Ultimate Survivors

Having watched Calibre Press' Surviving Edged Weapons, a graphic and extremely uncomfortable to watch film meant as a training video for police officers, I was not exactly looking forward to this program about police officers who experienced tragedies and survived against incredible odds. Although William Shatner hosts the video (with all the sincerity of a game-show mc), suggesting that the tape is for general audiences, my fears were at least partially well founded. Ultimate Survivors tells the stories of four police officers, beginning with Ken Tuthill. One night, an angry traffic violator found Tuthill sitting in his car in a parking lot, and shot him in the face with a shotgun. The scene is dramatically recreated, and actual photos of Tuthill's injuries are intercut with the narration, as well as an interview with the doctor who reconstructed his face. Tuthill himself recounts the aftermath of his experience: how he spiraled down toward suicide, but eventually regained his will to live. The same format is used for the three other police officers profiled on the tape. At its best, Ultimate Survivors offers insights into the lives of men who have walked through the fires of hell both physically and emotionally. At its worst, the blow-by-blow dramatic recreations of the events often smack of sensationalism with the ominous music and slow-motion camerawork that marks many a B-movie suspenser. Although the methods are sometimes B-movie oriented, the production qualities of the entire program are absolutely top-notch. Recommended, with reservations. (Available from: Calibre Press, 666 Dundee Rd., Suite 1607, Northbrook, IL 60062-2727;1800-323-0037.)