Flawless Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Flawless Blu-ray Movie Review

“Life is for living. It’s there for the taking. Grant yourself no regrets.”

Reviewed by Casey Broadwater August 6, 2009

The heist film genre, like the western, has gone through numerous moral and narrative revisions. It used to be that the bad guys were the ones planning the heist, and the end of the film would feature them getting caught, being killing, or escaping empty-handed. Leone and Peckinpah’s anti-heroes helped change that convention, and the moral line became more about differentiating between various shades of gray. It became perfectly acceptable to root for protagonists who steal from criminals who are more ruthless than themselves. Capers also became more reliant on gimmicks and plot devices, from the non-linear storytelling of Reservoir Dogs to the Mini- Coopers of The Italian Job and the all-star ensemble casts of the Ocean’s movies. Flawless, then, is a bit of a heist film throwback. While it does include some Robin Hood- style, steal-from-the-rich motivations, the film dispenses with Hollywood glitz in favor of a more elegant, traditionally told tale that, while admittedly slower and less objectively exciting, is carefully constructed and offers a modestly satisfying conclusion.

Michael Caine as the crafty Mr. Hobbs.

Set in London in 1960, before the swinging got started in earnest, Flawless presents a conservative, male-dominated business world not unlike that of AMC’s brilliant series Mad Men. Ms. Laura Quinn (Demi Moore) is an American ex-pat and former Oxford grad serving as a mid-level executive for the all-powerful London Diamond Corporation. Quinn’s career trajectory, however, has hit the proverbial glass ceiling. Though she has a brilliant business mind and is perhaps the company’s most dedicated employee, she’s been passed over for promotion six times, watching the jobs go to less qualified male co-workers. London Diamond is an old boys club, and Quinn’s first-to-arrive and last-to-leave work ethic hasn’t necessarily won her the admiration of her peers. None of this has gone unnoticed by Mr. Hobbs (Michael Caine), a sharp- witted janitor on the verge of retirement. Hobbs has been mulling over a scheme to rob London Diamond’s vault, and he sees in Quinn a potentially willing and motivated accomplice. After he overhears that Quinn is soon to be fired—“It’s extraordinary the conversations people will have in front of cleaners,” he says—Quinn is convinced and agrees to go in on the heist. Of course, robbing the world’s largest diamond depository is no easy feat, and the two encounter various snares while the ongoing plot makes serpentine twists that most viewers won’t see coming.

The three-act story plays out in slow, calculated movements, so those wanting a cinematic rollercoaster may want to look elsewhere. For the patient, however, Flawless sets up its twists with a cool calm, leading us through not a who-dunnit, but a how-dunnit and, more importantly, a why-dunnit. The period setting is a welcome break from modern casino and bank capers, and it lends the film a contemplative, studied tone that makes up for its lack of action with exacting authenticity. Like Mad Men, the props, sets, and costumes enhance the atmosphere of the film, bringing to mind all the connotations these objects have for us now, some 40 years hence. In the boardroom, office workers smoke like fiends. The analog technology hints at the computerization to come. And just look at Ms. Quinn in her cashmere, tweed and pearls, posture erect, with her hair sculpted rigidly and her lips tinted perfectly red. Her prim and proper wardrobe tells you almost everything you need to know about her character—that she’s straitlaced, a hard worker, and a woman desperately trying to make it in a man’s world.

Demi Moore might not be the most versatile actress, but she carries this somewhat thankless role—it does, after all, require her to be a fairly lifeless drone—with a calculated precision, showing thought in every puff of smoke and wave of her cigarette. The film sets up her character as a kind of proto-feminist, blazing a trail for women in the workplace, but there’s a thematic reversal midway through the film where her regret over never marrying and having a family undermines some of the character’s initial determination. I can see these kind of creeping doubts being commonplace for working women during her time, but for a film that opens with shots of modern women carrying out business on cell phones and laptops, it seems strange that Flawless all but drops the feminism issue. If I have one overriding complaint about the film, it’s that these thematic red herrings are so commonplace. Flawless briefly touches on blood diamonds, war in South Africa, and a somewhat shady deal with the Russians, but while we’re led to think these matters may figure largely into the plot, they’re really only tangentially involved, giving us some background as to what was going on politically at the time.

