6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.8 |
An American safecracker named Zed is summoned to Paris by his childhood buddy, Eric to help pull a Bastille Day bank heist. Dreams of easy money quickly evaporate when the heist goes sour and Eric transforms into a psychotic, drug-crazed sociopath.
Starring: Eric Stoltz, Martin Raymond, Eric Pascal Chaltiel, Julie Delpy, Jean-Hugues AngladeHeist | 100% |
Crime | 22% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Written and directed by Roger Avary, "Killing Zoe" (1993) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French distributors Seven7/Metropolitan Films. The supplemental features on the disc include an audio commentary, in English, with director Roger Avary; an hour-long documentary on the shooting of the film; deleted scenes; promotional materials; cast and crew interviews; and stroyboards. In English and French, with optional French subtitles, where necessary, for the film and supplemental features. Region-B "locked".
I like you but I don't do weird things
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Roger Avary's Killing Zoe arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French distributors Seven7/Metropolitan Films. For the record, the disc contains the Director's Cut of the film, which runs at approximately 99 min.
This is a good but somewhat inconsistent high-definition transfer. Generally speaking, fine object detail is pleasing, but there are certain scenes where mild noise reduction has affected its integrity. Occasionally, light noise is also present. Contrast levels vary, but this is mostly due to the unique lighting techniques used throughout the film (in the audio commentary provided on this Blu-ray disc, Roger Avary discusses why and how the overwhelming majority of the film had to be shot with a variety of fluorescent lamps because he had a very limited budget to work with). Clarity is relatively good. The film's color scheme is dramatically improved. Reds, blues, browns and blacks look rich but natural; on the R1 DVD, courtesy of Artisan, they are muddy and blocky. Edge-enhancement and macroblocking are never a serious issue of concern. I also did not detect any serious stability issues to report in this review. Finally, there are no large scratches, cuts, marks, dirt, or stains plaguing the high-definition transfer. To sum it all up, this is a good though not perfect upgrade of a film that I do not foresee getting a stronger treatment in North America. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, Seven7/Metropolitan Films have provided optional French SDH subtitles for the main feature. Also, please note that there are small portions of the film where French is spoken that are not subtitled in English.
The audio treatment is certainly a lot more convincing than the video treatment. The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track has a good dynamic amplitude, and the film really benefits from it rather well. The surround channels are not overly active, but there are a couple of scenes - such as the final shootout in the bank - where they are very effective. The few techno/industrial tracks that are heard throughout the film also sound surprisingly sharp. The dialog is crisp, clean and stable. Finally, I did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, or hissings to report in this review.
Commentary - an audio commentary with director Roger Avary in which he addresses the production history of Killing Zoe, its unique characters, the extremely limited budget he had to work with and how it affected his film, the specific locations used in Los Angeles to imitate Paris, the different cuts the MPAA forced him to do, etc. In English, with optional French subtitles.
L'acces aux story boards - this option allows one to view the film and compare specific scenes from it with a variety of different storyboards.
Shooting Zoe - an hour-long documentary on the shooting of the film, with plenty of raw footage showing a number of the locations where some of the more memorable scenes were shot, as well as interesting comments from the cast and crew. In English and French, with imposed French subtitles where necessary. (57 min).
Scenes coupees - three short scenes that did not make it into the final cut of the film. (3 min).
Materiel promotionnel - the original theatrical trailer for the film, with French and English versions (3 min); a short promotional featurette, in English with imposed French subtitles (10 min); and four interviews with Eric Stolz (4 min), Jean-Hughes Anglade (6 min), Julie Delpy (4 min), and Roger Avary (6 min).
Roger Avary's Killing Zoe is a true cult classic. I remember back in the days he did a lot to convince Artisan to release the director's cut of his film on DVD. I think that it would be terrific if he did what needs to be done one more time so that Killing Zoe sees a Blu-ray release on this side of the Atlantic. I know a lot of people would love to have his film in their collections. RECOMMENDED.
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