Immigration remains a hot button topic in the US, and that seems unlikely to change anytime soon. For a tale related to that subject, we go to 2021’s Spiked.

Set in 2005, Sedcott, Arizona sits on the US/Mexico border and John Wilson (Aidan Quinn) runs a newspaper for that community. John finds himself less than popular with local law enforcement due to the many stories he runs related to corruption.

When immigrant laborer Federico (Christopher Bustos) ends up dead due to a combination of vehicular assault and police mistakes, the authorities attempt to sweep it under the rug. John takes up the case as a cause, one that finds him threatened in a variety of ways.

Like I noted at the start, Spiked clearly touches on topical issues. Does it manage to do anything interesting with these subjects?

Unfortunately, not really. While Spiked deals with provocative domains, it pursues its narrative in such a clumsy manner that it never engages.

A better movie would look at the topics in a broad manner that doesn’t clearly take one side. Not that I mind the fact Spiked favors one perspective, but it slants far too much in one direction.

Spiked lacks even the slightest hint of subtlety. We find a clunky script that grinds to a halt for awkward exposition every chance it gets, and it offers zero nuance.

It wouldn’t be tough to represent both sides in a way that prompts actual debate. Instead, Spiked makes John and colleagues into true blue heroes and the cops into cartoon villains.

In no way, shape or form do I intend to defend police misconduct. However, Spiked turns the authorities into such corrupt buffoons that it prompts eye-rolling.

Dudley Do-Right shorts deliver more subtlety than does Spiked. Only the fact that Sedcott Chief of Police Collins (Deirdre Lovejoy) lacks facial hair prevents her from twirling her moustache as she comes up with one evil plot after another.

This makes the story absurdly unbalanced. What could deliver a compelling look at issues related to immigration as well as freedom of the press just turns into an overwritten mess.

Quinn adds some star power, but he sleepwalks through his poorly written role. It doesn’t help that Spiked tosses in a pointless subplot related to John’s marital strains, one that just makes a flawed movie even less coherent.

While I can’t claim I expected a classic from Spiked, I hoped to find a fairly compelling tale of issues related to the US’s southern border. Instead, I found a clumsy and overwrought melodrama mixed with cheap civics lesson.

Spiked appears in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Expect pretty good visuals from this release.

Overall sharpness worked well. A little softness impacted occasional interiors, but the majority of the movie boasted appealing delineation.

Neither jagged edges nor moiré effects became an issue, and I saw no edge haloes. Source flaws also failed to mar the proceedings.

Colors leaned heavily toward amber/orange to fit the Arizona setting, with splashes of teal as well. The hues looked well-depicted.

Blacks seemed deep and dense, while shadows offered solid delineation. This ended up as a positive presentation.

Right off the bat, the movie’s Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack lost points due to its lossy nature. Circa 2024, all Blu-rays should come with lossless audio, so I dinged this mix for that reason.

Otherwise, however, the track worked fairly well. The soundscape lacked a whole lot of action, but music spread across the channels in a satisfying manner.

Effects also broadened horizons in the pleasing way. The mix came with a nice sense of atmosphere, and more active scenes – like those with gunfire – opened up the soundfield well.

Even with the lossy nature of the track, audio quality seemed pleasing. Music boasted nice range and fullness.

Speech demonstrated good clarity and distinctiveness, while effects appeared pretty accurate and dynamic. Even with the regrettable lack of lossless material, the soundtrack seemed satisfying.

No extras whatsoever appear on the disc.

Although Spiked comes with the potential to deliver a vivid drama related to immigration issues, it flops. Awkward, silly and poorly written, the movie fizzles. The Blu-ray comes with very visuals, acceptable audio and zero bonus materials. Chalk up Spiked as a flawed disappointment.