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Title: Betrayed
Region: One
Genre: Thriller
Stars: Debra Winger, Tom Berenger, John Heard, John Mahoney, Betsy Blair, Ted Levine, Jeffrey DeMunn, Albert Hall, David Clennon, and Robert Swan
Writers: Joe Eszterhas
Director: Costa-Gavras
Feature length: 2 hours and 7 minutes
Extras: Theatrical Trailer
Languages: English, Spanish, and French Dolby Surround 2.0
Subtitles: French and Spanish
Packaging: Alpha Keep case
Chapter Stops: 32
Sound: Dolby Stereo Surround Sound
Year of Theatrical Release: 1988/DVD Release: 2000
Theatrical Distributor: United Artists
Home Video Distributor: Metro Goldwyn Mayer Home Entertainment
MPAA Rating: R
FILM/PERFORMANCE - 40 out of 40
VIDEO - 15 out of 20
AUDIO - 20 out of 20
SUPPLEMENTS - 5 out of 20
TOTAL - 80 out of 100 = B
DVD Rating: B
Reviewer: Mark A. Rivera
Before Joe Eszterhas had become a household name among screenwriters with controversial million dollar scripts for films like Basic Instinct, he wrote Betrayed, which was produced by Academy Award winning Producer Irwin Winkler and directed by Costa-Gravas. Tom Berenger gives a good performance as a widower family man, who just happens to be a part of a network of white supremacist terrorists, while Debra Winger is the FBI undercover agent who falls in love with the man she knows she must take down.
Betrayed is a good thriller that seems even timelier today than it may have appeared when it was released theatrically in 1988. Tom Berenger and Debra Winger give good multileveled performances while John Heard provides a strong supporting role. No one in this film is portrayed as being evil or good. All of the characters have a nice well rounded human quality that enables the viewer to feel sorry for Berenger even if though we know he is capable of murder because outside of that part of his character, he is a family man, a caring father, and he is truly in love with Debra Winger, who presents her frailties when she becomes confused about her loyalties. Certainly the FBI is not presented as waiting in the wings to save the day or the evil government bureaucracy acting in its own best interests. The characters in this film are simply more well rounded than in any of the films Eszterhas has had produced in the 1990s. Frazier's John Mahoney and a pre-Silence Of The Lambs Ted Levine also appear in the film.
MGM's DVD edition of Betrayed sports a widescreen 1.85:1 transfer on side A and a full frame transfer on side B. The picture quality is quite good, though there are some cases where some noise and grain can be seen even in well-lit outdoor scenes. The colors are quite vibrant though and there is no bleeding. The skin tones appear a bit hot sometimes.
The English, Spanish, and French Dolby Surround Stereo Tracks fair much better with nice ambiance and clear dialogue. The disc also includes Spanish and French Subtitles. Unfortunately the only extra is a theatrical trailer. The insert booklet is well written and interesting.
Even though it is not a great DVD, I still like Betrayed and recommend it definitely as a rental. It is a good film and the DVD itself while far from perfect, still presents the film adequately at least.
Mark A. Rivera - B