There have to be few bands whose success matched their volatility in such a short period of time as The Police. And like Eldon Tyrell said, the light that burns twice as bright burns half as long, and the English trio of drummer Stuart Copeland, guitarist Andy Summers and bassist/vocalist Sting burned so very brightly, with five albums selling more than 75 million copies. Two decades later, Summers wrote a memoir titled "One Train Later" which recounted his time in and out of the band, and in 2012 with the help of Nicolas Cage and Brett Morgen (the latter of The Kid Stays in The Picture lore) as producers, a documentary film titled Can't Stand Losing You: Surviving The Police, emerged.

Using a mix of filmed concert and television footage, the voiceover that Summers provides discusses his time before the band, and their rise to superstardom, and when they make a music video for their song "Roxanne" seems to be the catalyst. The friction between the band members is shown with the old footage (and as a tangent, I had little idea things were so contentious just barely under the surface), and the friction and wear of constant touring and recording is shown as Summers gradually distances himself from his bandmates (who seem to be constantly fighting), but the slow disintegration of his marriage is recalled.

The film not only covers the period when they were playing actively, but also their reunion tour of 2007 and 2008, after the book was released. And while the positive feelings that accompany a reunion (or at the very least not seeing one another in a while) are present, it seemed that soon after, the distance that each sought from the other came back to the forefront, culminating in a television interview conducted by Elvis Costello at New York's Apollo Theatre. Copeland and Sting were at the forefront of this butting of heads, and while Summers was more of the Derek Smalls. The friction showed in his photos at the height of their touring, and in the reunion tour, he wanted to enjoy the scenery of the locales more, even engaging in karaoke of "Every Breath You Take" while in Japan.

Can't Stand Losing You is one of the better films about a band in recent memory I can recall seeing. Summers plays witness to the destruction going around him, tries to play it off to humor and a sense of wonder as a budding photographer, but possibly the most compelling part of the film is his voiceover discussing the eventual divorce from his wife. When the band does get back together, it seems almost exclusively one for closure for the trio, and if there was any residual bad blood from Sting and Copeland's conflict, Summers' intentional distance from it, because he does not want to experience it again, is welcome to see.

In the end, Can't Stand Losing You is in a way, more about Andy Summers' finding and losing love than it is about finding, losing and regaining his place within The Police. He seeks out his own solace regardless of what the band provides, but that we see the friction on the inside and the damage it does makes it fascinating to experience.

Can't Stand Losing You is presented in 1.78:1 widescreen and in high definition looks nice. As mentioned before, the film uses various old TV video, concert footage, various stills of promotional or other variety, and lots of Summers' photos, the latter of which to reiterate look excellent, by the way. And they look good, as the reunion stuff does. The modern/more recent stuff is generally free of image noise unless it is the band playing on stage while the band is shown onscreen right behind them. From a Blu-ray perspective things are good.

You get a Dolby Digital 5.1 track and a Dolby two-channel stereo one, and while they appear to be listed as lossy, the 5.1 track was output as PCM on my receiver, so go figure. The audio is fine throughout, sounding particularly powerful on "Roxanne." But the live stuff conveys a bit of immersion when you listen to it, and the larger stadium shows on the reunion tour have a bit of power and low-end to them. Voiceover is clear and consistent throughout and while lacking the HD-MA or TrueHD of other releases, sound good here.

There are quite a few extras on here, starting with a commentary from Summers. Nobody else is there to join him so things are the tiniest bit dead, even on a 80-minute and change feature, but he does have a good bit recollection about the times then vs. now (or 2012), and his work before The Police, both old and new versions. He recalls why the band dyed their hair blonde (as a show of solidarity against the press rooting for conflict and a breakup), and talks about larger things like fame, stardom, family and friends. Like the film, it is slightly abstract, but at a minimum worth listening to. "In His Own Words" (16:13) is an interview piece with Summers that generally covers the same ground. A photo gallery follows.

Next up are two trailers; the official one (2:36) and one Summers put together (2:55) that is a little darker and I think the better of the two. And a Q & A session at the film's Los Angeles premiere (14:05), where he answers some questions from the film and in the band. A promotional video for Summers' solo album "Mysterious Barricades" (1:48) completes things.

I have no idea if Can't Stand Losing You belongs in the discussion of great films about rock musicians. But the simple fact that it doesn't employ the usual storytelling as films of that nature makes it refreshing enough to heartily endorse whether one is a fan of The Police or not. Technically is it decent, and the supplements were a pleasant surprise, and overall it is very much worth the investment of time on your part.