Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Infidel Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 1, 2024

Infidel stars Jim Caviezel as an American who finds himself imprisoned first in Lebanon and then Iran for proclaiming his Christian faith to the Musim world. The film is purportedly based on true events but has certainly been streamlined for mainstream movie consumption, though to be sure in the process it has not lost its bite as a look at, on one hand, the clash between cultures and religious perspectives and, on the other, one man's adherence to his faith even in the face of extreme persecution. It can be a film that is at once both gritty and gripping as well as hopeful despite the dark overtones and extreme depictions of violence in terms of physical torture and the emotional heartaches, doubts, and fears that arise as a result, both for the lead character as well as for his wife. Faith-based though it may be, the film's violence and language do not lend to viewing with younger children, but mature viewers will appreciate the hard-edged realism at work.

An influential Christian blogger named Doug Rawlins (Caviezel) appears on Egyptian television, proclaims Jesus Christ as God, and shares the gospel message. The broadcast reaches many eyes and ears in the region. When he faces a media firestorm after the interview, he says, “I was asked about my faith. I just said what I believe.” That very night, he is violently kidnapped from his hotel room and taken, first, to Lebanon and, later, Iran, where he is held as a political prisoner on trumped-up espionage charges. He refuses to repent or acknowledge the Muslim faith and faces, for his faith, severe physical punishment, emotional trauma, and the specter of martyrdom. Meanwhile, his wife Elizabeth (Claudia Karvan) travels to the Middle East in hopes of somehow, some way, rescuing her husband.

Jim Caviezel, since The Passion of the Christ, has seen his career gravitate towards roles in Christian-themed films, with Paul, Apostle of Christ and Sound of Freedom among the more prominent of his career. He is a workhorse in Infidel, too, a film that is certainly not of the more family-friendly faith-based variety, as has been a hallmark of his forays into such films. Infidel is dark, violent, and peppered with strong language, yet it is also grounded in a sense of realism, capturing a certain gritty darkness within the larger story to be sure but also a more human, for better or worse, exploration in the emotional responses, doubts, and fears that characters manifest throughout. Caviezel embraces the harder edge here, believably portraying a man who is enduring physical pain and emotional hurt but also facing a crisis of faith as he fights to hold fast to his faith in the face of torture and uncertainty of all but what appears to be a looming martyr's death. He's more than believable in the part, playing to both ends with equal depth and understanding of character and the larger perspective of persecution.

The film does well in capturing the grim realities that Rawlins faces in his captivity both in terms of the physical violence he suffers and the emotional deterioration he endures. He struggles with his faith but maintains his convictions. He suffers beatings but refuses to give in. He faces a firing squad in the movie's opening moments yet rejects an offer to say what his captors would have him say to save his life. Of course, the film returns to this scene later as something of a climactic moment that is maybe more anticlimactic, but in the aggregate the film is effective on a few fronts: as a straightforward story of persecution and captivity; as a portrait of a man in physical, emotional, and spiritual crisis; and in the story that follows his wife's efforts to see her husband set free, which ultimately takes her to the very heart of the world in which he finds himself imprisoned. It is perhaps not quite so resonant as the filmmakers would wish it to be, but it's a solid film that blends larger entertainment value with gritty realism and faith-based overtones.

Infidel Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Universal releases Infidel to Blu-ray with a 1080p transfer. The image is a little soft, a little flat, lacking razor sharp detail, which seems inherent to the source rather than some error in the encode process. The movie is not at all visually attractive, favoring rather dull details and uninteresting environments that show basic definition to 1080p satisfaction but never really allow the viewer to dig into the nitty-gritty of the dank and deteriorating prison cells, attire, or other locations and elements, including faces, which are often not very dynamic in terms of intricacy and intimate detailing. Colors are drab throughout, with very little in the movie really striking the eye as anything resembling bold or vivid. It's a depressed look which does suit the film's tone well enough. Black levels are a bit dense, flesh tones pasty, and whites bland, but again much, if not all, of this appears to fairly represent the film's innate stylings. One of the image's characteristics is that noise can be a very prominent part of the visual puzzle. Look at the 15-minute mark inside a low-light interior. The noise is very thick in this scene. This is not a poor Blu-ray, it's just a Blu-ray in support of a very dreary and visually uninteresting movie.

Infidel Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The included 5.1 lossless soundtrack is fairly good: engaged, balanced, and much more interesting than the video. Early in the film, listeners will find satisfying surround din at a dinner party in the six-minute mark, with chatty attendees and clanking silverware filling the listening area. Moments later, music fills the stage with precise placement, full surround engagement, and excellent clarity to its finest details. At the 20-minute mark, falling rain, a blaring car horn, and emergency sirens fill the stage with dynamic spacing and saturation. A few action elements later in the film offer equally satisfying depth, density, and placement precision. Dialogue is always clear and well prioritized as it consistently emanates from the front center channel speaker.

Infidel Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Infidel contains one supplement: an audio commentary track with Director Cyrus Nowrasteh. That's it. It's a solid track, and fans will be grateful for it, but fans will also be left wanting at least a few featurettes and maybe some deleted scenes. Do note that there is no "supplements" or "extras" tab on the main menu screen. The audio commentary can only be found under "Setup" and then within another sub-menu for "Audio." The main menu screen offers a static image -- the same on the Blu-ray case artwork -- with no overlaid audio. No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does (or at least did at the time of its Blu-ray debut) ship with a non-embossed slipcover.

Infidel Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Infidel captures the audience's attention and quickly builds a compelling story of imprisonment and the personal struggles that follow for both the prisoner and his wife. The film features another high profile performance from Jim Caviezel while also throwing a fairly grim yet realistic light into the world of religious and political persecution. It's an imperfect film but one that hits often enough, and hard enough, to make it well worth a watch. Universal's Blu-ray does include a filmmaker audio commentary track, but disappointingly there are no other extras included. Video and audio are fine. Recommended.