7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.8 |
Tom Farrell is a dedicated Navy officer who, after an act of valor, gets posted to the Pentagon and is assigned to the Secretary of Defense David Brice. Prior to this, he had become involved with a young woman named Susan Atwell, not knowing that she was Brice's mistress. When Susan is found dead, Tom ironically is assigned to the case of finding the killer who is believed to be a KGB mole code-named "Yuri." Tom could soon become a suspect in her murder when a indiscernible Polaroid negative of him is found at Susan's place. He only has a few short hours to find the killer before the negative can be processed. Also to make matters worse, he must contend with the ever-shrinking noose of the relentless dragnet put in place to find the ever elusive "Yuri"!
Starring: Kevin Costner, Gene Hackman, Sean Young, Will Patton, Howard DuffThriller | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Romance | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Mystery | 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 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Roger Donaldson's "No Way Out" (1987) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout Factory. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film and audio commentary with director Roger Donaldson. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
"I need to talk to you..."
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Roger Donaldson's No Way Out arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout Factory.
The release is sourced from an old master with some quite obvious sharpening adjustments that make different parts of the film look disappointingly harsh. These distracting effects are visible during close-ups as well as during panoramic vistas (see screencaptures #4, 5, and 10). Grain is also unevenly exposed and as a result there are some noticeable density fluctuations. Colors are stable, but some nuances are missing. Image stability is good. A few minor flecks and small scratches pop up here and there, but there are no distracting large cuts, damage marks, or torn frames to report in our review. All in all, while parts of the film look somewhat decent, the organic appearance we expect to see when older films transition to Blu-ray is missing here. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
I viewed the film with 2.0 track and tested some sequences with the 5.1 track. Depth and clarity are very good. Maurice Jarre's dramatic score probably benefits the most from the lossless treatment as there are entire sequences where dynamic intensity is drastically different now, but there are also a few action sequences with notable improvements. I felt that there is some room for improvement in terms of balance, but there are no serious anomalies to report. The dialog is stable, clean, and easy to follow.
Roger Donaldson's No Way Out is not just a great thriller, but arguably one of the best American films from the 1980s. I like everything about it -- the direction, the acting, the magnificent score from Maurice Jarre, this film has it all. To be honest, I was secretly hoping that it will enter the Criterion Collection, and we would get a beautiful remaster with a fantastic selection of supplemental features. There is so much that could have been done for the film's Blu-ray premiere. Shout Factory's release is sourced from an old master that is quite inconsistent. The good news here is that it comes with a wonderful commentary by Roger Donaldson, which was not included on the old DVD release of the film.
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