DVD/video, that makes it even more impressive in my eyes. It came out in limited release on 12/6/2002, but was on video quickly. I’ve never been able to figure out why that is. I mean, Christian Bale, Sean Bean…it should have been released wide. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-good-direct-to-video-movie/323777/16 "2005-09-28T18:01:27Z")
The thing about Last Seduction that made it ineligible for Oscars was that it hadn’t _debuted_ in theatres. From memory, it was briefly shown on HBO (which had originally financed it to be an HBO exclusive film), then had success in wide release. At the time, HBO premiered a new original movie like every month, although I don’t think they do that anymore. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-good-direct-to-video-movie/323777/17 "2005-09-28T19:27:48Z")
Ripley’s Game, starring John Malkovitch. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-good-direct-to-video-movie/323777/18 "2005-09-28T19:40:10Z")
I thought the _Tremors_ sequels were were a laugh. The _Darkman_ sequels… not so much. ---
**Author:** ![sciguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@sciguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciguy)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-good-direct-to-video-movie/323777/19 "2005-09-28T19:45:04Z")
Equilibrium did get a theatrical release (I saw it in one), but it wasn’t very wide and not for very long. A couple direct-to-video that I’ve seen that were pretty good were the third and fourth installments of The Crow: “The Crow: Salvation”, and “The Crow: Wicked Prayer” (with David Boreanz, Tara Reid, and the kid from Terminator 2, no less). They weren’t as great as the first one, but were certainly an improvement compared to “City of Angels”. ---
**Author:** ![Innuendo\_Hunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Innuendo\_Hunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Innuendo_Hunter)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-good-direct-to-video-movie/323777/20 "2005-09-28T19:52:29Z")
I thought **Lion King II: Simba’s Pride** was really good! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-good-direct-to-video-movie/323777.md?page=2)