Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Crypto Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf August 10, 2019

Screenwriters Carlyle Eubank and David Frigerio apparently loved Oliver Stone’s “Wall Street” and wanted to update the 1987 picture for today’s audiences. “Crypto” doesn’t have the sinister feel of Stone’s endeavor, but it basically follows the same arc of moral and financial corruption, offering viewers a new playground of cryptocurrency and encrypted dealings featuring global criminal syndicates. The writing provides a deep dive into terminology and restless participants trying to make a fortune with digital loot, and “Crypto” isn’t half-bad when focus turns to online detective work. Even some mild family dramatics are understood, but the material faces an uphill battle when transitioning from a cyber-thriller to a violent one, forcing director John Stalberg Jr. into helming stress positions that shut down the movie entirely.

Martin (Beau Knapp) is an employee at OmniBank, working in the Anti-Money Laundering department, offering his superiors honesty and diligence thanks to undiagnosed autism and his commitment to the corporate life after leaving his family farm. After irritating his boss, Martin is sent back home to Elba, New York to research potential fraud inside the local bank, trying to clean up a considerable paperwork mess while reuniting with his father, Martin Sr. (Kurt Russell, in glorified cameo), and brother, Caleb (Luke Hemsworth), who resent the young man for abandonment, leaving them the pain of foreclosure. More welcoming is old pal Earl (Jeremie Harris), a liquor store salesman who’s big into trading cryptocurrency and dark web dealings, showing Martin how deep the rabbit hole goes when it comes to potential financial offenses. Sensing unusual activity with Ted (Vincent Kartheiser), a local art dealer, Martin makes a connection to Katie (Alexis Bledel), a gallery employee, learning more about the business as he searches for the truth in Elba.

Martin’s sense of duty and fairness in business reporting is examined in the opening of “Crypto,” which commences its story after a tiresome flash- forward that finds Martin Sr. being held in the back of a van by unnamed thugs, with his son negotiating his release. It’s probably best to keep such a revelation a surprise, but Stalberg Jr. doesn’t trust his audience, giving them a heated moment with zero context to jumpstart the viewing experience. Back in New York City, we watch as Martin is grilled by his superiors, with his position “on the spectrum” contributing to his attention to detail, screwing up a corrupt business alliance with an honest audit. Such diligence is rewarded with a demotion, pushing Martin back to Elba, his hometown and a place he made a specific choice to escape from years ago, trading farming drudgery for a suit and financial responsibility with OmniBank.

The screenplay creates an intriguing character with Martin, who’s trying to do the right thing in an industry that encourages the profitability of fraud. His job is to find money laundering schemes, sent into Elba to work through the history of the branch, which does business with a local art gallery that’s been troublesome with their monetary transactions, raising suspicion. Martin is also dealing with his father, who resents his boy for leaving, while Caleb has been altered by military service, showing aggression to his sibling. There’s a lot for “Crypto” to do just with family and job- related matters, but the writing keeps expanding, making time for Earl and his adventurous dark web dealings, while Katie provides some peace in the middle of this professional and personal storm, giving Martin an emotional outlet. There are abandonment issues to massage, and Knapp stays true to his character, creating defined spaces of behavior to track, but Stalberg Jr. doesn’t keep up the fight, leaving the second half of the film noticeably less compelling than its first.

Crypto Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.66:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "Crypto" is a tad too dark for comfort, with a general muting of brightness that creates some delineation issues with dense costuming and hair. Colors come through to some degree, picking up on distinct eye color and interior decoration, finding bar and bank visits exploring more varied hues. Skintones are natural. Detail reaches cinematographic limitations, with sharp focal points pushing through inherent softness, capturing rougher facial surfaces, farm expanse, and fibrous clothing. Some light banding is periodically encountered during the viewing experience.

Crypto Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix carries a strong frontal presence, securing all performance speeds and accents, with strong dramatic volume. Low-end finds a home with music offerings, as the score provides a deep synth rumble. Atmospherics are active in the surrounds, capturing employee and customer bustle in bar and bank settings, while the wider world of farm life retains open air presence.

Crypto Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features director John Stalberg, Jr., and co-writers David Frigerio and Carlyle Eubank.

• "Creating 'Crypto'" (9:02, HD) is a basic EPK-style promotional offering, collecting interviews with cast and crew, conducted on-set. The featurette primarily remains with story points and character approaches, identifying backstories and motivations. Some talk of real-world underground banking is shared, braiding such issues into the screenplay, and a celebration of the helmer's professionalism is offered.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (1:59, HD) is included.

Crypto Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Crypto" is juiced up with jargon and intense staring at screens. There's paranoia that builds throughout the picture, and attention is paid to supporting characters caught up in certain schemes. The production is fighting to avoid flatness, but Martin's troubles lead to organized crime, with the Russian mob brought in to start causing serious damage to Elba, which turns the feature into a generic thriller, making it more about kidnappings, shoot-outs, and murder than banking fraud, which, for this production, is the far more interesting topic. There's solid work in areas of "Crypto," but it doesn't hold together, fearful that its area of expertise might not be enough to hold the average moviegoer's attention.