6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Set in Stalin-era Soviet Union, a disgraced MGB agent is dispatched to investigate a series of child murders - a case that begins to connect with the very top of party leadership.
Starring: Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Noomi Rapace, Joel Kinnaman, Paddy ConsidineThriller | 100% |
Drama | 42% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
English, English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
UV digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Paranoia fairly drips from every corner of Child 44’s often squalid mid-century Soviet Union ambience. A lot has been written about the general zeitgeist in America during the post-war period, especially with regard to the nascent Cold War and our paranoia, notably the anti-Communist fervor that found its most iconic expositor in one Joseph McCarthy, but the ironic thing that Child 44 details is that almost exactly the same climate prevailed in our erstwhile global nemesis. The Soviet government insisted the “other” system (in this case, capitalism) was rife with corruption and designs on absolute power, and that the collectivist ethos was obviously the only “true” way forward. Flip that thesis on its head, and the American attitude toward Communism and Soviet Russia was virtually identical. Freedom loving westerners may claim (and perhaps rightfully so, at least relatively speaking) that “Uncle Joe” Stalin’s Soviet Union was a good deal more totalitarian than even the worst excesses of the United States’ anti-Soviet reactions, but students of history may find some curious parallels between the two global superpowers, at least in terms of where they found themselves “emotionally”, generally speaking, in the wake of the defeat of Nazism. Child 44 has an absolutely fascinating premise as encapsulated in the intriguing epigram which starts the film: There can be no murder in paradise. Stalin’s contention was that only outmoded systems like Capitalism fostered deviant behaviors like murder and (not to put too fine a point on it) homosexuality, and that the Soviet Utopia simply could not experience such travails. That decree from on high becomes increasingly problematic for a once up and coming Ministry of State Security (otherwise known as the MGB) officer named Leo Demidov (Tom Hardy) who gets sucked into a supposedly “open and shut” case dealing with the ostensibly accidental death of Demidov’s godson, a little boy belonging to Demidov’s war buddy Alexei Andreyev (Fares Fares). Andreyev and his distraught wife are absolutely sure their young child was murdered, not killed accidentally by a passing train, an opinion which jeopardizes Andreyev’s career and indeed the whole family’s life.
Child 44 is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.40:1. Shot on film with a variety of Arricams, Child 44 has an intentionally desaturated appearance a great deal of the time which reinforces the dull gray squalor of mid- century Soviet Russia. A lot of the film is quite dark (as can easily be seen in many of the screencaptures accompanying this review), a choice which deprives many scenes of much in the way of shadow detail and even general detail at times. A few isolated moments have been rather curiously color graded, including some of the most aggressive yellow I've personally encountered (in a brief early scene at the opera). While the palette never pops in any meaningful way, the midrange tones which are frequently on display are interesting and emotionally relevant, helping to subliminally set the table for all the misery which unfolds. A couple of uncharacteristic "bright spots" occasionally unfold, including a luminous summer day sequence where Demidov tracks down the dentist (see screenshot 3). Outdoor scenes offer decent depth of field, though some CGI, notably establishing shots detailing Moscow and other enclaves, look pretty minimalistic and soft. Close-ups often offer well above average amounts of detail, but the film's muted lighting schemes tend to work against this at least some of the time. There are no issues with image instability and no problems with compression artifacts despite the generally dank demeanor of much of the film.
Child 44's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 has moments of fantastic bombast and immersion, including the battle scene which begins the film, but then retreats to a somewhat more staid and center focused presentation once the film segues to straight dialogue scenes. There is still nice attention paid to ambient environmental sounds in any case, whether that be the clatter of a train station or the light breezes blowing through a field. Jon Ekstrand's score is well positioned throughout the surrounds and lends an added moodiness to the already gloomy film. Fidelity is excellent and dynamic range appealingly wide on this problem free track.
Child 44 never quite hangs together dramatically, despite some impressive performances and an overall stifling mood which becomes downright suffocating as the film progresses. Certainly a case of the parts being greater than the whole, Child 44 has an intriguing premise which is at least partially wasted by too many sidebars that only add to Demidov's struggles. Still, for those who are willing to overlook some narrative stumbles in order to gain access to a virtually palpable ambience and great acting, Child 44 comes Recommended.
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