Blu-ray Movie Reviews

When straight-arrow FBI agent Roy Clayton investigates a dangerous international conspiracy responsible for a prison break in Yemen, a bombing in Nice and a raid in London, all clues seem to lead back to former U.S. Special Operations officer, Samir Horn. But a tangle of contradictory evidence emerges, forcing Clayton to question whether his suspect is a disaffected former military operative - or something far more complicated. Obsessed with discovering the truth, Clayton tracks Horn across the globe as the elusive ex-soldier burrows deeper and deeper into a world of shadows and intrigue.

I was excited about seeing this one just because of the cast. Pearce is always solid and I’m a huge fan of the underused Don Cheadle. This is a great cat and mouse thriller that has some interesting twists to it. Cheadle plays an ex-specops soldier who now sells weapons to anyone buying. When he gets caught up with a terrorist group from Yemen things escalate. Those looking for intense action/dramas need not look much further than this.

I saw this one in D-Cinema and thought the image had a very stylized look with lots of obvious film grain. This Blu-ray actually looks better than the presentation I saw in theaters with richer detail and depth. The image is still quite grainy and the color palette has a very stylized look. Contrast levels are a tad exaggerated but this only lends to the mood of the film. Fine detail is excellent and the image has a very dimensional quality to it. At times some of the longer shots can soften up a bit but it was hardly distracting.

This is one of two films I reviewed by Anchor Bay this week on Blu-ray and I noticed the same thing both times; the track is recorded a bit too hot. I had to turn this one down quite a bit from my normal viewing volume and the loud mix has a bit of a fatiguing effect. Dialogue sounds a bit bright on the top end and volume overall impacts dynamics a bit. There is still plenty of rich bass and the surround soundstage is quite enveloping, but I can’t help but think this would sound a bit better in overall detail if the volume hadn’t been amped up.

Extras include a full length audio commentary with the director and Don Cheadle. You also get a feature on the stuntwork for the film and a look at the locales where the film was shot. A second disc sports a digital copy of the film for portable devices.

This is a great action/thriller with a tremendous cast and production. Anchor Bay has done a good job with the A/V presentation but I hope we see them tone down their audio tracks in the volume department.