7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 2.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 2.9 |
Johnny Worricker is a long-serving MI5 officer. His boss and best friend Benedict Baron dies suddenly, leaving behind him an inexplicable file, threatening the stability of the organization. Meanwhile, a seemingly chance encounter with Johnny's striking next-door neighbor and political activist, Nancy Pierpan, seems too good to be true. Johnny is forced to walk out of his job, and then out of his identity to find out the truth.
Starring: Bill Nighy, Judy Davis, Michael Gambon, Ewen Bremner, Ralph FiennesThriller | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 2.5 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
I’ll make this official: I’m deeply in love with Bill Nighy. Sure, he doesn’t have the greatest taste in screenplays, occasionally caught on the prowl for a solid paycheck, but when the British actor is permitted to sink his teeth into top shelf material, he’s unstoppable. “Page Eight,” written and directed by David Hare, is exactly the type of callous material Nighy requires to reach his full potential. Wrapping his talent around this cold-blooded tale of English spies and their backstabbing business, the actor delivers outstanding work, furtive yet vulnerable, able to articulate the weight of the world with the mere arch of an eyebrow. Of course, he’s far from alone here, with Hare drafting some of the best European actors into duty, breathing a rippling sense of antagonism into a tightly leashed tangle with secret documents and hallway paranoia. Although it gives off the appearance of homework, Nighy and his fellow performers give Hare’s script a thrilling workout, creating significant tension out of the most routine of encounters.
A longtime intelligence analyst for MI5, Johnny Worricker (Bill Nighy) finds his life and livelihood in danger when friend and director Benedict Baron (Michael Gambon) passes along a secret file carrying damaging information about American torture practices, placing Prime Minister Alec Beasley (Ralph Fiennes) in a precarious international position. Without knowledge of the information’s source, Johnny commences his own investigation, well aware of the file’s capacity to destroy his career. While his professional life is in flux, a neighbor, Nancy Pierpan (Rachel Weisz), has revealed herself to be a comforting presence, though even she comes loaded with concern, searching for a way to expose her brother’s murder at the hands of the Israeli Army. Keeping cool while outside forces prepare to devour him, Johnny uses his training and trusts his instincts, looking to play the spy game efficiently to protect himself and assist Nancy with her grief.
The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "Page Eight" doesn't do the chilled tone of the feature justice. Some banding and inconsistent contrast is detected, but there's a real problem with crush issues, clotting up the darker details of the frame, reducing elegant costumes, dense hairstyles, and evening interactions solid, losing an essential feel for locations and tailoring. Also present is a mild DNR scrub, flattening facial features outside of extreme close-ups, which is a crime considering the range of the ensemble. Skintones are erratic, battling between natural pinks and harsh reds. Colors are in better shape, conveying the variety of professional outfits, capturing shades of blue and grey. Screen texture is a rare event, but the BD has its moments with office and apartment interiors. Again, tight cinematography and bright natural light tends to bring out the nuances of the frame, but it's not a consistent feel.
The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix seems perfectly suited for a picture of furrowed brows and contemplation, rarely kicking out in intensity or dimensional needs. Accents are a major hurdle here, with the track comfortably separating voices, sustaining verbal tension while holding exposition tightly. The conversations are easy to follow, held frontal with a deep impression of dramatic intent. Scoring carries a little wider, with a crisp instrumentation, especially found with the movie's fixation on jazz, supporting the screen events with a loose-fitting offering of aural snap. Low-end is nonexistent. It's a sedate film without interest in sonic theatrics, leaving the clean, unfussy mix here satisfactory.
There are no supplementary features on this disc.
"Page Eight" doesn't travel down clichés paths of engagement, abstaining from guns and explosives to remain coldly unsettled, observing plans in motion instead of feral acts of defense. It's an elegant storytelling route leading to less of a candied thrill, but it's all carried so magnificently by Hare and his cast. Of course, I'm partial to Nighy, who's damn good in the feature, with his thespian idiosyncrasy making a perfect union with Hare's reserved filmmaking interests. Needless to say, there's plenty more here to embrace, as "Page Eight" provides an interesting twist on customary spy unease. Nevertheless, I doubt few viewers will be able to keep anything but Nighy's multi-layered performance in mind after a viewing.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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