Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Looking to find a calmer environment for his pregnant wife, constable Shane Cooper (Ryan Kwanten) transfers to the small town of Red Hill to work at the police department. On his first day, a convicted murderer escapes from prison and heads back to Red Hill to hunt down the men who put him there.

After a terrific buildup in the first act, this film quickly falls apart once the villain finally makes an appearance. I felt like I was watching Friday the 13th or Halloween instead of what was dubbed as a modern western from Australia. Most of the characters are unbelievably stupid, especially when the escaped prisoner is hunting them down, and the entire premise falls apart with the less than shocking twist at the end.

Video Highlights

• AVC/1080p encode on a BD-50 disc
• Natural color palette
• Inconsistent detail, especially on longer shots
• Varying flesh tones
• Slightly crushed blacks

Audio Highlights

• DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack
• Outstanding dynamics
• Encompassing surround track
• Intelligible dialog
• Reference-quality imaging

Sony usually delivers first-rate video encodes, but this AVC presentation is a mixed bag. At times it looks outstanding with excellent depth and detail, but then will change dramatically in the next scene with crushed blacks and fuzzy backgrounds. That's not the case with the audio track, which is spectacular from beginning to end.

Bonus Materials br>

• BD-Live Enabled

After seeing the trailers I had high expectations of this Australian based film, but it falls apart about halfway through and never recovers. The video encode is serviceable, but it's the audio track that may nudge you into a rental.

Release Date: January 25, 2011
Studio: Sony

Movie: 5/10
Picture: 7/10
Sound: 9/10

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