Closer Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		4.0

Closer Blu-ray Movie Review

London isn't for lovers.

Reviewed by Ben Williams September 6, 2007

Throughout his legendary career as a filmmaker, Mike Nichols has always courted his fair share of controversy while making films that appeal to mainstream audiences. From The Graduate all the way through to his more recent films like The Birdcage, his most successful big-screen efforts tend to contain a subversive streak. Unfortunately, may of Mr. Nichols most recent films failed to live up to his own legacy, and the once storied director had become increasingly well known for being Diane Sawyer’s husband. 2004's Closer finds Mr. Nichols returning to his roots by investigating modern relationships against the backdrop of London. With stellar performances, a bulletproof screenplay and skilled direction, Closer is a remarkable return to form for Mr. Nichols.

This kind of thing happens to Clive Owen every day.

Closer follows the lives of four very different London residents as they fall in and out of love and obsession with one another. Anna (Julia Roberts) and Larry (Clive Owen) and Dan (Jude Law) and Alice (Natalie Portman) exist to experience the trials and tribulations of love, sex and heartbreak. While they all experience these emotions differently, these four vastly different Londoners share a defensive nature and an almost violent sense of self-preservation. Emotional outrage, betrayal, mind games and sexual bribery are among their additional common behaviors; when it comes to love, they experience life or death situations.

Unsurprisingly, the real draw to Closer is the film's fantastic performances. The four principal players chew up scenery as though to demand Oscar consideration. The subject matter is decidedly depressing at its best; each character exhibits the absolute worst qualities imaginable in times of romantic duress. I'm not sure if any of these people were intended to be worth rooting for, but the film's emotional honesty is as refreshing as it is shocking. That’s not to say that these characters aren’t at times likable; they all have qualities that are interesting and very addictive to watch - - especially in their most desperate and dramatic moments. The film seems to serve as an indictment on the absolute worst that relationships can bring out in ordinary people. Love is a battlefield, it seems. Clive Owen is the real breakthrough in Closer; had been sitting on the brink of major stardom immediately prior to its release. His scene-stealing performance is the kind of thing most actors wait a career to achieve. To watch Clive Owen in Closer, is to watch an amazing actor at the absolute peak of his abilities.

Closer is heavyweight entertainment that is intended to stir up emotions and to remind the viewer of just how screwed up life can be. It's a brilliant film and has been produced with an enormous amount of skill, but I doubt it's the kind of thing that many viewers will want to view repeatedly. Closer is very much worth seeing for its edgy and eye-opening performances, beautiful direction and, of course, Natalie Portman's scenes as a stripper. Something tells me that the last item on that list might just sell a few copies of this Blu-ray. For those of you buying for that reason, check out the movie while you are at it; you just might enjoy it.

Closer Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Closer has been given an absolutely fantastic AVC transfer from Sony. The film is shot in a very matter-of-fact style with a predominantly muted color palette. London is depicted as grey and somewhat bleak. This subtly grainy film is presented in top-notch form with an emphasis on preserving the finely filmed details, grain included, as perfectly as possible. This is not a slick looking or glossy film, but a film with character that underscores the deep emotional aspect of the story. As such, the somber tone of the film is expertly rendered. Perhaps the one scene in the film that truly pops with fantastically saturated colors is the scene that takes place in the strip club. At any rate, this transfer is free from edge enhancement, banding or any distracting artifacts. Once again, Sony has provided a first class transfer that perfectly reproduces the cinematic experience.

Closer Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As a dialogue heavy film, Closer benefits immensely from the inclusion of an uncompressed PCM audio track. Often times, with Dolby Digital and even DTS tracks, many subtle nuances of speech are left a little bit muddy. With PCM, the only impediment to perfectly intelligible dialogue is dialogue that is poorly recorded. Fortunately with Closer, this is not a problem. Dialogue is crisp and clean. The wonderful musical score with songs (or should I say, SONG) from Damien Rice is also expertly presented. Again, Closer isn't going to blow the doors off of your home theater. It does, however, deliver the perfect experience for a dialogue heavy film.

Closer Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Here's what's included:

-Music Video – "The Blower's Daughter"

All we get here is a single music video for Damien Rice's "The Blower's Daughter." One would certainly think that a film as complex as Closer deserves a little more attention in the special features department.

Since there is so little to comment on in the supplemental department, it is worth noting that there are a ton of subtitle options included on this disc. Unless your first language is Klingon, there's a good chance you'll find your native tongue here.

Closer Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Closer signals Mike Nichols' return to the kind of edgy and emotional filmmaking that made him famous. This is an unflinching and scathing look at the painful emotional damage done in relationships that lack maturity or respect. It's a painful film to watch at times; don't expect many laughs or romantic undercurrents. Sony has done a fine job with the Blu-ray edition of Closer. Audio and Video are both handled exceptionally well while featuring a small number of supplements. Regardless, the draw of Closerlies the film's stellar performances. It's an amazing and shocking experience that I highly recommend.