Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Phillip Seymour Hoffman stars as Andy, an overextended payroll executive who coerces his younger brother Hank (Ethan Hawke) into robbing a mom-and-pop jewelry store. The robbery doesn't go according to plan, and the "victimless" crime touches off a series of events that will forever change the brothers' lives.

Sidney Lumet directs this melodrama and gets the most out of the actors. Hoffman is one of the better actors in Hollywood, and his role as the drug-addicted older brother is well crafted—his interaction with his wife Gina (Marisa Tomei) is particularly realistic. The story is told through a series of flashbacks leading up to the crime and the resulting mayhem, but be sure to pay attention to every minute detail in order to "get" the ending.

Image Entertainment distributes the film, which exhibits a very good AVC encode. Principle photography was shot using a Panavision Genesis HD camera, and the print is flawless. Detail is well preserved, although some of the low-light scenes lack some depth. Contrast is pumped up a bit, but the hue and saturation have a very lifelike appeal.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1-channel soundtrack is dialog-driven and presented mostly across the front soundstage. The surround channels aren't used for much other than ambience, and the LFE channel is rarely called upon. The musical score by Carter Burwell opens up the dynamics on occasion and helps set the mood of the story.

The bonus features consist of a commentary with Sidney Lumet, Ethan Hawke, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman, a standard-definition theatrical trailer, and a "making of" featurette presented in HD that runs 25 minutes and includes interviews with Hoffman, Hawke, Tomei, and Lumet.

The movie has a few very violent scenes, but they are important to the story and aren't gratuitous by any stretch. This movie might not be for everyone, since the pacing is a bit slow, but I really enjoyed it. Recommended.

Release Date: April 15, 2008

Film: 8 out of 10

Picture: 8 out of 10

Sound: 6.5 out of 10

Review System

Source

Sony PlayStation 3

Display

JVC DLA-RS1 projector

Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics

Yamaha RX-Z11 AVR

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