Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Boasting a nice list of actors, this ensemble piece reminded me a lot of the recent character intersecting piece Crash, though it didn't deal with the same social themes. The film revolves around seven characters but I would say the chief one is Brendan Frasier's role as a collection man for a local gangster. He has a rare gift in that he can see into the future. This makes him invaluable to his employer but things change when one of his visions turns out wrong. He also comes in contact with a pop star whose future can't be seen. As the film progresses you see how several characters change the course of events and the lives of others. Ultimately I enjoyed this film quite a bit but at times the pacing was a tad slow.

Image has delivered a solid Blu-ray presentation for this film. Image depth is exceptional in brighter sequences and I was impressed with the level of detail displayed. Fine object details, such as facial features, are impeccable in brighter sequences as well. Contrast levels are strong and shadow detail is good for the most part but darker sequences came off a bit softer overall, which was distracting considering how sharp brighter scenes looked. The color palette is slightly stylized but it lends to the atmosphere of the film.

The soundtrack is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio and is a far more impressive mix than I was expecting. The sound design is quite aggressive and the mix does a phenomenal job with dynamics and low bass. Surround use is aggressive and startling in quality during some of the more intense sequences of the film. If I had a nitpick complaint it would be the balance. For some reason the mix seems to be balanced a bit more to the right side of the soundstage, which I thought was odd. The rest of the mix is great though. Dialogue is balanced perfectly with the rest of the mix and the timbre of the voices sounds very natural. A solid lossless soundtrack and a surprising mix given the genre.

Extras include a feature commentary with the film's director, a collection of deleted scenes and outtakes and the theatrical trailer.

I'm surprised I never heard of this film before this release. It has a great cast, solid storyline and production. Image has done a great job with the Blu-ray presentation and it is easily worth a rental for fans of intersecting character dramas.