6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
An American man is kidnapped after a friend invites him to Cairo to speak out about recent militant uprisings. His wife heads to the city after hearing the news, determined to get him back.
Starring: Jim Caviezel, Claudia Karvan, Hal Ozsan, Stelio Savante, Aly KassemThriller | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Spanish: DTS 5.1
English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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