A Belfast Story Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

A Belfast Story Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 4, 2014

Nathan Todd's directorial debut, "A Belfast Story" (2013), arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Kaleidoscope Entertainment. The only supplemental feature on the disc is an original trailer for the film. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

They were waiting for something...

The film is set in modern-day Belfast, a place with a troubled history where people with polarizing political views are still learning to co-exist in peace. But it isn’t easy. Some are nostalgic for the good old days when the ‘rights’ and ‘wrongs’ were simple and the ‘enemy’ was easy to identify. Some simply cannot accept being treated as hostages in what they perceive to be a dangerous political game in which old and compromised players have become the new leaders.

Colm Meaney (Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa, Con Air) is an aging detective who no longer cares about ideas and causes. There was a time when he believed in something he thought was important, but a tragedy made him change his mind. Now all he cares about is his job. Occasionally he still thinks about the past, but his life has a healthy rhythm that keeps him sane.

But the rhythm is disturbed when someone begins eliminating former IRA members and the detective is ordered to find the killer. He quickly realizes that the killings are meant to send a message, but isn’t sure who the recipient is.

Nathan Todd’s directorial debut, A Belfast Story, has not been greeted with a great deal of enthusiasm in its native country, but I think that its tone and message are very good. The script for the film could have been better polished, but it is far from being the disaster some British critics have claimed it is. Indeed, my feeling is that some of the harshest reactions have come from people who have not been able to leave the past behind and like a few of the key characters in the film are simply clinging to outdated ‘rights’ and ‘wrongs’.

Initially, the focus of attention is on the gruesome killings. One by one former IRA members are eliminated in ways suggesting that the killer is a professional. Meaney’s detective immediately recognizes the victims and informs his superiors that they all have long police records. During the investigation, prominent political figures are linked to some of the victims and the film is redirected. Now the focus of attention is on the flexible morality of the people who must protect the peace in a deeply divided country.

The most ‘controversial’ observations about the peace process and its defenders come at the end of the film. The one that truly stands out suggests that the violent past has destroyed the defenders’ credibility beyond repair. There is some finger pointing, but the film does not pick sides. I can’t see how anyone could disagree with the film. A very similar reality emerged after the end of the Cold War in the countries from the former Soviet bloc, where many of the most prominent anti-communist/opposition leaders were in fact former red apparatchiks who were part of the old system. When the time was right, they simply changed their masks and switched allegiances.

Meaney is the heart and soul of the film. He looks appropriately jaded, like a man who has seen too much and knows that there are old wounds that will never heal. The supporting cast, however, is somewhat underwhelming. Only Tommy O'Neill, who plays the First Minister, leaves a lasting impression.

A Belfast Story Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 and granted a 1080/50i transfer, Nathan Todd's A Belfast Story arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Kaleidoscope Entertainment.

Similar to Last Passenger, A Belfast Story arrives on Blu-ray with a 1080/50i high-definition transfer which actually contains progressive frames. This means that there is absolutely no motion-judder whatsoever. To be clear, this is essentially a progressive transfer "locked" inside a 1080/50i encode.

Clarity and image depth are excellent. Most close-ups, in particular, look very impressive (see screencapture #2). The outdoor footage also boasts impressive fluidity. Contrast and sharpness levels remain stable throughout the entire film. Color reproduction does not disappoint - there is a terrific range of rich, healthy and very natural colors. The encoding and compression are very good. Additionally, there are absolutely no stability issues to report in this review. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

A Belfast Story Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. For the record, Kaleidoscope Entertainment have not provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.

The film is complimented by a very atmospheric soundtrack courtesy of Nick Glennie-Smith and Mac Quayle, which benefits tremendously from the lossless treatment. The music truly changes atmosphere in key sequences. This being said, you should not expect to hear any notable surround movement. The dialog is clean and crisp, but I must say that optional English SDH subtitles should have been included because some of the accents heard in the film are rather thick.

A Belfast Story Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for A Belfast Story. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

A Belfast Story Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Nathan Todd's directorial debut, A Belfast Story, could have been better polished, but Colm Meaney's strong performance and the film's honest observations about life in modern-day Belfast make it easy to recommend. I think that with a better script and a bigger budget Todd can deliver something rather special. Kaleidoscope Entertainment's technical presentation of A Belfast Story is very good, but the Blu-ray release should have offered optional subtitles and some good supplemental features. RECOMMENDED.