Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Forsaken Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 23, 2016

There's not a more classic American genre than the Western, and it's earned a new contemporary classic in Forsaken. Director Jon Cassar's (24) movie hearkens back to the genre's roots with a thoughtful, yet simple, story of redemption, reconciliation, and right versus wrong. It's more immediately notable as the first screen pairing of the real-life father-son tandem of Donald and Kiefer Sutherland, but that novelty quickly gives way to a powerful and very well done film that recalls the classics of yesterday, like Shane, and captures the genre's spirit with an unflinching command of the style, motifs, characters, and the very essence of what makes the Western an indelible classic of the American cinematic landscape.

The gunslinger.

"Your mother is dead." John Henry Clayton (Kiefer Sutherland) returns home after ten years at war and in rebellion against life and faith only to learn that his father William (Donald Sutherland) is a widower. William is a preacher whose faith has not left him even after his wife's passing, and he rebukes his son's blasphemy and wayward ways. John wants only to settle down and put his violent past behind him. That's made increasingly difficult by his relationship with his father, and he's further challenged when he learns an old love (Demi Moore) has long since married another man. However, the local town is in trouble. A man by the name of James McCurdy (Brian Cox) has assembled a band of armed men to size control of local homesteads, force the owners off the land, and take it for himself. The group is led by the violent and smooth-talking Dave Turner (Michael Wincott) and the reckless and unpredictable Frank Tillman (Aaron Poole). With William preaching pacifism and trust in the law and the townsfolk frightened, all hope seems lost. All the thugs have to concern themselves with, then, is the slim possibility that John Henry Clayton will once again take up arms and stands against them.

Forsaken is an extremely simple movie. It's not thematically original or dramatically purposeful in any sort of novel way, but its success stems from its unshakable foundation, its ability to not mimic but rather embrace its genre and execute with a proper balance of setting, story, characterization, and action. Indeed, there's practically no mystery about where the movie is going or how it will end. Forsaken, then, is the rare exception that makes the journey greater than the destination. Director Jon Cassar seems at ease with the production, his confidence is evident in every shot. His ability to craft the movie to work so well beyond the linear, classically styled story and lovingly pay tribute to its forebears by accentuating character construction and interaction over needless novelty or slick moviemaking is the film's finest asset. The film encompasses all of the classic themes of leaving the past behind, beginning anew, and making right of wrong -- even if that means once more traveling down the very dark personal path from which one is trying to escape -- and Forsaken delivers a knockout of an experience as it maneuvers through some terrific characterization and builds towards a raw yet gorgeously constructed and executed final confrontation.

The film begins with an emotional punch that resonates throughout and influences the character pre-construction and evolution throughout the movie. And while, again, there's not much creativity in the raw materials that make up, influence, and ultimately either reinforce or reshape the characters, it's in the film's, and the actors', abilities to finely hone them in a tangibly classic style that makes the movie work. Both Sutherlands are fantastic in the leads. The parts are smartly cast, even ignoring the real-life father-son dynamic. Both are terrific at what they do, the elder Sutherland a man of faith who seems more pained than he allows his son to see and the son whose wayward direction that led him astray from everything his father holds dear has sent him full circle back home in search of his own brand of redemption. The two share some wonderful moments together with the younger Sutherland delivering a powerfully moving moment of catharsis at one key point in the film. The supporting cast is wonderful, too. Demi Moore and Brian Cox disappear into their roles while Michael Wincott is superb as a cold and calculating man of both violence and reason in a key antagonist role. Further, the film's production values are superb. While its digital photography leaves it with a veneer that doesn't really accentuate the material or capture the finer essence of its world, the movie nevertheless benefits from the living, breathing world of old that's captured with the scope and beauty one would expect from a smartly and classically photographed Western.

Forsaken Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

As noted in the previous paragraph, Forsaken was digitally photographed and the result is a rather pasty, smooth image that reveals good details but doesn't quite capture the sort of roughhewn texture one might expect of a Western film. Background details, like tree leaves, are often more smeary than they are stable. Period attire is revealing of basic lines and seams but doesn't showcase the sort of intimate, dusty, and worn details one might expect to find. Facial features are likewise serviceable. Facial hair, pores, and wrinkles are never masked, but neither are they as tangibly apparent as one might expect. Old wood in saloons, building façades, and other little details never quite find the realistic texturing they deserve. Colors are also somewhat drab. The movie features a fairly predominant brown tinting. Basic greens, brighter clothes, and blood present with enough vibrance to get by but are hardly home to the sort of eye-popping exactness that's the norm for the newest HD video shoots. Black levels tend to push towards crush. Noise is often apparent. All of that said, the image looks good. There's plenty of room for improvement, but many of the less than desirable qualities seem more inherent to the source rather than a product of the film's transfer to Blu-ray.

Forsaken Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Forsaken's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack is a fair bit engaging, particularly during shootouts. Gunfire is most prominent during two key scenes, one coming around the 37 minute mark and the other around the 76 minute mark. The former, which takes place outside, offers a good bit of punch to the shots and plenty of impacts all around the stage. Shots ring out from one speaker and shattering wood spills from another. The chaos is palpable and the raw effect very satisfying. The latter takes place indoors and lacks quite as much pure definition, but the all of the core qualities, including the healthy and natural surround usage, remain. Small ambient details impress, particularly around the Clayton homestead. City streets are a little more bustling and thriving and prone to offer more activity. Music is clear and well defined. Dialogue too enjoys effortless definition, natural center placement, and strong prioritization above all other details.

Forsaken Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Forsaken contains only one extra entitled The Making Of Featurette (1080p, 11:32). It's a well-done piece that explores the Western genre, project origins, the Sutherland father/son tandem working together for the first time, the movie's classic stylings, characters, cast and performances, and more.

Forsaken Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Forsaken is one of the best Westerns to hail from the 21st century. While it's not creative, its foundation is firm and its understanding of its genre evident in every shot. It's very well acted, so well that the novelty of the Sutherlands working together quickly disappears into the movie's tangible, well developed world. Entertainment One's Blu-ray release of Forsaken features fair video and good audio. The disc is unfortunately lacking any meaningful extras, but the release comes highly recommended and is a must-own for any Western fan.