Jarhead: Law of Return Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Jarhead: Law of Return Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 5, 2019

It should come as no surprise that Jarhead: Law of Return has absolutely nothing to do with Sam Mendes' 2005 original film, or either of its sequels, for that matter, both direct-to-video films in their own right and without connection to the first beyond a shared title. But, surprise, it’s not half bad. It certainly tries too hard to achieve artistic merit within a fairly generic story and despite limited technical know-how and financial means, but Writer/Director Don Michael Paul (Scorpion King: Book of Souls) makes it work well enough to satisfy Action fans who don’t mind a little oversimplified style and a trite story to go along with robust action and plenty of CGI blood.

Jarhead: Law of Return cites the origins of its title up front, defining it as “an Israeli law, which gives non-Israeli Jews and Gentile converts, the right to come and live in Israel and to gain Israeli citizenship.” It's not a particularly vital plot point. The film tells the story of an imprisoned American born Israeli citizen and Air Force Major named Ronan Jackson (Devon Sawa) who is shot down and taken captive by a radical breakaway terror group in Syria called the “Golan Freedom Brigade.” He's married to an Israeli woman named Avigail (Shanti Ashanti) who is carrying his unborn child. The story allows for American-Israeli crossover; Jackson's father is a U.S. Senator (Robert Patrick) and a joint American-Israeli training exercise becomes a live-fire mission when teams from both countries, led by an American nearing retirement age named Flores (Amaury Nolasco), must join together to conduct a dangerous rescue operation.

The film is timely insofar as it deals with trouble spots in Syria and the complex social and political relationship between the United States and Israel, but it's ultimately far more a product of its simplistic motions than it is its peripheral political intrigue. There's not much of note that isn't rote. Don Michael Paul goes through the motions but refuses the temptation to go overboard in the drama. He establishes his characters just deeply and intimately enough to make them matter but not so much that focus is drawn away from the gunplay and the scenes in which Jackson is tortured (beaten, waterboarded) by his captors. Paul keeps the characters beyond Flores, Jackson, his wife, and Senator Jackson mostly generic and doesn't get too caught up in the politics of the flag Jackson flies under. It comes up in his beatings and it facilitates the joint nature of the rescue operation but it's just a differentiator to set the movie apart from probably a dozen or so others that otherwise look and play just like this. Paul presents the gunplay well. It's frenetic and loud and not overly stylized, even if it is a bit sensationalized. CGI blood takes away some of the feel for authenticity but the production is fairly tight and satisfying even on an obviously restricted budget that limits the movie's scale and feel for purpose.

Jarhead: Law of Return Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Jarhead: Law of Return was unsurprisingly shot on video, today's de facto standard for lower end direct-to-video fare. Universal's 1080p transfer looks very good in the aggregate with few issues. Noise can be bothersome in some of the darker, lower light moments, including an opening scene when Flores is being debriefed and staring straight into the camera. Noise isn't overly bothersome in the third act, however, as Jackson waits in a low and warm light locale for word on his son and as the fight rages to rescue the captured fighter pilot. Nighttime scenes, which are plentiful in the third act, do offer good, deep black levels that play well against some of the gunfire pops and flashes. Colors are impressively saturated, even if much of the movie is made of various earthy tones and occasionally look overexposed for effect. Details are crisp and deliver accurate representations of heavy material military gear, suits, and civilian clothes. Facial close-ups reveal pores, hairs, sweat, and blood with surprising depth and complexity. War-torn environments and the dingy, dank, dark, and depressing locale where Jackson is held and tortured brings out the best of its rough, raw textures. The image suffers from very little banding or aliasing effects. This is a very good Blu-ray presentation from Universal.

Jarhead: Law of Return Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Universal's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack for Jarhead: Law of Return is fully capable and delivers a hearty, healthy listen that's unquestionably excellent, soaring at every opportunity and delivering terrific clarity that elevates the film well above its DTV roots, at least sonically. Music is boisterous and bass-y, a bit overwhelming and arguably over-amplified, at times, but usually agreeably immersive through the entire channel configuration and just on this side of too loud. The track demonstrates good movement as fighter jets zoom through the stage. Gunfire cracks and zips with impressive stage presence and detail in chapter six when the enemy attempts to gun down the recently shot-down Jackson and in turn returns fire from his handgun. A rocket is fired at him that nearly kills him; the concussive blast is potent, one of several throaty, deep low end moments in the film. Several action scenes to follow are of similar sonic signature, presenting with intense and engaging low end delivery and plenty of surround integration. Dialogue is generally fine with only a hint of shallowness (a scene at the 18-minute mark as the men gear up prior to the training mission). It is otherwise clear, precise, well prioritized, and center focused. This English track is the only one available on the disc. English SDH subtitles are also available.

Jarhead: Law of Return Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Jarhead: Law of Return contains no supplemental content. The main menu screen offers only options for "Play," "Chapters," and "Setup." A DVD copy of the film and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase. This release ships with an embossed slipcover.

Jarhead: Law of Return Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Jarhead: Law of Return is a Universal special. This is the studio that routinely takes random past successes and crafts unconnected sequels that carry on the name for marketing's sake only (see Cop and a Half: New Recruit and Kindergarten Cop 2 and the Tremors franchise as one of the exceptions that can claim loose ties to the original through its run; Jarhead: Law of Return's Don Michael Paul directed the latter two linked films). Even if it's just working under a borrowed title, the movie isn't half bad for what it is. It's predictable and execution can be iffy but it's a fairly well made little movie within its limited parameters that should satiate War film junkies looking for a new and cheap but not entirely disposable movie to watch. Universal's Blu-ray is disappointingly but unsurprisingly featureless but video and audio presentations are fine. Worth a look for genre fans.