This week's DVD and Blu-ray reviews

Sin Nombre DVD & Blu-ray, Revolver Sayra, a teenage Honduran girl, sets off with her father and uncle for New Jersey, hitching an illegal ride on a slow freight train winding its way through Mexico. Their journey, full of picaresque adventures and dangerous obstacles would be enough of a tale for any film but this one raises the stakes considerably by intertwining it with the story of a disillusioned gang member, Willy, on the run from his one-time criminal cohorts. It's the kind of gang where they cover their faces with tattoos to look scary, and chop up their enemies and feed them to dogs to actually be scary. Willy's tale adds a great deal of tension and suspense without turning the social commentary aspect of the film into a farce. This is a world rarely visited in the movies, certainly not one we see presented so honestly. It's a road movie – or, more accurately, a rail movie – where what they're escaping from is just as important as where they're travelling to. First-time director Cary Fukunaga put his life at some risk just doing the research for this film by spending time with some pretty hardcore gang members as well as rail riders, according to the informative commentary track. That's the level of commitment we want from new directors. The film manages to be both understated and epic, with the gorgeous Mexican scenery continually rolling by in the background – for the viewer, if not the characters, to enjoy. ALSO OUT THIS WEEK Adventureland Jesse Eisenberg comes of age at a theme-park summer job in this sweet 80s comedy. DVD & Blu-ray, Disney Harper's Island Delightfully nasty mystery series in which a cast member dies every week. DVD, Paramount Kim Newman's Guide To The Flipside Of British Cinema The cult critic's entertaining wade through forgotten Brit relics. DVD & Blu-ray, BFI Tales From The Golden Age Quality compilation of shorts by leading Romanian directors. DVD, Trinity Films Disgrace Adaptation of JM Coetzee's penetrating post-apartheid drama, led by John Malkovich. DVD, ICA