Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		2.5

Mortdecai Blu-ray Movie Review

Bad? Probably. Awful? Not so much.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 11, 2015

Let’s just cut to the chase, shall we? Is Mortdecai bad? Well, let’s put it this way: it isn’t very good. But is it the soul crushing abomination and (latest?) harbinger of the Apocalypse so many have made it out to be? Perhaps not, though your tolerance (or intolerance, as the case may be) for stupidity and silliness may vary your mileage considerably. Perhaps the largest issue confronting Mortdecai is the inverse proportion between the talent on display and the actual results they are able to generate, and if taken solely on that aspect there’s little doubt that Mortdecai is a rather major disappointment. Still, the film has at least a couple of laugh out loud moments, which places it seriously ahead of several other supposed “comedies” I’ve seen recently, and it’s frenetically breathless as it attempts to whip up the sort of caper energy that has made any number of enjoyable films like Topkapi and Gambit so entertaining. Johnny Depp, whom the curmudgeons in the critical ranks are claiming is experiencing a career killing dearth of decent films, is on hand as art dealer (and thief) Lord Charlie Mortdecai, the sort of upper class British twit who is certain his new handlebar mustache is the height of fashion, even if it makes his haughty wife Johanna (Gwyneth Paltrow) come close to upchucking every time she sees it. (The film is based upon the novel Don’t Point That Thing at Me by Kyril Bonfiglioli, a book whose title evidently refers to that mustache, not something more nefarious, at least if one goes by a bit of dialogue included in the film.) Charlie has a long history with MI5 operative Inspector Alistair Martland (Ewan McGregor), as not so coincidentally does Johanna herself. When a famous Goya painting is stolen, Martland shows up at Mortdecai’s impressive estate to insist that Mortdecai use his underworld contacts to track down the painting. The fact that Mortdecai is near bankruptcy, including a rather large debt owed to Her Majesty’s government, makes the weaselly art aficionado more willing to help than he might otherwise be, especially since Martland is still quite obviously carrying a rather large torch for Johanna.

Scenarist Eric Aronson’s screenplay has many of the basic building blocks for an at least competent caper-centric farce, including a foppish leading character, a glamorous wife, straight arrow police detective, and, just for good measure, an impossibly resilient bodyguard for Mortdecai sporting the euphemistic name of Jock (Paul Bettany), whose last name (in the book at least) is Strapp, all of whom are in a race to find a precious painting which may in fact be something of a map to even greater treasure. And director David Koepp, who according to the not always reliable Wikipedia is the fifth most successful screenwriter of all time (courtesy of such blockbusters as Jurassic Park, Mission: Impossible and Spider-Man ) keeps things moving breezily enough, with Mortdecai and gang gallivanting around the globe on their snark hunt, encountering a variety of villains or would be allies along the way.

The film is best in its patently goofy moments, which include Blake Edwards-esque sight gags (many of them featuring the hapless Jock, who goes from one life threatening injury to the next, most at the hands of Mortdecai himself). Less winning are Mortdecai’s attempts to inject a kind of overly arch sensibility into the farcical goings on, something that typically brings things to a screeching halt (comedically speaking), while also tending to push the performers over into “trying way too hard” territory.

What might have helped the situation is a more compelling mystery, something that the film starts to develop but then leaves pretty much hanging, opting instead for frenetic set pieces involving Mortdecai getting into and out of various scrapes. Mortdecai is big, glossy and superficial, but it’s not the out and out disaster that so many have made it out to be. With a bit more ebullience and bit less (obvious) effort, it could have been an at least reasonably light and fluffy soufflé. As it stands (and/or falls, as it were), it’s an overstuffed and pretty dense feeling pancake—heavy on the overwrought comedic carbs but awfully slight on any truly nourishing content.

Mortdecai Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Mortdecai is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.40:1. Whatever the flaws of the actual film may (or may not) be, this high definition presentation is largely flawless, aided and abetted by top flight digital cinematography (according to the IMDb, both Arri Alexa XT and Red Epic cameras were utilized), and a compression artifact free port to Blu-ray disc. Detail and fine detail are often exceptional, with close-ups offering a "count them now" look at facial pores, or other elements like the textures on fabrics of the variety of smoking jackets Mortdecai dons around his luxe mansion. Colors are deeply burnished and natural looking (the film is agreeably free of much overt color grading). There's some slightly soft looking animated elements that segue to the film's various locations, and it does look like either second unit or stock footage may have been used for some (very brief) establishing shots which don't quite pass the sharpness and clarity muster of the bulk of this presentation, but these are tangential and transitory issues that don't materially detract from a really enjoyable viewing experience. Contrast and black levels are both spot on, and there are no issues with image instability.

Mortdecai Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Mortdecai has a busy, at times downright noisy, lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 mix which provides consistent immersion as well as a glut of propulsive sound effects like gunshots ricocheting around garages or the sound of car engines roaring from one channel to the next as an escape is made. Dialogue is very well prioritized and at times nicely directional. An appealing, pastiche laden score by Geoff Zanelli is one of the film's better assets, and it resides quite comfortably in the surrounds, adding a bit of sonic punch to several key sequences.

Mortdecai Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Stolen Moments: On the Set of Mortdecai (1080p; 16:34) includes some behind the scenes footage along with interviews.


• The Art of Noise: Making Music for Mortdecai (1080p; 12:25) is an interesting piece profiling composer Geoff Zanelli.


• Theatrical Trailers:

  Teaser Trailer (1080p; 1:23)

  Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 2:33)

Mortdecai Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

You know what? I actually kind of liked Mortdecai. This may be due at least in part to extremely low expectations going in after having seen it eviscerated so completely by critics after its brief theatrical exhibition. The execution here is problematic at times, but there's a curious charm to much of the proceedings, at least if one is able to tolerate a certain self-congratulatory winking proclivity on the part of Depp especially. This isn't a completely wasted opportunity as much as it is a missed one. There are pleasures to be had here, however fleeting, and those with their expectations set to as low as mine were may actually end up enjoying this patently goofy enterprise. One way or the other, technical merits are first rate for anyone considering a purchase.