6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A drama about the Algerian struggle for independence from France after WWII.
Starring: Jamel Debbouze, Roschdy Zem, Sami Bouajila, Chafia Boudraa, Bernard BlancanDrama | 100% |
Foreign | 44% |
Crime | 38% |
War | 33% |
History | 28% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Some of the creative staff behind Outside the Law are on hand in various supplements included on this disc and in interviews with them a number of films are cited as having helped to inspire this effort, including Once Upon a Time in America, though if one were to choose an iconic film about gangsters with a perceived tether to Outside the Law, it might just as easily be The Godfather, since both that Francis Ford Coppola epic and this French-Algerian co-production place a plot emphasis on the relationship(s) between brothers. While actual honest to goodness historians have quibbled or in some cases outright argued about the accuracy of certain events depicted in the film, kind of ironically the fact that my hunch is very few Americans at least will know enough about the fraught conflicts between France and Algeria for it to matter all that much, since the film's emotional through line is really more family based and is probably therefore "accessible" even if hewing to the actual historical record isn't of prime concern. The story begins in 1925, when a family is simply "informed" that a colonial type named Le caïd ( Larbi Zekkal) now "owns" their ancestral home, and that as a result they need to move within three days. The family is obviously distraught, with their three young(ish) sons perhaps not fully realizing the impact of having to find a new home will have on them.
Outside the Law is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Cohen Media Group with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. That's a just slightly wider aspect ratio than the one offered on the now long ago UK Blu-ray put out by Optimum Home Entertainment that Svet Atanasov reviewed way back in 2011. A cursory comparison of screenshots indicates that this Cohen release is also just slightly darker than the earlier Blu-ray. The IMDb actually lists the Kodak film lots utilized for this shoot, with a 2K DI also listed, but this presentation's slightly darker look may actually help to define a nicely tight grain field that gives things a suitably organic appearance. I don't have the Optimum release to do a side by side comparison, but to my eyes this presentation looks a bit warmer with better suffusion, and as Svet noted in his review, there are some interesting palette "evolutions" that director Rachid Bouchareb and cinematographer Christophe Beaucarne employ that are well supported by this transfer. Detail levels can definitely ebb and flow, and there are a few downright fuzzy moments on display, but in close-ups fine detail can be quite compelling. This transfer also shows some of the same variances in contrast and brightness that Svet mentions in his review.
Outside the Law features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 tracks. Despite some ostensible "action" scenes like the devastating slaughter of Algerians in the film's early moments, this isn't an especially "showy" track, though side and rear channels are regularly engaged with good placement of ambient environmental effects. An interesting and evocative score by Armand Amar also helps to fill the surround channels. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. This is another foreign language offering from Cohen Media Group where the English subtitles are forced.
If Outside the Law is taken as a starting point for further study rather than an absolutely accurate summation of Algeria's long fight for independence, it might resonate a bit better with prospective viewers. There's a lot of fascinating content here, and the performances are often extremely compelling, so if the film somehow manages to miss an emotional bullseye more often than not, there still may be enough to warrant the interest of armchair historians. Technical merits are generally solid and the supplements quite interesting. With caveats noted, Recommended.
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