Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Point Blank Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 12, 2011

Screened at the Tribeca Film Festival last month, Fred Cavayé's "À bout portant" a.k.a "Point Blank" (2010) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Sony Pictures. The supplemental features on the disc include the film's original theatrical trailer; making of featurette; and gallery of stills from the shooting of the film. In French, with imposed English subtitles. Region-B "locked".

Trust no one

A wounded man (Roschdy Zem, Go Fast, Hors la loi) is chased by two men with guns. He eludes them but gets hit by a biker. Moments later, he is taken to a nearby hospital where another man tries to kill him.

Soon to be a certified male nurse Samuel (Gilles Lellouche, Mesrine Parts 1 & 2 - Killer Instinct / Public Enemy Number 1, Les petits mouchoirs) chases away the killer and saves the wounded man’s life. On the following day, the killer kidnaps Samuel’s pregnant wife, Nadia (Elena Anaya, Sex and Lucia, Room in Rome), and demands that he finishes off the wounded man in the hospital. If he does not, he will receive Nadia’s body in a plastic bag.

Shaken, shocked and filled with anger, Samuel immediately heads back to the hospital, which is already full of cops trying to figure out who the wounded man is and why someone tried to kill him twice. Pretending that he must take X-rays, Samuel manages to sneak him out of the hospital, hoping that he would help him figure out where Nadia is.

After he gets his wounds sewn up by Samuel, the man reveals that his name is Hugo. He has no idea where Nadia is, but knows who has kidnapped her. After they test each other a couple of times – just to make sure that they could trust each other - Hugo and Samuel confront the men who have turned their lives upside down.

Director Michael Bay should take a close look at Fred Cavaye’s latest film A bout portant a.k.a Point Blank if he ever decides to improve the speed of his films. Approaching cinematographer Alain Duplantier (L'annulaire, Ohne Schuld) and film editor Benjamin Weill (Dog Pound, Notre jour viendra) is also a good idea, as the duo deserves a lot of credit for the film’s relentless tempo.

At times looking like a very long and very expensive MTV commercial graced by the presence of a surprisingly long list of top actors, A bout portant is undoubtedly amongst the fastest action thrillers to emerge in recent years, packed with terrific chase scenes and a good number of very effective twists. It is a film that literally never stops.

The plot is built around two interesting character transformations. The first occurs approximately fifteen minutes into the film and sets its tone. The second occurs during the final third of the film where enough information is revealed to explain various events from the prologue, which triggers the massive chase Samuel and Hugo become involved with.

There are a few excellent secondary characters as well -- most notably Nadia, who suffers enormously while Samuel and Hugo are on the run, and a tough cop (Gérard Lanvin, Secret Défense, Le fils à Jo), who also goes after the kidnappers, looking for all sorts of different answers.

The film has a very stylish look. The fast camera cuts and zooms, in particular, are very impressive (what is even more impressive is that practically none of them are used twice). Klaus Badelt’s (Gladiator, L'immortel) strong music score also gives the film a very distinctive modern edge.

Note: Last month, A bout portant was screened at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Point Blank Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080/50i transfer, Fred Cavayé's Point Blank arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Sony Pictures.

I am sure there is a good reason why this release has an interlaced transfer, but I can't think of one. It is very obvious that the transfer was licensed from Gaumont in France (even the back cover indicates that it was), but the French release has a very strong 1080p transfer, not a 1080/50i transfer. So either Gaumont (intentionally) provided a 1080/50i transfer or someone, somewhere in the UK did not bother to request the same transfer the French distributors used for their Blu-ray release.

The interlacing aside, the image quality is very good. Detail is outstanding and clarity excellent even during the dark footage. Contrast levels are also pleasing. The color-scheme is identical to that of the French release, with the variety of blues, grays, browns, and blacks looking very rich and well saturated. Edge-enhancement is not a serious issue of concern. I also did not see any traces of alarming noise corrections. Finally, there are no serious stability issues to report in this review. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Point Blank Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Forf the record, Sony Pictures have provided English and English SDH subtitles for the main feature. When the French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is selected, they cannot be turned off. For the record, the subtitles split the image frame and the black bar below it.

Once Gilles Lellouche's character goes berserk, make sure you have your remote close to you because the French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track will test the muscles of your audio system. Not only is the bass exceptionally strong, but the surround channels are optimized very well (shattered glass, falling objects and various gunshots sound quite remarkable here). The dialog is crisp, clean, stable, and easy to follow. The English translation is very good.

Point Blank Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - Original trailer for Point Blank. In French, with imposed English subtitles. (3 min, PAL).

• Photo Gallery - a collection of stills from the shooting of the film. (1080/50i).

• Making of - a long making of featurette with plenty of footage from the shooting of the film, as well as various short interviews with director Fred Cavaye and cast members. In French, with imposed English subtitles. (50 min, PAL).

• Trailers - original trailers for Anonymous and Faster.

Point Blank Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you are looking for an affordable English-friendly alternative to the French Blu-ray release of Point Blank, which we have reviewed here, I would suggest that you consider the upcoming U.S. Blu-ray release, courtesy of Magnolia Pictures, which will be out at the end of the year. Obviously, the U.S. Blu-ray release will not use a 1080/50i transfer. RENT IT.