8.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.4 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.2 |
A father is facing every parent's worst nightmare. His six-year-old daughter is missing. As minutes turn to hours, panic sets in.
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Maria Bello, Terrence HowardDrama | 100% |
Crime | 67% |
Thriller | 22% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
And yet it isn't. There aren't any easy choices in director Denis Villeneuve's darkly disturbing, morally murky Prisoners. Like Incendies, Villeneuve's excellent Academy Award-nominated Canadian drama, nothing is as it seems and nothing comes without consequence. Much more than the story of two kidnapped children and the desperate father willing to do whatever he can to find them, Prisoners is an unsettling labyrinth of impossible decisions, gut-knotting powerlessness and a twisting, turning Zodiac-esque procedural and mystery more complex than the film's straightforward trailers suggest. Villenevue and screenwriter Aaron Guzikowski strike a difficult balance too, teetering between hyperrealism and incredulity; between the spectacularly performed human drama that is the film's first ninety minutes and the more calculated, nearly overcooked police procedural that dominates its third act.
Prisoners features a strong 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer that captures every nuance of Roger Deakins' cold, rain-swept cinematography. Colors lack primary punch yet remain lifelike and naturally saturated throughout. Skintones are quite striking, with deep, foreboding black levels, oppressive shadows and impeccable contrast. Detail is exacting too, even though filmic softness is at play, and the film's slight grain field is intact. Edges are crisp (with only a negligible hint of intermittent ringing) and textures are nicely refined. Moreover, artifacting, banding, aliasing and errant noise are nowhere to be found, and nothing breaks ranks from Villenevue and Deakins' intentions.
Prisoners' DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track prizes realism above all else, and might be unjustly dismissed by those expecting something more direct or intense. Subtlety goes a long way, though, and the film's soundfield is as absorbing as it is effective. Dialogue is intelligible, believably grounded in the mix and carefully prioritized. LFE output is often an exercise in restraint, albeit with jarring demonstrations of power that lend the film's violence a disquieting viscerality. Rear speaker activity is reserved too, yet creates such convincing interiors and environments that the line between fiction and reality blur that much more. Directionality is accurate, pans are smooth and dynamics are excellent. All in all, it's a top notch lossless track.
Only two behind-the-scenes featurettes are included: "Every Moment Matters" (HD, 3 minutes), more an extended theatrical promo than anything more substantial, and "Powerful Performances" (HD, 9 minutes), with interviews with the film's ensemble cast.
Prisoners is a more eclectic, divisive film than I was anticipating, and not for the reasons its trailers suggest. Waxing between intimate drama and complex procedural, it's nearly ripped in two. Villenevue forges a gripping balance, though, and doesn't take the easy road, even when traveling winding, twisting paths with which cinephiles will be most familiar. Jackman, Gyllenhaal and their co-stars are uniformly excellent as well, Deakins' cinematography is a character in and of itself, and the story of the Kellers and the Birches is the stuff of every parent's worst nightmares. Which brings us to Warner's Blu-ray release. Slim supplemental package aside, the Blu-ray edition of Prisoners is a strong one, with a striking video presentation and immerssive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track.
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