6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Crypto follows a young anti-money laundering agent named Martin tasked with investigating a tangled web of corruption and fraud in his remote New York hometown, where his father Martin Sr and brother Caleb are struggling to maintain their family farm in a changing economic landscape. Martin quickly finds himself enmeshed in a dangerous underworld populated by Katie, an art dealer with mysterious intentions, Earl, a crypto-currency enthusiast turned cyber-sleuth, and Ted, a corrupt accountant doing the bidding of ruthless clients.
Starring: Beau Knapp, Alexis Bledel, Kurt Russell, Luke Hemsworth, Jeremie HarrisThriller | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.66:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.66:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Digital copy
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
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.
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.
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" 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.
Warner Archive Collection
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