In essence, the tale boils down to simple revenge, and I while I won’t divulge any further, I will say that the final reveal did manage to elicit an ah-ha moment, from me anyway. Mr. Hobbs’ story goes deeper than you’d initially think, and Michael Caine is dependable, as always, delivering another one of his characteristic, blue-collar Cockney performances. He doesn’t change up the routine much between roles, but with a wry smile and crafty twinkle in his eye, Caine is always a pleasure to watch, playing tender and devious with equal agility. He out-classes Moore in every scene they play together, but this is hardly a one-man act. Joss Ackland is magnificent as the gravelly voiced founder of London Diamond, and the talented (and multi-lingual) Lambert Wilson arrives late in the game as Finch, an insurance fraud investigator who has a thing for Ms. Quinn. While Flawless may not be as fun or raucously exciting as other heist flicks, and although it does leave a few plot threads dangling and disconnected, I found the film to be stylish, well-made, and deserving of more attention than it received during its limited theatrical release.

Flawless Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Flawless arrives on Blu-ray with a crystal clear, 1080p, AVC-encoded transfer that may look subdued and uninteresting upon first glace, but definitely holds up to scrutiny. I found the film's palette to be a perfect complement to this somber heist flick, with a look that almost seems like slightly desaturated Technicolor. The film is period-accurate with smoky grays, pale robin's egg blues, and the rich browns of wood-paneled offices. When Michael Caine's character goes to the cemetery, we witness vivid green grass, a dark stormy sky, and bright yellow tulips that peer out vibrantly from the gloom. Black levels are strong and rarely oppressive, and though contrast is not as punchy as other modern titles, the image is never washed out or drab. Tonally, my only complaint is that skin tones can look occasionally flushed of color. The print is immaculately clean, with only the finest layer of grain, and no evidence of DNR or edge enhancement. And clarity-wise, the transfer is more than capable of rendering the stitching on Demi's tweed suits, and showing fine facial textures in Caine's well-worn visage. Flawless may not revel in HD eye candy, but its presentation is steadfastly pleasing and crisp.

Flawless Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Unlike most heist flicks, Flawless features no car chases, no gunplay, no police sirens or physical violence. No one jumps through a plate glass window or sets off a wailing alarm. There are no explosions, no crashes, and not even any yelling, really. This is a quiet, understated movie, and its DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround track is proof. As a dialogue-centric film set largely in the nearly noiseless offices of London Diamond, Flawless has little need for discrete effects or any audio gimmickry. Surround channels are used solely for score and some almost imperceptible ambience—like the reverb within Lon Di's spacious marble lobby as Demi click-clacks through in her patent leather pumps. That said, the mix deserves credit for being accurate, unobtrusive, and dynamically stable. The jazzy incidental music sounds great, with substantial but not overpowering bass and a breathy saxophone mid-section. High-end sound effects, like the clicking of Demi's lighter, are tight and well articulated. Most importantly, dialogue is always clear and intelligible, so if you miss something that was said, it's probably because you weren't paying attention, not because of any audio deficiency.

Flawless Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Exploring the Facets: A Behind-the-Scenes Look (SD, 11:48)

These kind of behind-the-scenes featurettes always have a sort of congratulatory tone, and this one is no different. Director Michael Radford praises the actors, the actors praise the director, and everyone praises the film's elegant take on the heist genre. This isn't all fluff, however, and there are more than a few informative tidbits to be gleaned from "Exploring the Facets." Perhaps most interesting are cinematographer Richard Greatrex's discussion of the film's wraparound-style lighting and production designer Sophie Becher's insights on the sense of melancholy that the sets required. Fans of the film will find this worth watching.

Flawless Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Releasing a film called Flawless is basically a challenge to critics, who will inevitably deem it anything but, and although the film does have its foibles, I found it a rewarding divergence from typical Hollywood heist flicks. Recommended.