Horsemen Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Horsemen Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 10, 2009

Produced by Michael Bay, Swedish director Jonas Akerlund's "Horsemen of the Apocalypse" (2009) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Icon Home Entertainment. The only supplemental features on this disc are an audio commentary with director Jonas Akerlund and director of photography Eric Broms, and a gallery of deleted scenes (unplayable on Region-A players). With optional English subtitles. Region-Free.

Yes, what they are watching is that bad!

A lot of bizarre things happen in Swedish director Jonas Akerlund's (Spun) chiller Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Some make little sense; others don’t make sense at all. Yes, something went terribly wrong here, but I don’t believe anyone realized that – at least not until the film was actually finished.

A cold winter day. An old man walks his dog in the middle of a giant forest. He discovers something strange - a big and shiny metal bowl with a set of bloody teeth in it. A recently widowed detective, Aidan Breslin (Dennis Quaid, Savior), is immediately called on the scene. He begins an investigation and quickly comes to the conclusion that the bowl actually contains a clue about a larger mystery, one that he, of course, will have to solve.

Very soon, the detective is called again to assist with an unusually gruesome murder – the victim is a woman in her early 40s, who has been suspended with fish hooks on a large custom-made rack and bled to death. On the wall behind her, a chilling message – "Come and See" - tips the detective to look into the Book of Revelation, and eventually the myths about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

I would like to make it perfectly clear that I did not dislike Horsemen of the Apocalypse. In fact, I enjoyed a good portion of it, but I am somewhat puzzled by the manner in which the scattered pieces of its story are put together; it deflates the grim atmosphere the film sustains for well over an hour, incredibly fast and in a very convincing fashion.

The key issue with Horsemen of the Apocalypse is its surprising indecisiveness as to what type of a film it aspires to be – horror, thriller, or drama. There are elements of each that, at one point or another, dramatically affect its story. The suspense, for example, is heavily influenced by David Fincher's Se7en. On the other hand, there is the graphic violence, which reminds one about the gruesome Saw films. Finally, the serious dilemmas the main protagonist is faced with appear to have been at least partially inspired by Olivier Marchal's bleak MR 73. Of course, there is also that religious element - the same one that irreversibly damaged Olivier Dahan's Crimson Rivers: Angels of the Apocalypse - that throws everything off halfway through the film.

Blending all of the above into a decent, coherent story, as one could easily guess, is an incredibly challenging task. Unsurprisingly, there are key areas in Horsemen of the Apocalypse that lack the depth and fluidity they need in order to sustain a sense of continuity. As a result, the film feels rushed, even incomplete.

What partially redeems Horsemen of the Apocalypse is the terrific stunt work. I have got to admit that the murder scenes are genuinely disturbing - as revealed in the audio commentary provided on this Blu-ray disc, a great deal of work went into them, and it most certainly shows. Even the close-ups look very, very real.

Still, a nagging feeling that Horsemen of the Apocalypse is a missed opportunity will likely follow those of you who end up giving it a chance. Unless, of course, you mentally prepare yourself that Horsemen of the Apocalypse is closer to what many nowadays refer to as "torture porn" rather than to an intelligent dark thriller with a decent dose of horror.

Note: Chinese international superstar Zhang Ziyi (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) has only a small cameo appearance in the film - she plays the adopted daughter of one of the victims.

Horsemen Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jonas Akerlund's Horsemen of the Apocalypse arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Icon Home Entertainment.

Crisp, sharp and notably vibrant, the transfer for this rather recent film looks very strong. The outdoor scenes, in particular, have that marquee "popping" look. The indoor scenes are also very convincing, though they have a slightly different complexion, both in terms of color and detail; contrast varies. Some very interesting shadow effects are also introduced during some of the key scenes from the second half of the film. The actual transfer is free of disturbing debris, scratches, and dirt. I also did not detect any stability issues to report in this review. All in all, Horsemen of the Apocalypse should meet the quality expectations of even the most demanding videophiles. (Note: Even though this Blu-ray disc is marketed as being Region-B, it is in fact Region-Free. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

Horsemen Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English LPCM 2.0 (unlike what the back cover states - DTS Surround 5.1 and Dolby Digital 2.0). I opted for the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track and later on did a few random comparisons with the English LPCM 2.0 track for the purpose of this review.

Similar to the video treatment, the audio treatment does not disappoint. There is plenty of activity in the surround channels - primarily subtle special effects - that enhances the moody aura of Horsemen of the Apocalypse very well. The bass is only occasionally used, but when it comes alive, it does so with a bang. The dialog is crystal clear, crisp and very easy to follow. Finally, there are no disturbing pops, cracks, or hissings to report.

Even though there are no serious technical issues with the English LPCM 2.0 track, I must note that it is notably inferior to the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. The subtle emplacements I noted above are basically missing on it. On the other hand, the dialog is just as crisp and easy to follow.

For the record, Icon Home Entertainment have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. They are, however, a bit too thick for my taste.

Horsemen Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Note: The deleted scenes noted below are encoded in 1080/50i. Therefore, if you reside in North America, or another region where 1080/50i is not supported, you must have a Region-Free player capable of converting 1080/50i to 1080/60i, or 1080p, in order to view them.

Deleted Scenes - a gallery of deleted scenes (12 min).

Audio Commentary - an informative commentary with director Jonas Akerlund and director of photography Eric Broms. The two gentlemen provide an interesting analysis of their film while at the same time recall many of the technical difficulties they had to overcome during the production process (such as terrible weather conditions they were faced with in Canada, where The Horsemen of the Apocalypse was shot), the cast selection, the film's unusual subject matter, etc.

Horsemen Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It just feels like there is a lot more going on in Jonas Akerlund's Horsemen of the Apocalypse than what it was needed for it to be a strong film. I would agree that it looks great - the lensing is terrific - but I cannot but speculate that with a marginally tighter script, Horsemen of the Apocalypse would have been a very different film. Still, British distributors Icon Home Entertainment's Blu-ray treatment of the film is excellent!