We start with some recent history:

“The Color of Freedom”

(****)

Coming to DVD Tuesday

This highly gripping, true-story drama originates with the memoirs of James Gregory, the sometime prison guard for nearly 30 years for Nelson Mandela. The film begins in 1968, as Gregory (Joseph Fiennes) ac­cepts his first big assignment, at South Africa’s notorious Robben Island prison.

There, Gregory’s childhood knowledge of Mandela’s Xhosa language puts him in a position to spy on Mandela (Dennis Haysbert, 24), the man called the country’s No. 1 terrorist. As racist and narrow-minded as his apartheid-oriented friends and colleagues (and his prim wife Gloria, played by Diane Kruger), Gregory only begins to understand his prisoner when Man­dela’s son dies in an auto accident.

Walt Disney

From left, Ed Harris, Justin Bartha, Diane Kruger and Nicolas Cage appear in 'National Treasure: Book of Secrets,' which arrives on DVD Tuesday.

Changes of prisons and assignments take place over the years, while Gregory slowly begins to comprehend Mandela and the struggle for equality raged by Mandela’s African National Congress. Director Bille August (Pelle the Conqueror) masterly juggles intimate concerns with an historical struggle to render a touching portrait without false sentimentality or hagiography.

Rated R, 118 minutes.

The DVD holds an excellent 31-minute documentary, “Remem­ber­ing Mandela,” which provides further background on the man and the times.

National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets (**1/2) Nicolas Cage returns as treasure hunter Ben­jamin Franklin Gates in this huge holiday hit. He now takes his fortune hunting global when a mysterious self-described scholar (Ed Harris) arrives with a missing page from John Wilkes Boothe’s diary implicating the Gates family in Lincoln’s assassination.

Ben again enlists his father (Jon Voight), Abigail (Diane Kruger), Riley (Justin Bartha), and even his mother (Helen Mirren) as they travel to Paris, London, Mount Rushmore and elsewhere, while pausing just long enough to kidnap the president (Bruce Greenwood).

Like its predecessor, this Na­tional Treasure flies along rapidly, transporting any viewer who promises not think too hard about the plot inconsistencies and absurdities.

Rated PG, 124 minutes. The collector’s edition twin discs offer the movie with commentary by director Jon Turteltaub on the first disc. Fans of this adventure series will appreciate the true treasures found in the abundant bonus materials on the second disc. Found within: five deleted scenes and about five minutes of bloopers and outtakes. Plus, many featurettes, including the seven-minute “Secrets of a Sequel,” 10 minutes of “On Location,” the fascinating 10-minute “Street Stunts” (showing the intricate London car chase), and several others, totaling more than two hours: “Inside the Library of Congress,” “Under­ground Action,” “Cover Story,” “Knights of the Golden Circle.”

HDNet Fights: Fedor Re­turns, Elite XC: Destiny, Elite XC: Renegade With the increasing popularity of mixed martial arts, it’s only natural that some of these action-filled events would make it to DVD.

In the titular first entry that includes eight bouts over three hours, 6-foot Fedor Emelianenko squares off against 7-foot-2 Hong-Man Choi at the Yaren­noka in Tokyo. Both the “Elite” packages come on two discs, covering about ten fights on each. In “Destiny,” Renzo Gracie takes on Frank Shamrock, and in “Ren­egade,” Kimbo Slice meets Bo “Redrum” Cantrell. 

Frontier(s) (**1/2) The ninth entry, by our count, in the 8 Films to Die For series arrives in a blood-soaked package from France. Xavier Gens (Hitman) directed this over-the-top, slasher-splatter, torture-porn that suggests the Saw movies are being seen outside the U.S. A group of young French-Arab Muslims flees Paris with a stash of stolen money, landing at an isolated hostel/farmhouse in northern France.

Unknown to them, it’s a resting ground for a group of Nazis, neo-Nazis and routine sadists. From that point: don’t ask. Gruesome, bloody, hard to watch, but oh so stylish, with an overt political subtext that lends itself to the violence.

Not rated, 108 minutes. On DVD.

Graduation (**1/2) Enlivening this engaging story is a talented young cast: Riley Smith, Shannon Lucio, Chris Marquette and Chris Lowell. Four high school seniors plot to rob the bank where one’s father (Adam Arkin) is manager. In a tired contrivance, one student’s mother needs the money for a bone marrow transplant. Set to coincide with their graduation ceremony, the heist doesn’t go as planned but holds several unforeseen twists for everyone.

Not rated, 89 minutes.

Director Mike Mayer and screenwriter Cory Turner provide commentary. Plus, four deleted scenes, an alternate opening and about three minutes of bloopers.

Mad Money (**1/2) Callie Khouri directed this comedy-heist tale involving Bridget and Don Cardigan (Diane Keaton and Ted Danson), who discover their riches have disappeared and they have to find real work. Bridget lands an unlikely job as a janitor at a Federal Reserve Bank, where she meets Nina (Queen Latifah), an ill-paid single mom in charge of destroying worn currency. Bridget orchestrates a scheme to make off with some of the loot. They also call on the services of high-spirited co-worker Jackie (a surprisingly effective Katie Holmes). The plan, unlike many heist movies, is both simple and almost believable. Silly yet fun.

Rated PG-13, 103 minutes.

The DVD includes commentary by director Callie Khouri and a nine-minute “making of” featurette, “Makin’ Money.”

The Bill Engvall Show: Complete First Season After he entertained Dallas area audiences with his popular stand-up act, local comic Bill Engvall graduated to the big time. In addition to his frequent appearances on the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, Engvall found time to star in his own sitcom, as Bill Pearson, a wisecracking Denver family counselor.

Nancy Travis plays his wife, Susan, who commandeers their three children. Two discs hold the season’s eight episodes along with an interview with Engvall, an on-set tour with Engvall and Travis, and an overview of the show.

Not rated, 176 minutes.