5.9 | / 10 |
Users | 3.7 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.1 |
A security specialist is forced into robbing the bank that he's protecting, as a bid to pay off his family's ransom.
Starring: Harrison Ford, Paul Bettany, Virginia Madsen, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Robert PatrickThriller | 100% |
Crime | 55% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English, English SDH, French, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
You do anything to hurt her or my children and you won't get a dime!
Harrison Ford (The Fugitive) appears so washed up that he could be a seashell Sally is
selling on the seashore.
Hopefully he will redeem his downfall with the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the
Crystal Skull, but his 2006 techno-thriller Firewall marks the low point in the famed
actor's fine career. Simply reciting lines and running around, obviously having seen better days,
Ford is merely
cashing a paycheck in this film, going through the motions in this dull, barely passable movie that
banked everything on Ford's presence. What we get is a convoluted mess of a movie that never
surpasses even the lowest of standards, failing to improve on and surpass even weak and similarly
themed films like The Net.
Harrison Ford angrily responds to one of the critics who lambasted 'Firewall.'
Warner Brothers has released Firewall with a decent 1080p high definition transfer. Presented in it's original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.40:1, this image is fairly representative of the average high-definition image even though this film contains a few odd coloring and lighting schemes throughout. The film is very dark, seemingly intentionally poorly lit throughout, and there is a green tint to the image. This tint struck me as either an homage to or ripping off of the visual style of The Matrix but it was certainly more subdued than it was in the sci-fi blockbuster. Here, it comes off as more of a gimmick than anything else. Nevertheless, the transfer handles both well, staying true to the overall look of the print I saw in theaters a while back. As for the rest of the look, flesh tones appeared overly red throughout and the image was at times a little softer than one would expect, but with the artistic licenses the director chose in the film, this may very well be intentional. Black levels were solid and the print used for this transfer is spotless, as one would expect for such a recent film. With the overall look being rather drab and lifeless, colors don't especially stand out, but they are all reproduced just fine nevertheless. The image lacked any three-dimensionality and appeared flat and, well, boring. Firewall certainly has a unique look about it that is faithfully reproduced here. Aside from a few nagging flaws, the transfer is fine. I've seen better, but I've also seen a lot worse.
As per the norm with most older Warner Brothers Blu-ray titles (and even some new ones), Firewall contains no high definition soundtrack. A run-of-the-mill Dolby Digital 5.1 track is all we get here, and it happens to be one of the more pleasant DD 5.1 tracks I've heard on Blu-ray. This is not a top tier track by any stretch of the imagination, but it gets the job done, and admirably at that for the most part. The track features solid use of bass and excellent ambience and use of the rear speakers where there always seems to be something going on. The track does have a few drawbacks. Dialogue tends to get lost in some places where the is already a good deal of sound, such as a scene during a downpour in rainy downtown Seattle. It doesn't help that dialogue sounds rather tiny and understated to begin with the entire runtime of the movie. Though bass is generally solid, a big explosion in the final action sequence was rather unimpressive. For the most part a fine track, but one that certainly could have been better with a more impressive mix and either a PCM or TrueHD option.
Not that a movie such as Firewall screams out for a plethora of extras, but what is included here is rather miniscule, short, and uninteresting. Firewall Decoded (480p, 15:26) is a conversation with actor Harrison Ford and director Richard Loncraine. They discuss how there was always opposition to the script and some of the challenges of making the script believable. Some of the intricacies of the plot and how the characters play off of one another are also discussed. Next is a feature entitled Firewall: Writing a Thriller (480p, 3:16) with scriptwriter Joe Forte. He discusses writing in his garage, getting kidnapped for the purpose of the movie, and writing the script after 9/11. I think a good interview with the scriptwriter is a great idea. Unfortunately, this is neither the writer nor the script I would want to learn from. The theatrical trailer (480p, 2:14) for Firewall finishes off this feeble offering of extras.
Firewall is a wholly forgettable film that marks the low point for one of the biggest stars of the final two decades of the 20th century. It sports a trite plot filled to the brim with clichés and cookie cutter characters. This Blu-ray rendition is pretty nice. The video and audio reproduction is just fine, but slightly underwhelming. The supplements are rather short and don't add any value to the film or the disc. I'd recommend giving Firewall a rental if you are interested in seeing perhaps the most unoriginal movie in motion picture history.
2009
2-Disc Special Edition
2008
2011
2013
2017
2001
2005
2010
2006
2006
2015
2002
2008
Thick as Thieves
2009
2013
Inside Ring 'Le premier cercle'
2009
2010
2007
Unrated
2012
2015