Blu-ray Movie Reviews

They didn't win a Nobel Prize, throw a record fastball or travel another acceptable path to fame. What fugitive lovers Mickey and Mallory did was kill people. Lots of people. The media took care of the rest.

Oliver Stone’s powerful look at mainstream media and our societies reverence for murder and mayhem. This film is an utter trip to watch with a bizarre mix of visual styles and a journey into the haunted world of two lovers set on setting the world on fire. The director’s cut serves up some more violence than the original, especially near the end, but doesn’t change the story much. While this film definitely isn’t for the light at heart, the production and performances are outstanding.

This is the second release of this film on Blu-ray, the first being the theatrical cut. I didn’t expect to see much difference between the two video presentations but after doing some comparisons with the other version, this one has a bit less saturation in color. This definitely presents what appears to be a more natural tones, especially with faces, but I’ve never described this film as looking “natural”. So which is more accurate to Stone’s vision, who knows. Both look good and detail appears to be about the same. Since this is such a hectic mix of visual styles it is almost pointless to critique. The movie does have a great sense of dimension and satisfying detail, and I doubt many will find issue with Warner’s presentation.

The soundtrack is presented in Dolby TrueHD, similar to the previous Blu-ray release, and again it is an outstanding sound mix. The sound design of this film has always been a perfect match to the insane visuals and never seems to let up. From the insane soundtrack put together by Nine Inch Nails front man Trent Reznor, to the dynamics of the sound effects, this one keeps you on your toes. The Blu-ray mix is aggressive with plenty of low bass and surround saturation.

While Warner presented the theatrical cut with a digibook release, this one comes in a standard BD case. Enclosed is a booklet with all the same stuff from the digibook though so no loss there. One the disc is a collection of features including a new evolution feature that discusses how the film may be different in today’s internet age. You also get a feature commentary with the director. Deleted scenes, a Charlie Rose interview and the trailer are also included.

I was afraid that we would never see this Director’s Cut on Blu-ray since the theatrical release came out first but Warner has not disappointed. This is my favorite version of the controversial film and the one to own on Blu-ray. Definitely recommended.