After years of bad behavior torpedoed his career, Mel Gibson slowly nudged into a rehabilitation tour - and it sort of worked. By 2016, his toxicity level declined enough that he managed both Best Picture and Best Director Oscar nominations for Hacksaw Ridge.

That left him behind the camera, though, and it seems like Gibson found a tougher path to renewed acceptance as an actor. This may be wind he winds up as a supporting character in 2021’s direct to video action flick Last Looks.

Once a hot shot LAPD detective, Charlie Waldo (Charlie Hunnam) left the force and checked out of society. Now he leads a simple, solitary life in the middle of nowhere.

Drunken actor Alistair Pinch (Gibson) plays the lead on a TV show and finds himself accused in the murder of his wife Monica. Recruited by his ex-girlfriend Lorena Nascimento (Morena Baccarin), Charlie accepts a gig as private investigator to try to find the truth behind the crime.

Many direct to video movies clearly exist for that purpose. Most of these never aspired to reach multiplexes.

However, some films intend to go to the big screen but fail to make it there for whatever reasons. I speculate Looks falls into that category, as it simply seems too much like a “real movie” for something always intended to trace the direct to video route.

Whatever the case, this does mean Looks comes across as more professional than most non-theatrical releases. With a prominent cast and solid production values, it shows more class than expected.

Unfortunately, Looks finds little room for creativity. Essentially just another neo-noir, the movie lacks the coherence and intrigue it needs.

Expect a tale in the Elmore Leonard vein, as Looks comes with the requisite crew of quirky characters and wisecracks. However, this film fails to achieve a tonal balance, so it only goes half-Leonard.

Looks can’t quite decide if it wants to follow that writer’s path and embrace the cynical and semi-comedic side of the street or if it prefers a more serious vibe. This leaves Looks as inconsistent and less than concise.

The movie often feels more like a collection of semi-connected scenes than a cohesive narrative. Eventually the winding story finds a way to connect all of them, but it doesn’t seem organic, as the movie’s many contrivances become a drag on its propulsion.

A main problem comes from the fact that Looks develops into neither a compelling character piece nor a crackling mystery. The movie meanders about both domains and doesn’t click in either, so it tends to feel sluggish and less than compelling.

The cast does help, and we manage to stay with Looks while it wanders toward its “big reveal” at the end. Unfortunately, these factors don’t feel like enough to make the film more than mediocre.

Last Looks appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.39:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. As expected, this became a mostly positive presentation.

Overall sharpness appeared good. Wider shots could be a little soft, but the majority of the film seemed accurate and well-defined.

I saw no issues with jagged edges or moiré effects, and edge haloes remained absent. Print flaws also failed to mar the image.

Colors went with a fairly typical teal and amber bent, though it threw in some purples and reds as well. The hues appeared well-rendered given their stylistic constraints.

Blacks seemed dark and dense, and shadows appeared concise. In the end, this turned into a good rendition of the film.

In addition, the movie’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack worked well, though it didn’t provide the most active mix. In general, the movie offered a fairly balanced soundscape, with information that spread around the room in a logical manner.

However, ambience dominated, without a lot of vivid moments on display. Occasional moments of violence added impact, but not a lot of active involvement occurred.

Audio quality satisfied, with music that came across as lively and full. Speech appeared natural and distinctive, without edginess or other problems.

Effects appeared accurate and realistic, and they lacked distortion or other issues. Despite the less than active soundscape, this was a solid soundtrack.

The Making of Last Looks runs seven minutes, 59 seconds and offers notes from producer Andrew Lazar, writer Howard Michael Gould, and actors Mel Gibson, Charlie Hunnam, Rupert Friend, and Lucy Fry.

We learn what brought various actors to the project as well as story/characters. This becomes little more than promotional fluff.

The disc opens with ads for Once Upon a Time In Venice and The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot. No trailer for Looks appears here.

With Last Looks, we get an update on the standard noir template. Though aspects of the movie occasionally threaten to stir to life, the end result lacks coherence and much to make it compelling. The Blu-ray boasts solid picture with appropriate audio and minor bonus materials. A good cast keeps the flick watchable but it doesn’t really connect.