Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Sleuth didn't create much buzz at the box office. In fact, I think most people never even noticed it was there. The film is based on a famous play and pretty much recreates it for the screen. The film takes place all in one setting, is VERY character driven but in turn creates a riveting environment and cat and mouse game. Bad thing is, it's a bit predictable at times. Sure there are some good twists, but I can see a few people being disappointed with the dialogue driven nature and subtle mind play. I thought it was great seeing Caine and Law together on screen though. Both are great character actors and played to each other brilliantly.

The HD presentation is quite good despite the rather small setting. The film takes place almost exclusively in a dcor starved house that is a bit cold and dark. Contrast is exceptional though and fine detail is abundant. You'll notice every little hair and pore on the actors and every nuance is captured perfectly. Colors tend to be a bit soft at times, but the limited landscape shots are rich enough.

The audio wasn't quite as enthralling as the video presentation. I don’t know how they captured the voice work for this film but there is a rather distracting level of noise that comes along with it. Any movement the actors make is amplified creating a low level hiss that had me scratching my head a few times. The soundtrack is very front heavy since the majority of it is dialogue, but I was impressed with the subtle cues from the surrounds when atmosphere was needed. The score is neither intrusive nor dull and lends to the feel of the film perfectly.

Extras include two feature commentaries both with the director and the actors. There is a behind the scenes feature with interviews and a look at the production but it was the typical lot. I liked the makeup feature. It is always neat to see what can be done with makeup these days and they did a great job in this film.

While not a big box office success this is still a very likeable film. Two great performances and an edge story are always fun to watch. The video presentation is excellent but I wish the audio was a bit better. Overall though this is at least a recommended watch.