Blu-ray Movie Reviews

James Reece, personal aide to the U.S. Ambassador to France, is secretly moonlighting as a low-level CIA operative. Looking for more action, Reece accepts a job that teams him with wise-cracking special agent Charlie Wax, a trigger-happy loose cannon sent to Paris on a mission of international importance. Now, Reece finds himself on the wildest ride of his life as the new partners pull out all the stops to annihilate the enemy in this explosive, white-knuckle, non-stop thriller.

Luc Besson has been a busy boy lately penning and producing a slew of action thrillers. This is his latest endeavor and what appears to be his first try at the buddy cop genre. Unfortunately it doesn’t come close to the mark. The story just isn’t intriguing enough and while Travolta delivers a pretty solid role, Rhys Meyers just isn’t firing on any cylinders at all. He manages to actually be quite annoying in the role despite turning in some solid performances elsewhere. The production design is pretty slick and the action isn’t bad, but they just can’t make up for a rather dull storyline and weak relationship between characters.

Lionsgate delivers a pretty solid outing for this Blu-ray. The picture quality isn’t quite as sensational as most of the day-and-date action films I see, but it never really disappoints either. Contrast levels are good but overall detail isn’t quite to reference level. Depth also is a tad flat at times. Colors are vibrant enough and shadow detail is solid throughout. A really good video presentation, but a bit short of reference. The 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio mix is a fun ride with plenty of action to work with. Dynamic range is impressive with some good low bass workout and plenty of punchy gunfire. Dialogue never gets lost in the excitement and the surround soundstage adds some nice panning to the mix.

This 2-disc set has plenty of goodies for fans of the film. You get a visual commentary with the film’s director and plenty of behind the scenes action. You also get a look inside the spy world with some interactive features. The second disc also includes a digital copy for your portable device.

Besson just doesn’t find the right notes for this failed attempt at a buddy cop flick. Lionsgate manages to deliver a solid presentation and extras package though for any fans out there.