Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Arthur Bishop is a 'mechanic' - an elite assassin with a strict code and unique talent for cleanly eliminating targets. It's a job that requires professional perfection and total detachment, and Bishop is the best in the business. But when his mentor and close friend Harry is murdered, Bishop is anything but detached. His next assignment is self-imposed - he wants those responsible dead. His mission grows complicated when Harry's son Steve approaches him with the same vengeful goal and a determination to learn Bishop's trade. Bishop has always acted alone but he can't turn his back on Harry's son. A methodical hit man takes an impulsive student deep into his world and a deadly partnership is born. But while in pursuit of their ultimate mark, deceptions threaten to surface and those hired to fix problems become problems themselves.

Sony rarely disappoints when it comes to top notch Blu-ray transfers and this is definitely no exception. The image has a stunning amount of clarity and detail and manages to preserve even the finest film grain. Close ups reveal gobs of fine object detail, especially in facial textures. Colors are stylized and can be a bit much at times, especially in the yellow and gold department, but this just seems to be where Hollywood is going lately and I guess I better get used to it. Dimensionality is solid and contrast is spot on with great shadow detail and solid black levels. The DTS-HD Master Audio mix is a nice balance of surround awareness and low end. Gun shots are punctuated nicely and the mix has a very open and airy quality. Fine details are never lost in the commotion during the more intense sequences and dialogue never sounds drowned out.

I was a bit disappointed that Sony didn’t include at least a digital copy on this day and date release. We’re seeing more and more support for this with new release titles from most of the studios but Sony is still pretty elusive in this regard. Supplements include some deleted and alternate scenes plus a look at the production with interviews and on-set footage. Some trailers are also included.

Statham has become one of the go to guys for shoot em up action. This one is a little more constrained, but I can appreciate the breather. Foster is solid as ever and I hope to see more of him in films in the years to come. Overall this is smart and slick story that balances the characters and action well and is easily worth the price of a rental.