Crown Vic Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		2.5

Crown Vic Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 8, 2021

Prior to a viewing, one would be excused for believing Crown Vic to be a copycat of the exemplarily 2001 picture Training Day starring Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke. Antoine Fuqua's Oscar winning film follows a seasoned detective paired with a rookie new to the streets and the increasingly grim and dangerous road Washington's character travels through the course of a single day, dragging his new partner into a terrible world of seedy deals, shady characters, and senselessly corrupt police work. The film is a compelling portrait of the deterioration of the human condition under a life of incessant stress and on the streets, where even the badge and the authority of the law can be superseded by carnal human instincts and enterprises. Crown Vic follows in similar footsteps but molds its own take, here not pairing the rookie cop with a corrupt partner but rather exposing him to the world's darkness and challenging his physical response, emotional balance, and even spiritual standing through a night of hijinks, heightened emotion, and heavy violence.

Police veteran Ray Mandel (Thomas Jane) is paired with wet-behind-the-ears rookie Nick Holland (Luke Kleintank), a legacy badge who has been on the force for three years but is only now getting into the patrol car to perform “real” police work. He’s a bundle of nerves and something of an annoyance in Ray’s eyes. But Ray takes him under his wing, albeit forcefully and without much finesse, to train him in the finer points of police work on the streets, in the real world rather than learned from training and textbooks. It’s not long before the patrol car is hit by a brick and a chase ensues. It is the first of many encounters through the night that lead the officers through a murky labyrinth of the city’s criminal element, unstable cops, and a pair of armed and very dangerous thieves.

The film opens with a nifty getaway scene when a pair of bank robbers shoot it out with police and follow on to drive to what is apparently their escape or, maybe, their next target. Their brazen violence courses through the film and ultimately, and unsurprisingly, collides with Ray and Nick, but Crown Vic is not about that particular dynamic but rather the ins-and-outs of a particularly dangerous, but in some ways peculiarly normal, night on the force. The officers encounter the full spectrum of the city’s criminal element, from the drunk and disorderly to the armed and dangerous. Of course, for dramatic effect and to make the film work, the encounters have been carefully constructed and placed into the film for maximum impact on the malleable rookie’s emotional state and psychological makeup. More-or-less routine stops and encounters gradually escalate for both physical danger and the possibility for psychological break; Nick releases stress by screaming into the air, which he does at a couple of key points late in the film.

Jane and Kleintank both deliver high yield performances that dig deeply into their characters' centers. Jane's work is first-rate, presenting his character's complex underpinnings, which are more veiled than his new partner's overt fears and lack of full situational awareness and preparedness, with commendably complex efficiency. Jane's character is quick to berate the rookie, partly from a place of annoyance, partly from a place of tough love. But as the night wears on, the stresses and strains pull on Jane's character, too, and his soul is not free from tarnish. He's forced to balance right and wrong in one key sequence in which he is compelled to violate his oath in favor of his inner moral compass. It's a dark and chilling but compelling bit of work; Jane plays the character with a believable seasoning that allows him to be mentor and, in some ways, monster at the same time.

Kleintank's Nick Holland is, arguably, the less dynamic and more "stock" character of the two, but that doesn't stop the actor from turning in a solid performance as the rookie who has no choice but to adapt or die over the course of a single night on the job. The film is primarily seen through his eyes which makes the performance all the more vital to the movie's ebb and flow. It's a good work with Kleintank capably conveying those early patrol jitters which ultimately morph into raging anger and fear and a palpable sense of vacillation about whether the job -- at least the patrolman aspect of it -- is right for him and, by extension, leaving the audience to question whether it could withstand the boiler plate tensions Nick experiences throughout the movie.

Crown Vic Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The 1080p picture quality is neither substantial nor disappointing. It's a mid-grade video-sourced output that offers perfectly acceptable details: good basic facial features such as pores and hairs, well defined police uniform and vehicle interiors, and the like. There's no feel of any element just leaping off the screen to impress, particularly in some of the darker scenes which is also where some macroblocking artifacts are visible (look in the 13-minute mark for a few readily apparent examples; nothing heavy but dense enough to notice. The 43:35 mark is another good example of the macroblocking at its worst). Even some of the urban city textures don't offer much high-end definition, but again the movie takes place at night and there's simply no opportunity for expressive world definition. Color output is stymied by the setting. Some bright flashing police lights offer impressive extension and output vibrancy but with dark clothes and no natural lighting there's just not a substantial range of coloration in play. Noise is not a serious issue, certainly not so serious as the compression issues. The movie looks fine. It's technically imperfect and structurally bland but it's every bit as effective as it needs to be in the aggregate.

Crown Vic Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Crown Vic's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack is fairly basic, much like its video counterpart. The presentation lacks true, earth-moving dynamics because the film's sound design is inherently a bit tepid. There's not a substantial engagement in music or action effects. Both stretch wide and envelop some level of surround support but listeners should not expect that output to be dramatic in any way. There's no absolute immersion into the police car or the world which exists around it, but at the same time there's enough essential definition, good spacing, and sound accuracy to carry the basics to satisfaction. Dialogue is clear and center focused for the duration.

Crown Vic Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Crown Vic includes one supplement. The Making of 'Crown Vic' (1080p, 4:11) looks at the script, cast and characters, the film's tone, Alec Baldwin's involvement in the project, the budget, story and structure, Writer/Director Joel Souza's work on the film, and more. No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does not ship with a slipcover.

Crown Vic Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Crown Vic is a capably entertaining, grim, and character-driven story of a single night on patrol and the increasing strain the job -- humanity -- places on the shoulders of two disparate cops who have in common only one thing: the badge. It's tight, tense, and well worth a watch. Screen Media's Blu-ray delivers video and audio that are good enough. One extra is included. Recommended.