Blu-ray Movie Reviews

A mysterious woman (Angelina Jolie) and a vacationing math teacher (Johnny Depp) from America become involved in an international manhunt after meeting on a train traveling from Paris to Venice. A case of mistaken identity puts poor Frank (Depp) in the crosshairs of a British gangster looking to reclaim his lost fortune from a former associate.

Depp is one of the hottest stars in Hollywood and I had high hopes for this international spy thriller. Sadly, the star power of Depp and Jolie couldn’t overcome the meandering and predictable script from the trio of writers that includes the director (Florian Heckel von Donnersmarck - The Lives of Others). Character development is nonexistent, there’s no real drama or suspense throughout the film, and anyone with half a brain can see the ending coming from a mile away.

Video Highlights

• AVC/1080p encode on a BD-50 disc
• Excellent detail
• Natural film grain
• Deep blacks
• Phenomenal depth

Audio Highlights

• DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack
• Pedestrian sound design
• Decent imaging
• Occasional ambient effects from the surround speakers
• Intelligible dialog

As boring as I found the movie, I had virtually no complaints with the AVC encode from Sony. Detail is outstanding, whether in close-ups or long shots and the depth in the image appear almost 3D, especially on the wide sweeping shots of Venice. Inky blacks in the nighttime sequences offer revealing shadows without crush. The audio track doesn’t break any new ground due to its pedestrian sound design, but there are times where the imaging is quite good, and there are some occasional discrete effects from the rear of the room.

Bonus Materials

• Audio commentary
• Six Featurettes:
  • Canal Chats
  • A Gala Affair
  • Action in Venice
  • Bringing Glamor Back
  • Tourist Destination – Travel the Canals of Venice
• Alternate Animated Title Sequence
• Outtakes
• BD-Live enabled with Movie IQ

Other than the beautiful cinematography, I can’t say I particularly enjoyed this one other than seeing Jolie in glorious 1080p. The replay value is nonexistent but if you’re a fan of the stars you may want to place it in your rental queue.

Release Date: March 22, 2011
Studio: Sony

Movie: 5/10
Picture: 9/10
Sound: 8/10

Review System

Source
Oppo BDP-93 Blu-ray player

Display
JVC DLA-RS40 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Integra DTC-80.2 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Belkin PVA-PF60 power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

Acoustical treatments from GIK Acoustics