Drone Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.0

Drone Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 25, 2017

Note: Some unavoidable plot points detailed below may be considered spoiler material by some. Those wary of any undue detailing of the film's storyline are encouraged to skip down to the technical portions of the review, below.

Drone repeatedly subverts audience expectations to the point that I was kind of shocked to see a Mike Rowe listed as an Executive Producer, until I did a little investigating and decided that this film’s Mike Rowe is not “that” Mike Rowe. “That” Mike Rowe (Dirty Jobs) is a staunch advocate of American exceptionalism, and while part of Drone’s subtext is the United States’ technological superiority in the ways of modern warfare (as evidenced by the film’s very title), a large part of the rest of the film’s subtext would hardly be seen as a paean to anything celebratory regarding our nation. The film begins with a riveting sequence set in Pakistan which briefly details a simple home scene involving an apparently normal looking family. The father goes outside to take a malfunctioning motorcycle back to a repairman who has not in fact repaired it, and outside there are some other Pakistanis walking around nonchalantly. Suddenly all hell breaks loose, an explosive conflagration ensues, and, to put it simply, that’s that. No explanation is really given as to what just happened, but considering the film’s title, it’s evident that a drone strike has just occurred, leading to the sort of “collateral damage” that has been part and parcel of terrorism themed series like Homeland . The film then segues a year later to Renton, Washington, where there is some family drama involving Neil Wistin (Sean Bean), his wife Ellen (Mary McCormack) and their teenaged son Shane (Maxwell Haynes). The film doles out this roiling family dynamic somewhat discursively, to the point that some may wonder about a quickly alluded to shooting incident involving Shane (this particular plot aspect was never satisfactorily developed, at least for me). Soon enough it’s revealed that Neil is a top secret drone pilot doing this long distance “dirty work” from the privacy of his home, and that his family is blithely unaware of how he’s been making his living. When a Pakistani man shows up supposedly interested in a boat Neil is selling, future rocket (and/or drone) scientists will probably be able to figure out that it’s not exactly a coincidence.

Drone’s story and screenplay, by an aggregation including Paul and Ian Birkett, Roger Patterson and Jason Borque (Borque also directed) has some intentionally provocative material, and its skewering of perhaps built in (cinematic?) prejudices in terms of how a typical American audience may perceive these characters, is quite interesting from both a contextual and even a psychological standpoint. When a Middle Eastern looking man is seen staring out at planes from a hotel window and later takes off with a mysterious briefcase, it’s almost impossible not to expect some kind of horrifying terrorism incident involving air travel. Later, when that expectation is denied, and the same guy is seen more or less stalking Ellen, a new expectation arises: a kidnapping. Once again Drone doesn’t go where at least some may be predicting.

However, once Imir Shaw (Patrick Sabongui) does make contact with Neil, it’s under perhaps preposterous circumstances, ones that play into this film’s odd focus on family dysfunctions. Neil’s father has passed away, and Neil has inherited a huge boat which he’s keeping in the family’s suburban front yard. Imir pretends to be a prospective buyer of the near yacht, something that ends up ingratiating himself with Neil, which in turn leads to one of the more unique “dinner parties” in recent memory. But it’s actually here, in what really should have been a Cape Fear-esque showdown, the film once again tilts weirdly toward a whole slew of personal familial revelations that ends up making this feel like Douglas Sirk filtered through Guy Ritchie.

The film actually wants to have a number of issues every way it can. Collateral damage is clearly a major theme of the film, something that makes the presumed terrorist the sympathetic character, and the supposed American “hero” at least something of a villain. But the film also shows an actual honest to goodness (badness?) terrorist whose nefarious ways are ended by the very same drone program taking out innocent bystanders. The film also subverts its own putative (and maybe commendable) ambivalence by having a brief coda detailing Neil’s evident moral awakening that taking people out vicariously via drone may not be the most noble activity imaginable. Still, Drone has to earn a few points for at least attempting to address some of these issues, rather than simply setting up the by now tired genre trope of a techie American taking out a no good terrorist.

Drone Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Drone is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Screen Media Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.38:1. I haven't been able to track down any authoritative technical data on the shoot, other than that the site belonging to the pair of cinematographers, the twin Talbot brothers, lists RED cameras as among their personal equipment. Perhaps appropriately, the film has a number of excellent drone aerial shots, including some evocative scenes in Mumbai, India. There's actually arguably better overall detail levels in some of these panoramas than in some of the kind of murky, up close and personal but dimly lit, scenes that take up the bulk of the story. Detail levels are routinely excellent, especially in close-ups, where Bean's weathered and kind of puffy face looks appropriately aged and troubled. Some flashback material involving Neil's father is effulgently lit and looks like it's had contrast and brightness boosted in order to create a kind of unreal glow.

Drone Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Drone offers both a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. The surround track has moments of exceptional low end and good immersion, courtesy of a couple of explosive drone strikes, but the film is otherwise relegated largely to intimate (if sometimes intense) dialogue scenes where ambient sounds are minimal. Fidelity is fine throughout the audio presentation, and there are no issues with damage or distortion.

Drone Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Deleted Scenes

  Discussion With Teacher (1080p; 2:21)

  Having a Drink (1080p; 00:36)

Drone Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Drone had the potential to be something really quite fascinating and provocative, but for some reason the screenwriters wanted to spend at least as much time detailing needless family dysfunctions as they did in portraying what should be the central relationship in the film — the one between Neil and Imir. The central idea at the core of Drone is really compelling, but its execution (no drone pun intended) is pretty haphazard and ineffective. Technical merits are strong for those considering a purchase.