The Corner Penthouse

Crossroads (1986) arrives on Blu-ray as part of Mill Creek Entertainment's Retro VHS Style series, with packaging designed to look like the VHS videocassettes of the 1980s and 1990s. Several other titles in the series have already been reviewed on The Corner Penthouse, and I'm always excited when Mill Creek announces more. It's fun to see if it's a title I used to own on VHS, or one whose trailer I remember seeing at the start of some other VHS tape, or even some obscure movie I've never heard of before.


Crossroads (1986) takes gifted young guitarist Eugene Martone (Ralph Macchio) into a dangerous and challenging new world. Obsessed with unlocking the mysteries of the blues, the fledgling musician finds cantankerous Willie Brown (Joe Seneca), a master of the blues harmonica, and frees him from a security nursing home. The unlikely duo hoboes from New York to Mississippi as Martone searches for fame and Brown tries to break a contract he signed years ago with the devil. En route, Martone meets and falls for sexy runaway Frances (Jami Gertz). With a rich mixture of Delta blues and driving rock produced by Ry Cooder, the film takes Martone and Brown on an intense odyssey that leads them to a dramatic climax at the crossroads.


Not to be confused with the 2002 Britney Spears film of the same name, this Crossroads is a light drama/road trip movie which dabbles in romance, supernatural, and coming-of-age elements. Honestly, I had never heard of this movie before, and if I saw the VHS on the shelf at Blockbuster, I wouldn't have given it a second glance. That's why I'm glad that Mill Creek included it as part of the Retro VHS Style series, which I've been covering from the start in January 2019. By being part of this series of Blu-rays, I was shown a movie that would otherwise have escaped my attention.


Crossroads (1986) is actually quite good. I enjoyed the mentor/student relationship between Willie and Eugene, which was reminiscent of the Mr. Miyagi/Daniel Russo relationship from Macchio's previous hit, The Karate Kid. Willie has some of the best lines, though I can't repeat them here since the film earns its R rating for language. The film ends with an epic guitar dual between Ralph Macchio and guitar legend Steve Vai, who actually performed both sides of the dual on the soundtrack. Other notables in the cast include Jami Gertz, Joe Morton (the Brother himself!), and a cameo by future Family Matters matriarch Jo-Marie Payton. I'd especially like to note the appearance of Robert Judd as Scratch, who gives a devilish performance in his brief time in the film. He only appeared in two films (the other being the 1977 grindhouse flick Fight for Your Life), and sadly, he died just two months before Crossroads was released.


The quality of this Blu-ray transfer is good, but not perfect. There is some minor poor picture quality here and there, such as in the opening grainy black and white scene, but overall this transfer is good and quite watchable.


Crossroads is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio (not 1.85:1 like the case says) with a runtime of 1:38:46. On the audio side, there is only an English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio track. Subtitles are available in English only. As is the case with most Mill Creek Entertainment releases, there are no special features - just like the original videocassette!


The real "bonus feature" here is the vintage-looking VHS-inspired slipsleeve, with faux wear and tear, and fake "rental stickers" on it, while giving the appearance of a videocassette being pulled out from the right side (though the original VHS may have been in a bottom-loading box), complete with tape label side on the right spine. Here's a complete look at this special slipsleeve. Click on it to get a better look.


The front artwork is based on the original U.S. VHS box art, as seen below. The back of the slipsleeve bears a similarity to the original VHS box art, using the same or similar photos, but in a different orientation.


The case artwork underneath is of a modern style, which means that the VHS-style slipsleeve may only be available for a limited time. In the photo below, the slipsleeve cover is on the left and the case artwork underneath is on the right.


Since Mill Creek Entertainment is a budget company, you can grab Crossroads on Amazon for a great low price right now.


The "Retro VHS Style" series includes the following Blu-ray releases, which are being listed in chronological movie order, and not the order they are being released onto Blu-ray. Some titles below may not have been released yet.



Images used come from the Internet Movie Database gallery of the film. The Blu-ray has been provided by Mill Creek Entertainment for review on this site.