Blu-ray Movie Reviews

A tale of a brilliant L.A. cop following the trail from a deadly armed robbery to a crew headed by an equally brilliant master thief.

To say that I’m a big fan of Michael Mann’s films would be the understatement of understatements. And this is without a doubt his masterpiece. Thrillers like this are rare and despite its nearly 15 year age, this film still grips you right from the start and never lets go. The only bad thing about it is the nearly persistent urge from audiences to gauge every shootout Mann has filmed after this one to the intense bank robbery in this one. I will admit, it is spectacular, but I like that Mann doesn’t feel the need to make this film over and over again. The Blu-ray touts a modified cut for this release but I had a hard time spotting any real differences. This remains one of the best action thrillers ever in my opinion and I’m overjoyed to see it on Blu.

Warner, like most studios, has been a bit hit or miss on catalog releases. This is one that I think a lot of people were hoping and praying would get the treatment it deserves. Well don’t fret, they did a great job. The HD transfer is great with plenty of rich detail and dimension and no signs of digital post processing and clean up. Fine film grain is preserved nicely and blacks are rich. It still has a slightly softer look to it, as it did in theaters, but is a clear step up from any video release I’ve seen before it. The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mix is also up to the task and the popular bank shootout has never sounded as good. While it may not pack the dynamic range that we’ve seen from a few more recent films, it hardly disappoints and still remains a great piece of demo material.

Extras include no less than five documentaries on the film, its roots and its production. You also get a feature length commentary with the director, some deleted scenes and the trailers.

I can’t imagine not having this one in my movie library and I’m relieved to see that Warner has done the film justice in the presentation department. I’m a bit surprised this one wasn’t released in digibook form given its popularity, but I’m still thrilled to have it on Blu. A must own!