7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Jake Gyllenhall plays Adam, a university lecturer nearing the end of his relationship with girlfriend Mary. One night, when watching a film, Adam spots a minor actor who looks just like him. Consumed by the desire to meet his double, he obsessively tracks down the actor and engages him in a complex and dangerous struggle. Dark, gripping and pulsating with atmosphere, ‘Enemy’ is a haunting and provocative thriller based on the novel ‘The Double’ by Nobel laureate José Saramago.
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Mélanie Laurent, Isabella Rossellini, Sarah Gadon, Stephen R. HartPsychological thriller | 100% |
Mystery | 63% |
Surreal | 56% |
Erotic | 19% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
None
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Denis Villeneuve's "Enemy" (2013) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Artificial Eye. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; a large collection of interviews with the Canadian director and actors Sarah Gadon, Isabella Rossellini, Mélanie Laurent, and Jake Gyllenhaal; and making of featurette. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
"Who is this?"
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Denis Villeneuve's Enemy arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Curzon Film World/Artificial Eye.
There is a very short sequence in the first half of the film where I spotted some extremely light aliasing sneaking in, but the rest of the technical presentation is outstanding. The film has a highly stylized look -- a wide range of soft but lush yellows are used to enhance the tense atmosphere -- which favors toned down contrast and sharpness levels. Clarity and depth are outstanding, though depending on how much natural light is captured by the Arri Alexa camera some fluctuations are present (compare screencaptures #1 and 19). Image stability is outstanding. All in all, this is a very strong technical presentation of Enemy which will most definitely please its fans as well as viewers that are planning to experience the film for the first time on Blu-ray. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English LPCM 2.0. For the record, Curzon Film World/Artificial Eye have not provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.
The film is complimented by a sensational ambient soundtrack that gives it its identity. Fortunately, the 5.1 track handles it exceptionally well. In fact, even though there are only a couple of sequences where the dynamic intensity impresses -- for example, see the highway crash -- the excellent fidelity, terrific separation, and nuanced dynamics make this 5.1 track one of the very best that I have heard in quite some time. Indeed, very impressive mixing. For the record, there are no audio dropouts, pops, or digital distortions to report in this review.
Denis Villeneuve's unconventional adaptation of José Saramago's novel is one of the most challenging films to appear on Blu-ray in quite some time. It works on multiple levels and, more importantly, forces the mind to reexamine it in a number of different ways. I think that fans of David Lynch and David Conenberg's work will be particularly impressed with it. Curzon Film World/Artificial Eye's technical presentation of the film is very good. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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