Chained Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

Chained Blu-ray Movie Review

This dark character study is worth a watch.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 3, 2012

From now on this is your world.

There's something fundamentally frightening in Chained, but there's also something fundamentally uplifting. The picture examines the best and worst of humanity through the prism of captivity, captivity to a chain and captivity to a way of life. The picture introduces some fascinating dynamics about the human psyche, about right and wrong, about simply succumbing to the worst inside and persevering through even the most difficult of circumstances, through a most unimaginably long stretch of time, and through the most malleable, value-instilling, life-shaping years of a person's existence. It's a film of two grossly different characters forced together into the same space but not the same way of life, and it's about how those two fundamentally deal with their own brand of captivity through the years. It asks questions about physical escape, emotional response, and remaining true to values like basic human decency for the duration of a trip through several hellish years. Chained may not be groundbreaking cinema, it may not introduce radical new themes or ideas, but it's a solid, absorbing sort of film that takes audiences on a journey through two different emotional states, traversing a terribly dark and unforgiving terrain that cannot end well no matter the outcome.

Physically close but mentally and emotionally far apart.

Bob (Vincent D'Onofrio, Adventures in Babysitting) drives a cab, kidnaps passengers that fit his profile, returns them to his secluded home, and kills them. He latest victim is a mother and her young son (Evan Bird). He murders the mother and keeps the child as his own, enslaving him and demanding he perform chores with little hope of reward and no promise of freedom. The boy, whom he calls "Rabbit," must clean house, serve Bob his breakfast, and search for newspaper stories in which Bob's kidnappings are mentioned. He will be beaten if he does not adequately perform these tasks. He may only eat food which Bob leaves for him. Bob foils an escape attempt and chains Rabbit to the house, leaving him only enough slack to perform his duties. Years later, Rabbit (Eamon Farren) has grown up, skinny but otherwise healthy. Bob demands Rabbit study human anatomy so he may become an efficient killer in Bob's own image. When Bob demands that Rabbit select a girl from a college yearbook to be his first victim and his first taste of the female form, he must choose to maintain his individualism and humanity or cave and follow Bob down a dark path from which there is no return.

Chained absorbs audiences into its dark and, at first, mysterious world from its opening moments. The picture's depiction of a child in the midst of brutality serves as a tremendously gripping open to a tale that will slowly develop and engage audiences in its command of human complexity and interactions under unusual, to say the least, circumstances. Much of Chained's success stems from its slow but steady and constant development, its gradual shaping of the world in which Rabbit is physically trapped in an environment shaped by Bob's own inner entrapment from which he cannot escape and, indeed, has learned to both accept and champion. The student-pupil relationship shapes the film, depicting a dedicated teacher of the macabre instructing an unwilling learner who gains raw knowledge but never allows his essence to be transformed into the image of that which shapes his captor. It's a truly fascinating dynamic, one that is expertly depicted and thoroughly explored. Audiences might wish for an even deeper examination of the dueling essences, but truly any more of the darkness and depravity might have been too much. Director Jennifer Chambers Lynch (Boxing Helena) finds the perfect balance in the shaping and telling of the story, finding just the right rhythm for a tale that's dark and dreary but at the same time emotionally gripping and thematically challenging.

Chained does stumble a bit considering the core of Bob's character motivation -- it's contextually acceptable but rather dramatically generic -- but it's in the character's current state and efforts to shape a protege, if he may be called that, that the film finds the bulk of its success. As written, the characters are otherwise quite strong and performed with equal precision. Vincent D'Onofrio is startlingly good as Bob, a man with a lisp, a closed-off life, and no moral qualms in doing what he does. The character is intimidating but not necessarily physically imposing. His strength comes from his steadfastness, dedication to purpose, and unwavering discipline to his craft and his mentoring of young Rabbit. D'Onofrio inhabits the character with startling efficiency and accuracy, finding just the right cadence, emotion, posture, and look for every scene. Evan Bird's performance as the younger Rabbit is also superb, delivering surprisingly rich and convincing emotions in every scene. Eamon Farren's work as the older Rabbit is a little flatter, but then again he's paying a character beaten down and deprived of his most formative years and fighting daily to retain his humanity and his ability to differentiate between right and wrong despite the constant captivity and bombardment of negativity from his captor. A somewhat blank-eyed performance actually fits the character quite well, though Farren is certainly overshadowed by Vincent D'Onofrio's eye-opening performance, perhaps his best since Full Metal Jacket.

Chained Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Chained arrives on Blu-ray with a digitally-sourced 1080p, 2.40:1-framed transfer. The HD video photography is rather flat, but the inherent bleakness and bronze-tinted lighting works well with the rather lifeless and sterile HD imagery. Colors are dim and the image is predominantly dark. The only vibrant scenes come in those rare instances outside of Bob's house, where the bright yellow cab or lush green grasses, for instance, appear with natural, pleasing shades. Detail isn't eye-catching by the film's very nature, but the image is stable, crisp, and well-defined nevertheless. Finer facial details are evident on certain close-ups, but the image otherwise impresses only in its raw firmness and resolution. Black levels are fine, and flesh tones are reflective of lighting. The image is largely free of excess noise, and only light banding is evident. It's not a particularly pretty movie, but Anchor Bay's 1080p transfer fits the film's mood and style quite well.

Chained Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Chained features a Dolby TrueHD 7.1 lossless soundtrack. This is a rather simple, straightforward sort of sound presentation that's not very heavy on energy but that does offer some subtle nuance that aids in shaping what is a rather quiet atmosphere. The track offers well-spaced musical notes, good clarity, and fine general accuracy. Bass can be somewhat potent and a bit rattly at the very bottom, but otherwise effective in context. Dialogue is even and focused in the center. Bob's dialogue sounds occasionally shallow, but it seems reflective of the character's speech pattern. Subtle ambiance aids several scenes, but listeners will never feel completely immersed into Bob's bleak home. This track supports the movie nicely, even if it's not the most polished or energetic on the market.

Chained Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Chained contains an audio commentary, an alternate scene, the film's trailer, and a DVD copy on disc two.

• Audio Commentary: Writer/Director Jennifer Lynch and Actor Vincent D'Onofrio begin with a description of the film's bleak but high quality set. They also speak on the length of the shoot, their preferred title for the film, the characters and the quality of the performances, anecdotes from the set, the story and themes, the picture's style, and much more. There's some high quality insights that offer even more depth than is initially evident upon the first watch. There are a few moments of silence when the participants fall into the movie's spell and watch rather than speak. This track is a must-listen for anyone who found the film's themes and style to be captivating.
• Mary's Murder - Alternate Version (1080p, 1:26): A second take on a scene.
• Trailer (1080p, 1:35).
• DVD Copy.

Chained Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Chained isn not rightly described as Horror picture, or at least not a Horror picture in the traditional sense of the term and understanding of the genre. Instead, Chained is a dark but not always depressing dual character study of two individuals living through the same situation, one acceptant of his life and the other refusing indoctrination. It's a remarkably fascinating film defined by an exceptional lead performance from Vincent D'Onofrio, good direction, and simple but highly effective art design. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release of Chained features reliable video and audio as well as a high quality commentary track. Recommended.