Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		2.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		2.5

Entrapment Blu-ray Movie Review

There's a plot, too?

Reviewed by Martin Liebman January 15, 2010

I'm a thief, so sue me.

Entrapment -- that movie with Catherine Zeta-Jones and her slithering backside maneuvering through a grid of red yarn standing in for laser sensors -- did indeed bother to build a story around its trademark and single memorable shot, even if few actually remember it. The story is but a blur, a necessary device around which to frame a singular shot that would define a film. Other films, over time, have come to be remembered for but a line of dialogue, a notable scene, or even an entire sequence, but Entrapment is a rare picture that's been reduced to a single one or two second shot. It's no secret that it's the film's trademark shot; not only was it the centerpiece of the trailer, but even the film's title card is built around a laser grid, an unmistakable clue that Entrapment is a film that, even before its release, was bound to be whittled down to but a backside. Additionally, it's not even just that Jones looks good maneuvering about the room in tight-fitting clothes, but the fact of the matter is, Entrapment is a well-executed but nevertheless completely forgettable picture with nothing else of substance to offer, one of many movies out there without any single glaring weakness but still a wholly inconsequential slice of cinema through and through.

The shot around which a film was built.

It's 16 days before the turn of the millennium, and a costly Rembrandt painting has fallen victim to the skills of a master thief with both the money and the wherewithal to pull off such a daring and perfectly-executed heist. Its destination: a collector of fine antiquities in Kuala Lumpur. Insurance agent Virginia Baker (Catherine Zeta-Jones, The Mask of Zorro) is on the case, and she suspects legendary thief Robert "Mac" MacDougal (Sean Connery, The Hunt For Red October) to be the mastermind behind the job. She convinces boss Hector Cruz (Will Patton, Remember the Titans) that to trap Mac, she must travel to England where she teams up with the notorious criminal to steal a Chinese artifact worth millions. Appearances are not all they seem, and before long and through a bit of playful tit-for-tat between them, Mac and Virginia reveal secrets and skills that set off the preparations for a daring heist and, later, another that's bound to be infinitely more profitable -- and infinitely more dangerous -- than stealing a mask and slithering through some pesky lasers.

Entrapment -- Jones' backside aside -- makes for a passable high-tech thriller, the film making good use of both gadgets and gizmos and good old-fashioned cunning to pull off the capers as seen in the film. Though still in its relative infancy, Entrapment holds up from a purely technological perspective some 10 years after its initial release, the film not at all dated considering the rapid advancements in technology that the first decade of the 21st century has seen. Whether the film will look and feel dated at some future time is irrelevant, however; what matters more is whether the plot and style of the film can withstand the test of time, and the answer to that question seems far more certain. Entrapment, despite a few thinly-veiled twists and turns, is nothing to write home about. A by-the-book thriller with predictable arcs, generic action, a mediocre script, workmanlike direction, and decent acting, the film plods along with no real egregious problems, but it fails time and again to prove itself worthy of anything more than a passing interest, a prototypical "see it and forget it" sort that's one of many residing in a cinematic purgatory that houses neither the dregs of the medium nor its most prominent entries.

Entrapment's sole flaw, then, lies in its banal tone and thematic irrelevance. Sure, the more intense heist scenes offer a fair amount of tension, even in the face of certain outcomes and obvious gaps in logic. On the plus side, the film is nicely shot; director Jon Amiel (Somersby) lends a steady hand behind the camera, allowing for some decent scenery and camera work to wiggle into the picture while leaving his pair of scene-chewing actors to dominate the film. Nevertheless, Connery and Jones offer little more than window dressing in this one. Like everything else about the film, their efforts are fine and dandy but there's no real sense of adventure to the performances. Everything feels scripted and rehearsed, whether the rehearsal scenes for the crime, the heists themselves, or all that's in between. Neither actor seems all that interested in the plot, but it's hard to blame them when it's as generic as this one. Still, Entrapment -- in all its mediocre glory -- still makes for an entertaining Saturday afternoon sort of movie. It's just strong yet simple enough in every regard to hold one's interest and make for a passable time-killer, but viewers shouldn't expect much more.

Entrapment Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Entrapment slithers onto Blu-ray with, much like film itself, a serviceable but not at all exceptional 1080p, 2.35:1-framed transfer. The image consistently looks a bit sloppy, soft, muddled, and undefined. Much of the film seems to have a hazy glow about it, which seems only to complicate the softness. Additionally, some background images can appear incredibly fuzzy. Blacks are consistently decent, showcasing a bit of crush here and there but never to any deplorable level, with most such shots retaining a solidly dark and not artificially bright or gray look. Fine detail is lacking, with resolution only sometimes approaching the level of an above-average Blu-ray presentation. Faces appear terribly smooth, and even Connery's wrinkly mug showcases only the most basic line structure with no depth or realism about it. Additionally, roughly-textured walls inside Mac's home appear far flatter than they should, and as a rule, the image lacks much discernible depth. Entrapment features a bland color scheme and a generally dark tone that's accentuated by only a few splashes of color, notably Jones' red or bright blue outfits that themselves seem somewhat muddily rendered. Flesh tones never stray too far from a natural shade, but all told, Entrapment's 1080p transfer is of, at best, a highly mediocre quality.

Entrapment Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Entrapment maneuvers onto Blu-ray with a decent but unspectacular DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The track offers a fairly active surround channel presentation, but there's never much sense of total sonic immersion. Indeed, the track feels somewhat limited, more cobbled together than naturally flowing. Ambient effects are satisfactory, be they employee chatter and ringing phones as heard in one early scene at Virginia's insurance company or, later, various chirping insects. More aggressive effects spill into the back channels as well; gunfire in one scene zips nicely enough through the soundstage but, again, there's an absence of impeccable clarity that's come to be associated with the finest and most natural of Blu-ray lossless or uncompressed soundtracks. Additionally, the track offers a noticeable but not particularly noteworthy low end. Dialogue -- Connery's raspy voice in particular -- can come across as somewhat muddled. For the most part, this is a basic track with a few above-and-beyond the call of duty sound effects, but otherwise, the lack of pinpoint clarity prevents this from being more than a serviceable but in no way terrible soundtrack.

Entrapment Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Entrapment crawls onto Blu-ray with but a singular extra of note, a commentary track with Director Jon Amiel. The director covers a broad array of topics, speaking on Composer Christopher Young's (Untraceable) score, the props both real and imagined for the purpose of the film, the composition of various shots, shooting locations, the work of the actors and crafting the film around Jones' skills as an athlete, and any number of other assorted but otherwise monotonous comments. The track is rather dry, dull, and best suited for hardcore fans of the film only. Also included is the Entrapment theatrical trailer (1080p, 2:04) and additional 1080p trailers for Chain Reaction, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, The Transporter, and X-Men: The Last Stand.

Entrapment Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A movie that's defined by a singular shot, Entrapment certainly got itself plenty of recognition upon its initial release, and its claim to fame has withstood the test of time, still proving to be the film's -- and perhaps even one of modern cinema's -- defining moments. Unfortunately and like its female lead, there's not much meat to be found elsewhere; Entrapment is a solid but far from exceptional Thriller with a few tricks up its sleeve but, for the most part, it plays out with a generic look and feel that's reflected in a couple of decent but not at all memorable performances from its legendary leads. Fox's Blu-ray release is, much like the film, a decent effort that's not in the least bit worthy of any special recognition. Featuring a passable 1080p transfer, a somewhat better lossless soundtrack, and only one extra of substance, fans curious as to whether an actual movie does indeed exist outside of Jones' career-defining shot would be best served to give this title a rental.