Consider this: two ordinary Joes--a white short order cook (Ulrich) and a black delivery guy (Gooding, Jr.)--must transport a chemical weapon that cannot exceed a temperature of fifty degrees Fahrenheit while averting a ruthless villain (Peter Firth, about as intimidating as a bad Shakespearean actor). That's a high concept even a twelve-year-old could assemble into a movie--and judging by the details (an ice cream truck, the standard black guy/white guy pairing, etc.), not to mention the unironic execution, the young children of some studio executives probably did have a hand in Chill Factor's screenplay.

We can get high-falutin' and pretend that we're above this far-fetched material, but the truth is, if you were running a studio, you'd greenlight Chill Factor in a heartbeat, because it's easy to package and even easier to digest. (Goes down like pabulum, as they say.) Debut helmer Hugh Johnson, director of photography on Ridley Scott's last two pictures, maintains a straight face throughout and does an admirable job of keeping the machine well-oiled--with the exception of a langorous, "Ten Years Later" set-up (wherein we have catastrophe followed by a condensed passage of time). Our heroes aren't on the road until forty minutes in.

Some fine action scenes, including a white-knuckler of a car chase on slippery mountain terrain, are also hampered by the dynamic between Ulrich and Gooding, Jr. Why does the black guy always have to be the obnoxious comic relief? I'm thinking back to Deep Blue Sea, in which loudmouth L.L. Cool J betrayed no fear of the man-eating sharks if it got in the way of a one-liner. Everybody's second-favourite Cuba was beyond these parts even before he won the Oscar for playing Jerry Maguire's only client, having bound onto the scene as part of Boyz N the Hood's first-rate ensemble cast.

Warner has mastered Chill Factor on DVD in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen with 5.1 Dolby Digital sound. The image is wanting for shadow detail and sharpness for the first third--there is a marked improvement once the chaos switches to bright exteriors (and stays there, really, until the closing credits). The transfer is otherwise faboo, with superior colour separation and contrast levels. Compression artifacts are a non-issue, but I do have one question: the layer switch occurs with only ten minutes left in the film, so why the decision to go with RSDL at all?

The audio is very loud and almost constantly active--there are plenty of explosions to tax the subwoofer, and the surround channels do not go ignored. This mix, which was specifically optimized for home theatres, establishes its aggressive character from the opening titles, over which we hear the blades of a helicopter whirring side-to-side in the rears. A river jaunt provides opportunity for some of the most encompassing nature effects I've ever had the pleasure of listening to in my living room.

Though not a full-blown SE, the disc features a short, entertaining look at Chill Factor's solid special F/X, scrolling text cast/crew bios (replete with full motion video interviews), trailers for Chill Factor plus twelve (!) others, all of them Morgan Creek productions. DVD-ROM users can play a game whose prize is a glimpse at the film's (equally silly) alternative ending, as well as access Warner and Morgan Creek-related websites.-Bill Chambers