No Man of God Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		2.0

No Man of God Blu-ray Movie Review

Bill and Ted's Sociopathic Adventure.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III October 10, 2021

Amber Sealey's No Man of God dramatizes the real-life relationship that developed between rookie FBI profiler Bill Hagmaier (Elijah Wood) and serial killer Ted Bundy (Luke Kirby) from conversations recorded between 1984 and 1989, when the latter was finally executed for horrific crimes during the previous decade. Plenty of films and TV shows have been influenced by its core story, from The Silence of the Lambs to Mindhunter... and most of them are better than this movie, which takes an interesting approach with the material but fails to say anything meaningful about it.

Aside from an opening stinger that reminds us Bundy will in fact die for his crimes, No Man of God recounts its story chronologically, setting aside the first half for those 1984-89 interactions and the last 45 minutes for our antagonist's unusually short death sentence window. This doesn't allow enough time for a satisfying build-up: we can certainly see and understand Bundy's charisma and appreciate Hagmaier's unique approach to draw out a series of confessions, but the progression rarely feels as fluid as a five-year journey ought to. In contrast, the film's second leg builds enough momentum on its own terms, but No Man of God takes an odd detour in the home stretch: it shows Hagmaier's own brief descent into madness as Bundy gets inside his head, juxtaposing the brief breakdown with contempt for the bloodthirsty revelers camped outside Florida State Prison, and struggles to stick an emotional landing.

One somewhat unique element of the film's approach works in its favor, though: No Man of God pays crucial attention to female perspectives in the form of at least one supporting character, Bundy's reluctant but dutiful lawyer Carolyn Lieberman (Aleksa Palladino), as well as a press aide and other women seen in passing. All of them are circled back on later in the film, reminding Hagmaier of his questionable behavior in their presence. This adds an appreciated layer of thoughtfulness to a typically male-dominated story and, considering Bundy's victims, it feels appropriate that the playing field was partially levelled. Even so, it's this element -- as well as the strong performances of its two leads, especially Luke Kirby -- that stands as the film's only true highlight and, while this is probably enough to at least warrant a once-over, it doesn't make No Man of God a particularly durable or well-rounded endeavor.

RLJ Entertainment's Blu-ray at least offers a solid A/V presentation and a short but appreciated behind-the-scenes featurette, but it's only worth a blind buy for the source material or cast's most die-hard fans.

No Man of God Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The digitally-shot No Man of God looks good on Blu-ray courtesy of RLJ Entertainment, who offer a serviceable 1080p transfer that plays to its modest visual strengths. Much of the film takes place inside dimly or fluorescent-lit interiors and, while this doesn't make for many memorable images, it at least reveals that the Blu-ray handles darker moments well enough with solid black levels and only trace amounts of banding on strong gradients. Colors are lightly stylized and tend to favor a cooler palette with occasional warm highlights, boasting accurate skin tones within the boundaries of its various lighting schemes and locations. Rare trips outdoors, from Hagmaier's occasional car rides to establishing shots and re-enacted footage of outdoor revelers, show a nice uptick in fine detail and excellent contrast levels. On on other side of the coin, historical footage of protesters, news broadcasts, and more are limited to the source material but, considering its age and subject matter, this isn't distracting in the least. Overall, a solid effort.

No Man of God Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Unsurprisingly, No Man of God plays it mostly straight in the audio department, with the same comments regarding "new" footage vs. historical clips clearly applying here. The bulk of the film revolves around one- one conversations and, from that perspective, this DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix might seem a bit like overkill; only cursory moments require any kind of rear-channel activity, from faint echoes to quiet background noises and occasional third-party contributors, such as guards and other observers. More crowded conversations, from the inevitable press frenzy to rowdy outdoor celebrations, show much more life with discrete activity and strong channel separation. Hagmaier's brief breakdown also allows more room for light sonic experimentation with looping voice-overs and more priority for Clarice Jensen's original score, a solid electronic-infused effort that also dips into the low end with satisfying results.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature only.

No Man of God Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a standard keepcase with ugly-as-sin cover artwork and no inserts of any kind. Bonus features are unfortunately limited, but the lone featurette is slightly more satisfying than usual.

• Making "No Man of God" (7:41) - This short but enjoyable behind-the-scenes featurette balances historical context with lightweight production details, as well as brief words from key cast members including Elijah Wood, Luke Kirby, and Aleksa Palladino; unfortunately, director Amber Sealey is nowhere to be found.

No Man of God Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Amber Sealey's No Man of God offers a familiar story as told from a slightly different approach, but the end result is only fitfully effective and that's mostly due to decent performances. Otherwise, it's tough to recommend sight unseen, although die-hard fans of the cast and source material may be more receptive to its charms. RLJ Entertainment's Blu-ray offers solid A/V support but only minimal bonus features. It's very much a "try before you buy" disc.