Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Ewan McGregor stars as Jonathan McQuarry, a workaholic accountant who discovers there's more to life when a charismatic lawyer (Hugh Jackman) introduces him to "The List"—a decadent, sexual playground for New York's power elite. Jonathan gets more than he bargained for when he meets "S" (Michelle Williams) and falls for her, breaking all the rules of the sex club in the process.

Deception is well acted by the three leads, but even the best actors can only do so much with a sub-par screenplay, which, in this case, has more holes than a slice of Swiss cheese. The premise has a lot of promise, and the star power of Jackman, McGregor, and Williams had me intrigued in the beginning, but the disappointing ending left a bad taste in my mouth.

Boasting a vibrant color palette, Fox delivers an outstanding encode with exceptional contrast and inky blacks. Shooting with a mixture of traditional and digital cameras could have created problems, but none manifested themselves. The digital shots are razor-sharp and ultra-clean compared with the traditional shots, which have a slight veil of grain. Regardless, the overall resolution is fantastic.

The DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack is solid yet run-of-the-mill. Clear and lucid dialog dominates the track and remains firmly rooted in the center. Separation across the front is wide, but the sparse use of the surround channels allows the front three speakers to dominate the action. Some nightclub sequences test the dynamics, but don't expect a demo-worthy audio track.

The special features include a director's commentary by Marcel Langenegger, a BonusView PIP, a making-of featurette, and some deleted scenes with optional director's commentary.

Deception hit the ground running but eventually tripped all over itself with multiple plot holes and a questionable ending. How can a production company sit through a test screening and not question the legitimacy of the story? Regardless, the video presentation is top-notch, and if you're a fan of one of the leads, it may be worth a rental, but don't expect too much.

Release Date: September 23, 2008

Movie: 5 out of 10
Picture: 9 out of 10
Sound: 7 out of 10

Review System

Source
Panasonic DMP-BD30

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Onkyo PR-SC885 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 Amplifier
Belkin PF60 power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector