Danny Collins Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Danny Collins Blu-ray Movie Review

Singer-Songwriter-Lifemaker.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman June 16, 2015

The title character in Danny Collins is an aging music sensation who seizes an opportunity to turn his life around. It's not a particularly novel or groundbreaking film. Its center isn't a unique place. Its emotions aren't anything viewers haven't felt before. But the movie succeeds by way of the dominant performance of its lead and a tender, gentle arc of honest transformation paid for by an outpouring of heartfelt currency of a kind Collins had all but forgotten: love. The film's message centers on the idea that fame and fortune aren't always what they seem. Life may be momentarily defined by them, and their pleasures may be many, but those temporary treasures are but fleeting fragments of fool's gold on the road to a much more satisfying life destination where things of material value become less significant in the greater, more intimate, and more meaningful envelopment of the things the soul craves rather than what the moment wants.

Decision time.

Danny Collins (Al Pacino) has for decades been a top draw in the music industry. He has legions of fans, many of whom are, like him, getting on up there in years. He's always feared fame and fortune -- he said as much in an interview when he was first breaking into the industry -- but he hasn't let it destroy him, not to an irreversible extent, anyway. Sure, the shirt is a little bigger, the hair a touch grayer, the drinking a little harder, the snorting a bit more frequent, but there's still a man inside, a man in search of a voice that's simultaneously his and not his, a voice that's more than the sum of his hit lyrics but still his own, deep inside, a voice that's been suppressed for far too long. One day, his longtime manager (Christopher Plummer) presents him with an interesting relic: a handwritten note from John Lennon himself that's in praise of Collins' ability and an invitation to speak with him. Obviously, the letter never reached its destination until now, but it's still enough to give Collins that push he needs to straighten things out in his life. He begins in the only place he can, reaching out to his estranged son (Bobby Cannavale) whose problems may run deeper than distance from his father. At the same time, he meets and attempts to charm a hotel manager (Annette Bening) who is more than a match for his charismatic demeanor.

Danny Collins is essentially a story in which the central theme suggests that money isn't everything, that there's a greater purpose in life than the accumulation of wealth, that there's an inherent value to virtue, good living, being true to oneself, and discovering the bonds of family. It's heartfelt, though certainly predictable, but the former devours the latter, particularly in the film's final moments when it reaches the journey's culmination in one of the most legitimately touching scenes cinema has seen in some time, a scene that embodies Collins' journey and demonstrates the value of a greater life beyond the accumulation of wealth, at least wealth as defined in the more traditional sense of the term. Collins undertakes the journey with several basic motifs at his side, namely the three "R's:" reflection, romance, and reconciliation. Through each, Collins learns more about himself, his family, and the world around him. The movie does so in a series of intimate relationships with his longtime manager, his estranged son, and a would-be romantic interest who is more age-appropiriate than his usual flings and who, with age and wisdom on her side, helps the film's hero through his journey with a sort of hybrid approach that's made of both tough love and a gentle touch. The movie produces plenty of warm and fuzzy moments but never at the expense of sincerity. It always maintains a welcome and necessary balance that elevates it above type and demonstrates with unflinching honesty the power of human connection and proves the adage that it's never too late to earn a second chance at a good, meaningful life.

Even as the movie does a fine job of spinning a purposeful, soulful, and approachable tale from otherwise threadbare bits and pieces of dramatic cliché, its made complete by a dazzling lead performance from Al Pacino, seemingly fully recovered from a few recent duds and back to top form in a part he not only embraces, but dominates, a part that he commands with a purpose, dignity, and awareness of its greater significance. Pacino rightfully plays the part not as someone totally detached from reality by his fame -- he has fun with the fame (see the scene in which he first meets Mary) but his essence hasn't been so washed away by it that he's essentially become a walking shell of a man -- but instead someone who has aged into it, who has gradually let life slip on by. His Collins isn't a destroyed soul, he's a lost soul, and that gives Pacino a whole lot more room to maneuver than would the typical burned out nobody living a fantasy of distortion, defined by tabloid coverage, and deemed relevant by the number of panties mailed his way. No, Danny Collins is portrayed as wounded, not devoured, someone with whom the audience can relate, even if it's at first distant and only gradually becoming more intimate. Pacino masters the character at every extreme and each juncture along the way, playing the part with a knowledgeable understanding of what the film wants to do and how his character is going to reach that conclusion. It's certainly Pacino's best acting in several years, helped no doubt by a part that, as scripted, is given the attention to detail and fine-tuned craftsmanship necessary, but credit Pacino for fully realizing the character's, and the film's, potential and giving it a vintage performance worthy to be remembered amongst his best. He's surrounded by a stellar supporting cast; Annette Bening, Bobby Cannavale, Jennifer Garner, and Christopher Plummer are terrific in their roles.

Danny Collins Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Danny Collins' 1080p transfer might not be a dazzling head-turner, but it's a technically sound presentation. Universal's transfer sports excellent definition across the board, presenting both near and distant elements with crisp, easy definition while bringing more intimate features to life with consistent precision. Image clarity is consistent throughout and the picture enjoys a nice, natural sharpness in every shot. Colors are well balanced and the varied palette presents very well. The image enjoys a nice natural balance, never accentuating its colors but favoring just a hint of a flat, gray push in places. Skin tones don't appear to betray natural complexions and black levels are impressively deep and true. There are no major occurrences of banding, noise, aliasing, blocking, or other unwanted distractions. This is a fine effort from Universal.

Danny Collins Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Danny Collins features a fine all-around DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Though a film centered around a musician, it's primarily a dialogue intensive film, a quality the track presents without a flaw, reproducing the spoken word clearly and naturally with easy and consistent front-center focus. Various concert clips enjoy satisfying full stage immersion and impressive vocal and instrumental details, while score is likewise rich and filling with strong definition throughout the range. The track presents some quality little ambient effects to help better define various environments. There's nothing overly dynamic about the track, but it does what's asked of it with easy professionalism and to good, satisfying results.

Danny Collins Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Danny Collins contains two short extras. Inside the Blu-ray case, buyers will find a DVD copy of the film as well as a voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy.

• Behind the Scenes of Danny Collins (1080p, 3:44): A brief story recap and character overview comprised of cast and crew interview snippets and clips from the film.
• Danny Collins -- Album Covers Through the Years (1080p): A collection of fictional era-inspired album covers, as briefly seen in the film, from throughout Collins' musical career.

Danny Collins Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Danny Collins may not be a bastion of originality, but the film is tender, well meaning, smartly written, and nicely directed. It takes tired material and a basic emotional journey and elevates them with an uncanny sincerity and approachable honesty that allows it to easily move past hurdles that would stop most other movies dead in their tracks. The film boasts a stellar cast but none shine brighter than Pacino in the title role; it's his finest performance in years and movie fans won't find a more sincerely acted scene than the film's anxiously tearful and warmly heartfelt final moments. Universal's Blu-ray release of Danny Collins is disappointingly short on extras, but video and audio are both excellent. A more thorough supplemental collection would have elevated this release into the conversation for a spot on the year-end top ten list. As it is, the release still comes recommended.