Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Black and Blue Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman January 20, 2020

With a tagline that reads “Nowhere to run. No one to trust,” one could reasonably expect to add the extension “no originality to be found” by the time the credits roll. But Director Deon Taylor’s (Meet the Blacks, The Intruder) Black and Blue proves itself to be a tense, timely Thriller with some familiar overtones but enough filmmaking energy, forward momentum, and characterization to elevate above and beyond its generic outward appearance. Frankly, at least that part of the marketing for the movie stinks, because even though there’s some cookie cutter bits and pieces, Black and Blue skillfully paints an engrossing yet bleak picture of law enforcement meets the violence and corruption it's charged with combatting. The high yield action and nonstop cat-and-mouse chase harmoniously work with one cop's pursuit of justice to her own personal detriment, physical and emotional alike.

Alicia West (Naomie Harris) is an Afghanistan war veteran who has returned to New Orleans to begin a career in law enforcement. While riding with a veteran cop, she is asked to stay put while he attends to personal business at an abandoned warehouse. Gunfire draws her from the patrol vehicle and she witnesses several police officers, including her partner, murdering a man in cold blood. She's shot several times but her bulletproof vest saves her life. She barely escapes, bloodied and bruised, and quickly learns that she can trust no one in uniform. As she struggles to stay alive and deliver body cam footage of the murder to someone -- anyone -- she can trust, she finds herself immersed in a world of violence and corruption where everyone, police and civilian alike, wants her dead.

There is no pulling punches with the title, a classic double entendre speaking to the violent nature of police work and the racial under- and overtones that fester between the men and women in uniform and the men and women on the street, as well as within their own ranks. But Black and Blue is just as concerned with shades of gray, which do not exist in Alicia’s worldview but which seem to thrive on the streets and within the souls of her fellow officers, individuals who are at best desensitized to corruption and violence and at worst thrive on it as it necessarily multiplies and their bullets begin to target their own. Alicia’s flight from her pursuers challenges her to stay alive not simply for her own well being but to expose those who have done wrong to her and to others. Justice is justice, as it is written in the letter of the law and is understood in the hearts and souls of good people, not those who would ignore the rules and rewrite personal code for immoral gain.

Beyond the intriguing and timely themes is a movie that’s well made and very watchable. The tense, fast paced, and largely relentless action is well staged and incessantly kinetic, punctuated by a large scale shootout towards film’s end. It’s gritty and bloody and Taylor injects plenty of legitimate tension and despair into the picture, both personal and within the larger inter-force and outer-world corruption that dogs Alicia throughout the film. Naomie Harris is terrific as the lead. She spends most the movie battered, bloodied, and bruised but certain of her moral compass that guides her both towards danger and away from it. She’s unflinchingly dedicated to exposing those who have wronged her and the world in which she lives. Harris’ performance blends a sense of justice and determination, of physical drain and emotional steadfastness quite well. Her moral compass is true and Harris sells both the physical component and emotional responses equally well. Supporting cast is quite strong, too, particularly Tyrese Gibson as an unlikely ally and Frank Grillo as West's primary pursuer.

Black and Blue Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Black and Blue's 1080p transfer borders on pristine. The digitally photographed motion picture shines at the 1080p resolution. Low light noise is a fairly regular, though not usually bothersome, visual accompaniment. Mild banding pops up here and there but it's exceedingly rare overall. Image clarity is wonderful and textural fidelity is superb. Viewers will appreciate the ease and efficiency with which complex skin, clothing, and environmental details showcase dense, realistic intricacies. Blood, sweat, grime, and other characteristics excel in close-up. World details are firm and fine and help draw the viewer into the movie's many urban environments. The picture holds intense sharpness for the duration. Colors are terrifically saturated and true. Tones are committed to intensity but believability at the same time. The image does not run hot, but it's not timid about pushing contrast a bit for effect. Tones are dense and enjoy fruitful, complimentary balance in light and dark scenes alike. Skin tones appear accurate and black levels hold firm. This is another A-grade new release from Sony.

Black and Blue Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Black and Blue's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack delivers a full-bodied sonic experience. The track opens to reveal pinpoint din at the police station in the first several minutes, immersing the listener into the environment as slamming lockers, chatter, radio signals, and other details breathe life into a sonically complex landscape. Likewise, gathered crowd din in chapter three pulls the listener into a tense situation. The track always demonstrates expert command of its space and proves more than capable of matching on-screen action with precisely engineered and delivered sound effects. Action scenes are the highlight, though. A gunshot terrifyingly pierces the stage at the 19-minute mark, followed by another; these are the two that set the story into motion. Terrific reverb and spacial fill define the pair as heard from West's perspective. Later in chapters 10 and 13 fully automatic gunfire tears through the stage with zipping movement and weighty depth, both examples of the track's ability to blend intensity and clarity, depth and surround engagement, with ease. Musical fidelity and spacing are perfect, as is dialogue reproduction.

Black and Blue Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Sony's Blu-ray release of Black and Blue includes two featurettes and several deleted scenes. A Movies Anywhere digital copy code is included with purchase. A DVD copy is not. This release ships with a non-embossed slipcover.

• Line of Fire (1080p, 4:02): Cast and crew talk up the movie's frenzied action, story, characters, locations, and the various cameras utilized in the shoot.
• Be the Change in the Big Easy (1080p, 3:44): Shooting in New Orleans and actor performances.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 4:46 total runtime): Included are Picture Frame, Studio, We Need to Get in There, It Was Him or Us, and Message.
• Previews (1080p): Additional Sony titles.

Black and Blue Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Black and Blue comes nowhere near to the best of the "corrupt cop" genre -- that title still belongs to Antoine Fuqua's mesmerizing Training Day -- but Deon Taylor certainly exceeds expectations with what is a taut, tense, and very well balanced journey into corruption and violence. A well-rounded story, excellent technical merits, and high quality performances lift Black and Blue well beyond its generic outward appearance. Sony's Blu-ray is a little shorter on extras than ideal -- a Taylor commentary would have been most welcome -- but the A/V presentation is very good. Highly recommended.