Brothers in Arms Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.0
Audio		2.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.5

Brothers in Arms Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 30, 2019

1987's Best Picture winner Platoon is widely considered one of the most authentically crafted War films ever made, a harrowing journey into heart of war and the essence of man. Brothers in Arms is a simply crafted but fully engaging and wholly informative documentary that explores the story behind the film, with heavy emphasis on the actors' training and togetherness on set.

The film begins with an interesting contrast between the glorification of war depicted in Summer 1986's biggest hit, Top Gun, and the horrors of war depicted in the following year’s -- and perhaps a generation's -- best picture, Platoon. The film explores Stone’s decade-long pursuit of making the film, his collaboration with Arnold Kopelson, Dale Dye’s (affectionally to this day called “Dai Uy”) training regimen, the assembled on-screen talent (auditions, cast camaraderie) shooting in the Philippines, Stone’s heavy-handed approach to unearthing authenticity from his cast, stories behind key scenes, and more.

The film is written and directed by Paul Sanchez, a Platoon veteran who portrays "Doc" in the film. And he knows how to tell a story, or at least how to allow his interviewees to tell the story. This isn't a simple regurgitation of facts by way of first-hand experiences. No, this is much like Stone's Platoon itself. It becomes the experience of making the movie. Audiences don't hear the stories, they experience them, understand what it felt like to be on set, to travel to and work in the Philippines, to be under Dye's hard but watchful and thoughtful fist, to work with Stone who is as much a perfectionist as he is a passionate storyteller. It's a terrific bit of insight that is a must-see for anyone who admires Platoon for both its anti-war message and its stellar technical assemblage alike.

Brothers in Arms Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Brothers in Arms releases to Blu-ray via a burned BD-R disc. The presentation is adequate; the movie was not made with its technical quality in mind. It's digitally rough, with good essential color and clarity but struggling to hold off various compression and source issues (including a static white dot hovering over several interview shots). Some of the film footage is rough and heavily compressed and there are still photos from the set of varying quality. Certainly the newly minted digitally sourced interview footage is what matters most, and it's certainly watchable within the larger context of what the movie is and works to accomplish.

Brothers in Arms Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Brothers in Arms features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack. At times, and notably as the film begins, narration comes across as fully tinny and hollow. It's an inauspicious start but the track carries well enough from there on out with only occasional tinny hiccups. The two-channel track offers little but the sound design demands little. A bit of music stretches to the side with acceptable clarity. A few sound effects from the film creep through with familiar cadence but lacking the tighter definition found in the movie's Blu-ray releases. Dialogue and narration drive the majority of the track's components, and beyond the aforementioned sporadic issues is fine for placement and clarity.

Brothers in Arms Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Brothers in Arms contains only the film's Trailer (1080p, 2:24). No DVD or digital copies are included. This release does not ship with a slipcover.

Brothers in Arms Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Brothers in Arms is a must-see for any Platoon fan. It may not be an exhaustive retrospective but it's sincere and both passionately and intimately recalls the story behind its construction from the men who made it happen, the actors who would become grunts and brothers. The Blu-ray's quality is far from perfect but certainly workable for this style of film. The only extra is a trailer. Recommended.