6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.1 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.1 |
An ex-con sets out to avenge his brother's death after they were double-crossed during a heist years ago. During his campaign, however, he's tracked by a veteran cop and an egocentric hit man.
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Mauricio Lopez, Jim Gaines, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Tom BerengerAction | 100% |
Thriller | 67% |
Crime | 43% |
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 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English, English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
BD-Live
movieIQ
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
God can't save you from me.
Revenge isn't a dish best served cold, it's a dish best served up by The Rock. Faster is the latest from the musclebound wrestler-turned-Action
star, and it's a fast, no-nonsense, hard-hitting Action flick that's almost all about payback, justice, big guns, fast cars, pumped muscles, and
relentless
mayhem. The film opens with a shot of The Rock's voluminous chest; it's no surprise, then, what's to follow, but Faster proves to be more
than an everyday slick Action vehicle. A mindless entertainment façade is counterbalanced by involved and rather complex characters, at least for a
movie like this, which gives Faster a substance so often missing from the everyday sort of enjoyable but ultimately unfulfilling Action fare
that's
exciting while it's on but absolutely forgettable once the film draws to an end. Faster isn't some sort of cinematic revelation, but it's better
than movies like this generally tend to be; it's smart for an Action picture, it's characters are well-developed, and while there aren't any real plot
surprises, there is the surprise of a movie that takes itself and its audience a bit more seriously than most. Faster definitely delivers plenty of
bang for the buck, not only in its big action scenes and strings of hard-hitting violence, but in its sincerity in trying to build a better Action movie.
Driver driving.
Faster's 1080p transfer is spectacular. This is fairly gritty and dark picture, but Sony's Blu-ray image handles the material with ease. Detail is superb, some of the best around; close-ups of faces reveal every pore, line, and bead of sweat, while pavement, clothing, dingy prison walls, and anything and everything, really, seen in-frame is textured to filmic perfection. Colors are a bit toned down by nature but the transfer delivers every shade with unsurpassed ease and precision. Even blacks, which are critical to the film's visual structure, are pitch-perfect in shading, proving to be inky and accurate without ever crushing out fine details. Flesh tones, too, are well-balanced. This is a fairly grainy image, but it's also very crisp and clean. Depth is quite good for a traditional 2D image, and the transfer yields a continuously breathtaking cinematic texture. Sony is known for superior transfers, but this one tops even most of the studio's finest efforts.
Faster opens inside a prison where heavy footsteps and rattling chains bounce around the soundstage in a wonderfully dark and gloomy cadence. Surrounds are used to full effect, and while the sound might be a little exaggerated for the sake of the movie, it's still an invigorating listen that's only the tip of the iceberg of Sony's marvelous DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Faster offers up a killer listen, one that's the perfect companion to a hard, gritty movie like this. The track has a massive feel to it; it's deep, penetrating, and powerful, but also infinitely clear and wonderfully satisfying across the entire range. There's power galore and energy to spare here; whether the low rumblings of an American hotrod's engine or the incredible booms of Driver's Ruger Alaskan revolver, the track hits hard and often and never relents. Directional effects and imaging are superb. Gunfire is potent, splattering gore sounds magnificent, and the impact of bullets slamming into various surfaces is astonishing; listeners will feel the need to dive for cover and, when the movie ends and the lights come up, wonder why there are no bullet holes scattered around the living room. Of course, dialogue is perfect, too. Faster delivers a potent listen; this is one for the top of the charts.
Faster comes up a bit short of the amount of extra content the film deserves. Notably absent is an audio commentary track.
Faster is a surprisingly excellent Action picture that's more than muscles and guns, not that there's anything at all wrong with muscles and guns Action movies done right. Faster builds complex characters from a structurally simple plot and dares to do more than merely jump from one action scene to the next. The journey of each of the three primary characters is satisfying and a welcome addition to the typical Action movie structure. Here's hoping for more good things from Director George Tillman, Jr. in the near future. Sony's Blu-ray release of Faster earns a perfect rating for video and audio, but the disc comes up short in terms of extra content. Nevertheless, this one comes highly recommended.
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Extended Cut
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