Blu-ray Movie Reviews

After her husband, Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, is kidnapped by terrorists, Mariane heads a desperate search for clues in a frantic race against time to locate her missing husband.

Angelina Jolie is in top form in this disturbing true story of a journalist who is kidnapped by terrorists after the Afghanistan war. Instead of the typical story of the husband's unfortunate events, you see the tale through the eyes of the wife and loved ones as it unfolds. In an age where we become so numb to world events like this, you get a glimpse of how hard life can be for those caught in the struggle. A very powerful film.

The video transfer here is a bit of a mixed bag, but never comes off as bad. You can tell they used different types of film stock for the film ranging from hand held cameras to standard film. At times the image can be a bit edgy with faint halos around fine objects. Detail wavers a tad but normally stays pretty good. Colors can be a bit of a wash as well, but considering the environment I think they did a good job. This isn't a film to go into thinking you're going to get some great image, but it never disappointed.

Paramount includes a Dolby TrueHD mix on this release but like the image, it's a mixed bag. The soundstage is quite open and there is never a sense of limitation by the production but this film doesn't have a lot of thrills to it. The score is effectively moody and adds a lot to the film. Dialogue is always clean and detail and there is more going on in the surrounds than I would expect from a film like this.

Extras include a production feature, a message from the foundation of Daniel Pearl, a feature on the committee to protect journalists, and the theatrical trailer.

Jolie is doing some great character work lately and I’m glad to see her take on more demanding and serious roles.