5.7 | / 10 |
Users | 3.2 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.2 |
A young civil war veteran is forced on a desperate journey to save his kidnapped wife.
Starring: Scott Eastwood, Walton Goggins, Camilla Belle, Danny Glover, Adam BeachWestern | 100% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Period | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
When you grow up with a surname like Eastwood, your fate is either sealed or a burden, and perhaps both simultaneously. Clint Eastwood's bona fides in the western film idiom are so totemic that it might seem like a fool's errand for his son Scott to attempt something in the same vein, and some viewers of Diablo may well come to the conclusion that even divorced from his famous moniker, Scott Eastwood might have been at least a tad foolish to have agreed to star in this film. The story here is probably both trite and muddled, but aside from Eastwood's Clint-ish visage, which may in and of itself provide a bit of allure for some fans, there's one undeniable positive that Diablo offers: some truly stunning cinematography by the venerable Dean Cundey of the kind of gorgeous and awe inspiring vistas that might be featured in one of those old "aerial tour" videos that niche labels like Topics Entertainment used to release like Over America. On the negative side, a side which frankly may outweigh the plus elements for many viewers, Diablo wants to be a bit of a "mind bending odyssey", but structurally it doesn't have the wherewithal to play its cards close to its vest.
Diablo is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Momentum Pictures with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.40:1. As mentioned above, the IMDb lists Arri Alexas as having been utilized, though it omits any data points on the DI, which, as usual, I'm assuming was finished at 2K. Whatever deficits the actual film may have, the visuals are frequently incredibly striking, and this Blu-ray presentation offers generally excellent detail levels throughout, irrespective of various "seasonal" changes or even some grading choices. In the grading department, there's just a very slight skewing toward blue-green or teal tones, but kind of remarkably, while stylized, the palette looks relatively normal and is more often than not really beautifully suffused. While fine detail is often exceptional in close-ups, offering precise looks at a number of grizzled faces, it may well be the many wide shots that are most memorable, with Cundey offering a rather amazing assortment of the natural world that Jackson passes through on his journey.
Diablo features an intermittently evocative DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that makes the most of the frequent outdoor material, utilizing the side and rear channels to establish spatial relationships while also presenting nicely nuanced ambient environmental sounds. The score by Timothy Williams may not be especially innovative, but it sounds full bodied and also spreads through the surround channels quite winningly. Dialogue (such as it is) is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout this problem free presentation. Optional English subtitles are available.
I've been trying to think of another film that had such issues with its narrative that also featured such gobsmacking cinematography, and I have to say I've had a hard time coming up with another relevant example. There's a lot to like about Diablo, no doubt, but the film probably offers its supposedly shocking twist too early for its own good, and Eastwood simply doesn't have the gravitas (yet, anyway) that his famous father has. Still, there's Cundey's absolutely stunning cinematography, and that in and of itself may be enough to make the film enjoyable for some fans. Technical merits are solid for those who are considering a purchase.
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