6.1 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A veteran war journalist documents atrocities in the crossfire between Georgian and Russian forces, and finds that releasing the footage, given the overwhelming lack of interest from news networks, is equally as challenging as physical survivial.
Starring: Rupert Friend, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Richard Coyle, Heather Graham, Johnathon SchaechWar | 100% |
Drama | 80% |
Action | 62% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital Mono
English SDH, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Welcome to Cold War: The Sequel.
5 Days of War is Director Renny Harlin's bold attempt to make a substantive Action movie. The Die Hard 2: Die Harder and Cliffhanger director, as those titles suggest, is best known for crafting
visual
thrill rides that dazzle with spectacular action and big-budget special effects. 5 Days of War is really no different, but the story is framed
around a more immediate, powerful, and true-to-life element that should elevate the material from "popcorn munching fare" to "thought-provoking
art." Harlin doesn't absolutely succeed; 5 Days of War regurgitates typical Action movie elements -- albeit probably the slickest action movie
elements he's ever created -- throughout, but the film does carry with it a weightiness that's missing from his usual shoot-em-up movies. Still,
there's no escaping that this is basically a straight run-and-gun Action flick, but perhaps the most significant difference is that the hero isn't a John
McClane type who runs around shooting bad guys but rather a man who's armed only with a nose for the news and the guts to do whatever it
takes to make sure the world knows about the atrocities committed in war-torn Georgia.
War's coming.
5 Days of War features a brilliant 1080p Blu-ray transfer. Renny Harlin shot the picture digitally, which does give the movie a flat, glossy, and textureless flavor, but such is the nature of the source and not a feature of the Blu-ray. Anchor Bay's disc delivers the transfer smoothly and efficiently. It captures an insane amount of detail, made possible particularly thanks to the image's unbeatable clarity. Every facial hair stubble, war-ravaged debris, the texture on military uniforms, pebbly dirt roads, natural vegetation, and even dings, dents, stretches, and wear on armored military vehicles are all breathtakingly precise. Colors are equally impressive; the palette yields a natural vibrancy and evenness that can't be beat. Black levels are spectacular, dark and true but never crushing out details or going gray. The image is free of excess noise. Banding is absent, and the image is also free of blocky backgrounds and other eyesores. Digital movies presented in 1080p just don't look better than this.
5 Days of War features an engaging and energized Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The main focus here is in the action, and Anchor Bay's track definitely delivers. Gunfire enjoys a positive, heavy thump. It spits out from every corner, effectively placing the listener in the middle of the mayhem. Explosions enjoy a positive low end support, and missiles and other heavy ordinance explode from every corner of the listening area. Tanks roll through with great power and fine directional effect. Ditto helicopters. In essence, this track turns the living room into a modern war zone. It's insanely good, enveloping and the closest thing most may ever get to dodging real bullets and incoming shells. Music enjoys fine clarity and spacing, and dialogue is focused, clear, and never lost underneath the barrage of wartime sound effects. This track is a blast, literally; it's a fine listen and one that Action/War movie fans will enjoy a great deal. It alone is almost worth the price of admission.
5 Days of War contains a relatively small supplemental section, headlined by a wonderful audio commentary track. No featurettes are included.
5 Days of War is a visually enjoyable but thematically frustrating picture. What should yield some deeper themes and a more refined and important story instead dissolves into a pretty standard Action flick, but it's at least action captured very smoothly and efficiently and with great polish and attention to detail. The performances are fine -- Andy Garcia in particular shines -- but the characters are rather flat, principled and mostly likable as they may but not too terribly engaging. Still, the movie is a relatively fun ride, and it does bring attention to some serious issues concerning war crime brutality; it just does so in the guise of a fairly straight and predictable but well-made Action movie. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release of 5 Days of War features exceptionally strong technical presentations and a couple of extras. This is easily worth a rental, and perhaps, even, a purchase on a good sale.
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Forces spéciales
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Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
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Fragile Fox
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