Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		4.5

Pioneer Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 7, 2014

Winner of Silver Hugo Award for Best Cinematography at the Chicago International Film Festival, Erik Skjoldbjærg's "Pioneer" (2013) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Films. There are no supplemental features on the this release. In Norwegian and English, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

"Where is the gas?"

The film opens up in the early ‘70s somewhere in the North Sea where a group of Norwegian and American divers are performing a series of tests -- they are trying to figure out how to get divers with the proper skills to the bottom of the sea to install a massive oil pipeline. The stakes are high. The party that finds a way to install the oil pipeline will change the region’s economy and position itself to be a future global force.

The divers are placed in a large chamber with a special gas mix developed by the Americans which allows their bodies to tolerate a wide range of oxygen pressures. But there are unknowns -- it is unclear for how long and whether there any serious side effects.

Eventually, the divers are sent to the bottom of the sea. They begin working on the pipeline, but one of the Norwegian divers is killed in a freak accident and they are quickly pulled out of the ocean. The dead diver’s brother, Petter (Aksel Hennie, Max Manus, Headhunters), begins investigating the accident. And the deeper he digs, the more he begins to realize that he and his dead brother were fed plenty of lies during the diving tests. Soon after, someone tries to kill him.

Inspired by true events, Pioneer is a brilliantly scripted old-fashioned thriller directed by Norwegian master Erik Skjoldbjærg, whose first feature film, Insomnia, is frequently credited for the international success of the Nordic Noir genre.

The film is loosely divided into two uneven sections. In the first, whose atmosphere reminds of that present in James Cameron’s film The Abyss, Skjoldbjærg highlights some of the unique challenges real divers apparently faced while building the oil pipelines across the Norwegian coastline. There are plenty of technical descriptions, but the dilemmas the men faced are very easy to grasp. The second section, which is also the bigger one, offers a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes dealings in a constantly evolving industry with plenty of players with different interests.

The events in the film are seen strictly through Petter’s eyes. After the tragic death of his brother he gradually realizes that there is no one around him that he could trust and that everything, including human life, has a price. The final twenty or so minutes, in particular, are quite illuminating, as Skjoldbjærg effectively shows that even in an established democracy like Norway justice is a precious commodity.

The camera movement, lighting and editing are effectively used to create a very appropriate noirish atmosphere. The film’s relaxed but steady tempo feels right as well. (George Clooney and Grant Heslov’s upcoming English-language remake of Pioneer will most certainly have a different pacing). The film is also complimented by a wonderful soundtrack courtesy of the French electronic duo AIR.

Pioneer was lensed by cinematographer Jallo Faber, who worked with Tomas Alfredson on the Oscar nominated Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Kjell Sundvall on terrific Nordic thriller False Trail.

Pioneer Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Erik Skjoldbjærg's Pioneer arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Films.

Because light is captured in a variety of different ways, there are some minor contrast fluctuations. The most obvious ones occur during the underwater footage and a few of the training sessions. It is quite clear, however, that these fluctuations are part of the film's visual design. Detail and clarity are excellent. Color saturation and stability are also very good. Overall image stability is outstanding. When blown though a digital projector, the film remains tight around the edges and there is no visible flicker elsewhere in the image frame. Lastly, there are no encoding anomalies to report in this review. All in all, this is a very solid technical presentation of Pioneer that will please fans of Erik Skjoldbjærg's work as well as viewers who will experience his new film for the fist time on Blu-ray. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Pioneer Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Norwegian DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (with portions of English). For the record, Arrow Films have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it. The English subtitles are also available for the portions of the film where English is spoken.

The lossless 7.1 track serves the film very well. There are a number of sequences -- the underwater accident, in particular, is a great example -- where the surround channels are very effective. AIR's soundtrack also benefits from the lossless treatment and enhances the noirish atmosphere in a variety of different ways. From start to finish the dialog remains exceptionally crisp, clear, stable, and very easy to follow.

Pioneer Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Most unfortunately, there are no supplemental features to be found on this Blu-ray release.

Pioneer Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Pioneer is yet another superb noirish thriller from Norwegian director Erik Skjoldbjærg (Insomnia). It was inspired by true events that took place in the early '70s, before the Norwegian oil boom. Arrow Films' technical presentation of Pioneer is outstanding. My only complaint is that there are no supplemental features on the Blu-ray. A documentary feature chronicling the real divers' dealings with their government would have been a terrific bonus. Regardless, this is a fantastic film that is well worth seeing and owning. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.