Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Roger Ferris is the best man U.S. Intelligence has on the ground, in places where human life is worth no more than the information it can get you. In operations that take him around the globe from the Middle East to Washington, Ferris's next breath often depends on the voice at the other end of a secure phone line - CIA veteran Ed Hoffman. Waging war from a laptop in the suburbs, Hoffman is on the trail of an emerging terrorist leader who has orchestrated a campaign of bombings while eluding the most sophisticated intelligence network in the world. To lure the terrorist out into the open, Ferris will have to penetrate his murky world, but the closer he gets to the target, the more he discovers that trust is both a dangerous commodity and the only one that will get him out alive.

Ridley Scott has been churning out movies lately and I’m glad to see him pick up in the volume of great films he’s been releasing. This one takes on the intelligence side of our operations in the Middle East and features some great performances from the leads but even more so from Mark Strong, whose been really picking some great roles lately. I realize this type of stuff is a rather unpopular subject lately but I loved the tonal direction of this film and its rather unpleasing look at our covert operations. If you’re a fan of political thrillers, this is one not to miss.

Warner delivers a great looking HD presentation with this one. Fine detail is exceptional and I loved the strong contrast and bold stylized imagery on display. The image has a very clean look to it but fine object detail isn’t robbed and depth of image is strong throughout. Blacks are inky with exceptional shadow detail and I loved the razor sharp imagery. I noticed some VERY minor ringing from time to time but it was never a distraction.

The soundtrack for this one is a great thrill ride with exceptional dynamic range and envelopment. Scott’s films always seem to nail the atmosphere with the strong score and balance of action and mood. This is no exception and the action sequences deliver hefty amounts of low bass, surround activity and subtle nuance. Dialogue is delivered clearly with no signs of strain and the balance within the mix is dead on.

Warner delivers a two-disc set for this one complete with a digital copy of the film for portable devices. You also get BD-Live connectivity and some interesting Bonus View features including deconstructions of some of the key sequences of the film. Scott provides a feature commentary and there is also a bit of a round robin on several sequences with commentary from Scott and the lead actors. Some deleted scenes are also included.

Warner does a great job with this Blu-ray presentation and Scott continues to deliver solid films with great casts. Highly recommended.