Filth Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Filth Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 22, 2014

Winner of Best Actor Award at the British Independent Film Awards, Jon S. Baird's "Filth" (2013) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films-UK. The supplemental features on the disc include an audio commentary by author Irvine Walsh and writer/director Jon S. Baird; outtakes; deleted and extended scenes; and three video interviews with James McAvoy, Irvine Walsh, and Jon S. Baird. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

"Just give in to your instincts, darling"

Detective Bruce Robertson (James McAvoy, Trance, Wanted) loves his job. But he loves drugs and booze even more because they help him stay out of the real world where his brain frequently reminds him that his wife has left him. There are days when his body can’t handle his addiction and he temporarily becomes sick, but he does not care. Occasionally, one has to pay for the luxury of spending time in a place where guilt does not exist.

When a Japanese student is killed, Bruce decides that the right time to get promoted has finally come and goes to work. With the investigation underway, he tries to compromise his colleagues as quickly as possible so that his boss can see that he is the only person in his department with a properly functioning head who knows how to deliver results in a timely fashion. Bruce enjoys the experience so much that he even does a little extra work after he discovers that the wife (Shirley Henderson, Intermission, Life During Wartime) of his best friend (Eddie Marsan, London Boulevard, Tyrannosaur) is sexually frustrated.

With the promotion seemingly guaranteed, however, Bruce suddenly loses his ability to control his addiction. Then he quickly turns into a violent maniac who can no longer separate the real world from the dream world he has been visiting while poisoning his body.

Based on the novel by Irvine Welsh, Jon S. Baird’s Filth enters the same territory which Danny Boyle first explored in Trainspotting. This film, however, is a lot rougher and a lot more politically incorrect than Trainspotting. There is still a good dose of humor in it, but it reaches that crucial point where films about addicts cease to be funny a lot quicker and stays there until the final credits roll. (In Trainspotting the same crucial point is reached after the young mother discovers that her baby has died).

The film’s tempo is relentless. Past and present constantly overlap, there are multiple flashbacks which begin and end very abruptly, and the camera is always on the move. On top of that occasionally there are some very dark and bizarre sequences that offer a glimpse of what is happening inside Bruce’s head. In other words, Filth attempts to capture the essence of existing in two very different worlds as observed and experienced by an addict on the verge of a serious mental breakdown.

Only a former addict can tell whether the chaos in the film is authentic, but there is no denying that when addicts begin losing control of their addiction they become as desperate and eventually as dangerous as Bruce. On the other hand, Bruce’s physical degradation definitely looks authentic.

McAvoy is unquestionably the heart and soul of the film, but the supporting cast also impresses. For example, Jamie Bell and Gary Lewis' time in front of the camera is limited but both manage to leave lasting impressions. Jim Broadbent plays an experienced psychiatrist with a wild sense of humor who pops up in some of the film’s most unusual sequences. Henderson is also a joy to watch as the sexually frustrated housewife.

Bruce’s hallucinations are very effectively lensed by Mathew Jensen (TV’s Game of Thrones). The quick flashes with the wild masks, in particular, look great.

Earlier this year, director Baird won Breakthrough British Filmmaker Award at the London Critics Circle Film Awards.

Filth Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jon S. Baird's Filth arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films-UK.

Aside from some extremely light aliasing that I spotted early into the film, the technical presentation is excellent. Occasionally contrast and clarity fluctuate, but these fluctuations are indeed part of the film's visual design. There are also sequences where light is underexposed (see screencaptures #11 and 12) or sharpness levels enhanced (see screencapture #3) as the action moves between the real world and Bruce's hallucinations. Rather predictably, color balance also fluctuates, but there is a good range of prominent cold colors that remain fairly even. There are no serious transfer-specific anomalies to report in this review. Also, image stability is very good. All in all, this is a very strong presentation of Filth that should please its fans as well as viewers who are going to experience the film for the first time at home. (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).

Filth Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, Lionsgate Films have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

Clint Mansell's soundtrack has a very important role in the film. Fortunately, the lossless 5.1 track has a fantastic range of nuanced dynamics that serve the music exceptionally well. Various random sounds and noises are also effectively enhanced throughout the film, though surround movement is fairly modest. The dialog is always crisp, clean, and easy to follow.

Filth Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interviews - director Jon S. Baird, actor James McAvoy, and author Irvine Welsh discuss the behavior of the main protagonist in Filth and the various dilemmas he faces, the book that inspired the film, the film's production history, etc. In English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Irvine Welsh (22 min).
  2. Jon S. Baird (10 min).
  3. James McAvoy (10 min).

• Deleted Scenes - in English, not subtitled (9 min).
  
  1. An Airport in Belgium: "This Man's Clearly American"
  2. Hector's Animal Farm: "Well Anna Darling, Meet Angus"
  3. The Unusual Suspects: "Have You Got a License for That Thing!?"
  4. Irvine Brian Scullion Welsh: "That's Newspaper Property!"

• Extended Scenes - in English, not subtitled (16 min).
  
  1. Madam Maisie's: "Ever Tried a Deep Fried Pizza?"
  2. Supermarket: "C'est la vie Bruce"
  3. Christmas at the Station: "Edith's Already Spent the Money!"
  4. On the Plane: "Would You Mind Not Talking So Much Filth!"
  5. Ocky's Flat: "Do You Think I'm Sick in the Head?"
  6. Dr. Rossi's: "Tapeworms Are Sequential Hermaphrodites"
  7. The Tramp: "Call Up Room Service, Let Them Take the Burden"

• Outtakes - a gallery of outtakes. In English, not subtitled (7 min).

• Commentary - audio commentary with author Irvine Walsh and writer/director Jon S. Baird.

Filth Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you are familiar with Irvine Welsh's novels or have seen Trainspotting, The Acid House or Irvine Welsh's Ecstasy, then you should have a pretty good idea what type of material Jon S. Baird's Filth covers. The film is done quite well, but I think that most people will probably want to see it only once. Lionsgate Films' technical presentation of Filth is very strong. RECOMMENDED.