6.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
John "Falcon" Chapman, a dark anti-hero driven by guilt and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, who will destroy himself unless given something else to destroy - a useful weapon-of-last-resort for the U.S. State Department. When Chapman's sister is brutally attacked while on assignment in Brazil, Chapman flies into Sao Paulo to track down her assailants, quickly entering the city's seedy underbelly and discovering a world of drugs, the sex trade, corrupt cops, and organized crime syndicates battling for control.
Starring: Michael Jai White, Neal McDonough, Laila Ali, Lateef Crowder, Millie RupertoAction | 100% |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: LPCM 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
It seems pretty evident that screenwriter Y.T. Parazi wanted to revisit Rambo territory with Falcon Rising, since this film, like the Sylvester Stallone franchise, is focused on a veteran with post traumatic stress disorder who nonetheless has been able to maintain his "particular set of skills" (to reference another action franchise which bears more than a passing similarity to at least some aspects of this film). Falcon Rising has the dual (and linked) ambience of being an "origin story" for a hoped for franchise featuring an action paragon, albeit of the wounded psyche variety, and the feeling of being the pilot for a kind of by the numbers television series that might have at least featured some exotic locales. The use of a kind of weirdly international cast helps enliven things, as do some of the supposed Brazilian locations (Puerto Rico evidently stood in for things aside from some establishing shots) and the generally excellent fight choreography, but the fact that Falcon Rising never spawned any kind of follow up film that I've been able to track down may indicate as well as anything that this effort didn't really offer enough of anything new or different to spark a lot of interest.
Falcon Rising is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of the MVD Marquee Collection, an imprint of MVD Visual, with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. The closing credits list the Red Epic, and I'm assuming things were finished at a 2K DI. This is another example of why I have long tended to really like the look of Red captures, as it boasts an impressively saturated palette (even when graded kind of oddly at times), and some very commendable fine detail levels, even in less than optimal lighting conditions. A lot of the "Brazilian" material is either graded or lit toward almost orangish yellows, giving things like flesh tones a slightly artificial quality, but also probably emphasizing the ironically sunny environments in which so much bad behavior takes place. Close-ups in particular offer really abundant fine detail on everything from facial features to fabrics on various costumes. The establishing shots of Rio look like they may have been stock photography, and lower res at that, but they're relatively brief.
Falcon Rising features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 tracks. The surround track delivers some considerable energy in the mid and lower ranges, especially in some of the fight scenes, as well as some of the more thump laden source cues. A lot of the film takes place outside, and often in relatively crowded situations, and there's a nice spill of background clamor that engages the side and rear channels. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.
- Old Man Walker (HD; 1:43)
- Complete Water Scene (HD; 00:58)
- Manny Meets J (HD; 1:55)
- Carlos Interrogates Hoods (HD; 3:16)
- Thiago Kills Hoods (HD; 1:46)
Note: The deleted scenes all play with timecode captions.
- Falcon Rising (Theatrical Trailer) (HD; 1:52)
- Falcon Rising (TV Spot 1) (HD; 00:15)
- Falcon Rising (TV Spot 2) (HD; 00:30)
- Falcon Rising (TV Spot 3) (HD; 00:30)
Note: Trailers for other releases from MVD are also included.
Falcon Rising is competently made from a technical standpoint, and Michael Jai White is decent in both the acting and physicality requirements his role demands, but the entire enterprise is kind of rote and "been there, seen that". There are some actually rather interesting plot elements in terms of the interplay between the yakuza and denizens of Brazil's favelas, but it's all in service of a more than tired aggregations of plot points involving police corruption and human trafficking. There's probably enough here to base line satisfy the typical adrenaline junkie, but the fact that this film didn't spawn any obviously hoped for sequels may be a sign for some discerning viewers. Technical merits are solid for those who are considering a purchase.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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