Good Will Hunting

Distributed by
Pioneer LDCE

Cat.no: PLFEC 37561

Cert: 15

Running time: 125 minutes

Sides: 3 (CLV)

Year: 1997

Pressing: 1998

Chapters: 21 (7/8/6)

Sound: Dolby Surround

Widescreen: 1.85:1

Price: £29.99

Extras : Original Trailer (uncredited)

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Director:

Gus Van Sant

Cast:

Robin Williams
Matt Damon
Ben Affleck
Stellan Skarsgard
Minnie Driver

Gus Van Sant, the man responsible both for the critically acclaimed To Die For and the critically panned remake of Psycho weighs in with this equally offbeat outing, from a screenplay by cast members Damon and Affleck which deservedly won the duo an Oscar.

Damon plays the eponymous Will Hunting, a working twenty year old who loves nothing more than to hang out with his mates in their Southside Boston locale. A prodigious reader of books, Hunting interrupts his M.I.T. cleaner's duties to scribble an answer to an incredibly advanced problem on a blackboard set by maths Prof Skarsgard, who is immediately amazed - and subsequently even more so when he discovers the problem solver's identity not to be that of a student.

Will, meanwhile, is forming an attachment with pre-med student Minnie Driver - but just can't seem to commit to either her or anything beyond his small, safe South Boston routine. Plus, he's in trouble with the law and has a rap sheet as long as the equation on Skarsgard's blackboard - so (after five psychiatrists have given him up as a bad job), Skarsgard sends for old college roommate, buddy and retired counsellor Robin Williams to see if he can get through to Will to enable the boy to fulfil his potential.

A strong movie, with lots of compelling rough edges (even if the finale wraps up just a little too neatly) this looks and sounds (no spectacular surround, but some nice lightweight guitar-y songs) great on disc. As per Buena Vista/Pioneer's Mimic, there's a trailer hidden away after the credits that ain't mentioned on the sleeve. That's neither here nor there, however rather more serious is the uneccessary spreading of the film to three sides when a perfectly good potential side break falls between chapters 10 and 11 on side 2 which would have done the trick (admittedly you'd have to lose the trailer, but it's nothing remarkable so consequently wouldn't be much of a loss). Not that there's anything wrong with the side breaks in themselves (apart from there being two!).

Consequently, this sells for Pioneer's three sided £29.99 when it could have cost less - not a terribly smart move when Buena Vista are rushing ahead with PAL DVD at half the consumer price and many punters are likely to wait for this title to appear on the newer format. That said, GWH remains a terrific movie, isn't YET announced on PAL DVD and makes a worthwhile addition to any collection.

Film: 4/5
Picture: 5/5
Sound: 4/5

Review copyright © Jeremy Clarke, 1999.