7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Jack Manfred, an aspiring writer, accepts a job as a croupier in a small casino in London. There, he remains an observer, viewing the gamblers at his tables with the same cool detachment he brings to the novel he begins to write based on experiences. He never gambles, yet when a beautiful casino regular lures him into a dangerous, but perhaps lucrative caper, Jack is convinced the odds are in his favor.
Starring: Clive Owen, Kate Hardie, Alex Kingston (I), Gina McKee, Nick RedingFilm-Noir | 100% |
Heist | 6% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Croupier made Clive Owen a movie star, but like so many films made by director Mike Hodges, its path was not an easy one. Shot in 1997, the film was not released in the U.K. until two years later, and it did not reach America until 2000, where it was distributed by the independent Shooting Gallery and never played on more than 134 screens. Owen, who appears in almost every scene, should have been a shoo-in for an Oscar nomination, but a prior airing on Dutch TV disqualified the film from Academy consideration. Strong reviews, positive word-of-mouth and a DVD release by Image Entertainment ensured that Croupier was seen, despite these obstacles. Owen's mesmerizing performance, Hodge's taut direction (thought by many to be his best work since Get Carter) and an inventive script by Paul Mayersberg (The Man Who Fell to Earth) did the rest. Specialty publisher Hen's Tooth Video is now bringing Croupier to Blu-ray for a new generation of film lovers to discover.
Croupier was shot on film by British cameraman Michael Garfath, who had previously photographed A Prayer for the Dying for director Hodges and would later reunite with Hodges and Owen for I'll Sleep When I'm Dead. Hen's Tooth does not do its own transfers, but the master it has acquired for its 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray has come from good quality source material, without noticeable damage or wear-and-tear. The image is sharp without obvious signs of artificial enhancement and reveals a healthy level of fine detail, which is especially valuable in the casino scenes. The color palette is neither understated nor overly garish; this is not a Las Vegas gambling establishment, but a downscale club in the heart of London. Bright colors are not the norm. Blacks are solid, as reflected in the formal attire worn by the casino staff, or rather they would be, if not for the disc's one pervasive shortcoming, which is overbrightness. The image appears to have been excessively lightened, so that the blacks occasionally shade to dark gray, colors seem washed out and the entire frame sometimes appears to have a layer of white haze. It's not enough to blow out detail or noticeably overstate contrast in most scenes, but the generally bright appearance often seems at odds with the film's setting and subject matter. However, without an objective reference, such as an answer print, it is impossible to assess the degree of variation. With no extras, Hen's Tooth has mastered Croupier on a BD-25 with an average bitrate of 27.41 Mpbs, and the compression has been capably performed.
My research was unable to establish the original audio format of Croupier. The closing titles (and IMDb) simply state "Dolby". I do not have Image Entertainment's 2004 DVD, but its soundtrack was labeled "stereo". Hen's Tooth's Blu-ray arrives with a mono soundtrack encoded in lossless DTS-HD MA 2.0, with identical left and right channels. Given the budgetary constraints, it is entirely possible that the film was released in mono. If anyone has definitive information on this point, please contact me. Even though the track has only one channel, the sound editing is highly sophisticated, with sounds such as chips rattling, cards shuffling and a ball rolling around the outer rim of a roulette wheel strategically placed in counterpoint to Jack's voiceover. The lossless track brings out these psychologically crucial effects with full force, and it certainly helps that the track's dynamic range isn't constrained by limitations of the recording technology. Simon Fisher-Turner, Derek Jarman's frequent collaborator (e.g., The Last of England ), composed the minimalist jazz score.
The disc has no extras. Image Entertainment's 2004 DVD also had no extras.
Croupier begins as a tour of the small-time gambler's world, seen through the unblinking eye of the house that always wins. But it gradually morphs into something even more interesting, as that unblinking eye is forced to turn its gaze inward and report on what it finds. "Write what you know" is the advice routinely given to fledgling authors. Jack Manfred writes about what he knows as a croupier, but that is only the first step of a long journey. Hen's Tooth's Blu-ray, while not without issues, brings this unique film to the home theater in its best presentation to date. With appropriate caveats, recommended.
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