6.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Four hijackers take over an airplane, take the passengers hostage, and force it to land in Entebbe, Uganda in 1976 in an effort to free dozens of Palestinians jailed in Israel.
Starring: Daniel Brühl, Rosamund Pike, Eddie Marsan, Lior Ashkenazi, Denis MénochetThriller | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Truth isn't just stranger than fiction, it's often more compelling. While anyone can manufacture a plot, history is rife with real-world examples of fear, courage, and everything in between that are often more remarkable than any burst of the creative imagination. 7 Days in Entebbe travels backwards only several decades in time to find a story that has a little bit of everything: action, terror, political intrigue, and more than a dash of truth. Director José Padilha's (RoboCop) film aims to blur the lines amongst all of the components, to tell the story of hostage takers and would-be hostage rescuers who are battling not only for the lives of innocent people caught up in a sudden whirlwind of a frail political climate but also for greater causes and concerns like recognition and statehood on one hand and self defense and preservation on the other. The story is ripe for the making into a movie, and in the right hands it could have been the next Munich, but as it is the film is little more than an operational entertainer with some story depth, quality perspective juxtapositions, good acting, and impressive lensing. Yet it comes up just short of a seminal recreation of one of the most intense weeks in the tumultuous 1970s.
7 Days in Entebbe's 1080p transfer delivers a satisfying viewing experience. Drawbacks are few, and perhaps the most prominent comes right at the beginning where black levels appear a little flat and washed out in the first dance sequence, but the picture soars beyond that. It's pleasantly filmic in textural quality, producing sharp, accurate textures that reveal finer facial details -- pores, moles, scruff -- with effortless ease and clarity. As the hostage situation intensifies and the days move along, the accumulated sweat and mess on characters and clothing are plainly revealed. The somewhat more ragged and used set pieces at the Entebbe airport appear sharp and complex, but it's in some of the film's more clean and complex images where the transfer truly shines, such as Amin's crisp military dress uniform. Colors are well saturated as the palette traverses from stuffy and hot warmth, crisp and natural hues in well-lit locales, and lower light scenes featuring the Israeli government officials. Source or encode flaws are few, blacks tighten up beyond the beginning, and flesh tones are reflective of any given scene's parameters. This is a very strong presentation from Universal.
7 Days in Entebbe feature a 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio sound presentation. The opening beats to the dance routine are very scrunchy, coming across as filtered and roughhewn, but music in the dance scene to follow, and all subsequent dance scenes, play with well pronounced low end effect, well spaced stage saturation, and much more clarity and precision. The track delivers quality, realistic background hum on the plane in the early minutes and a nicely realized sound of buzzing insects in various scene featuring the hostages at the airport. Listeners will note positive reverb and crowd din during a tense sequence in chapter nine, though gunfire in that same timeframe lacks the punch one might expect. Gunfire in a key sequence later in the film can't match the very best, but essential pronouncement and depth are fine. Dialogue is clear and precise for the duration.
This Blu-ray release of 7 Days in Entebbe contains two featurettes and additional dance sequences. A Movies Anywhere digital copy code is
included with purchase.
While 7 Days in Entebbe doesn't inspire much of an emotional response, it's certainly a fairly crafty and often engaging Thriller that dares to explore one of modern history's most memorable focal flash points from several distinct yet interrelated perspectives. It's weirdly put together -- the "metaphorical" dance numbers just distract -- but the direction is complimentary, focus otherwise remains where it should, and the performances are good enough to simply melt into the movie. Entebbe has its moments of high intensity and it's structurally very well put together, but in different hands with a greater vision this might have been something truly special. Universal's Blu-ray offers excellent video, very strong audio, and a few extras that aren't exactly neat but that do offer a little more substance than many of the micro-extras Universal usually includes. Worth a rental.
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