Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Ray Blu-ray Movie Review

"Never let nobody or nothing turn you into no cripple."

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown August 1, 2011

How does one capture the breadth of a childhood as tragic, a life as tumultuous, a career as prolific, a legacy as lasting as that of Ray Charles? In just two-and-a-half hours no less? Legendary actors and acclaimed filmmakers lie dashed on the rocks of such daunting projects, and few biopics have done anything more than pique the interest of filmfans with an affinity for exploring lives grander than their own. Controversial, critically panned, inherently flawed and woefully inept, biopics are the light-rending black holes of cinema; a No Man's Genre many tackle, many depart and many more forsake altogether. But ask the same questions of director Taylor Hackford (The Idolmaker, An Officer and a Gentlemen, The Devil's Advocate) and now-veteran dramatic actor Jamie Foxx and you're certain to learn a thing or two about what and what not to do. Hackford's labor-of-love Ray, fifteen frustrating years in the making, and Foxx's Academy Award-winning performance, an astonishing feat in its own right, are proof positive that -- yes, Hollywood -- it can be done.

"When I'm up there playin', they really shut up and listen. Nobody lookin' down on me, no bad dreams. I'm home free."

Chances are Ray Charles wasn't the man, musician or myth the uninitiated assume. Born Ray Charles Robinson (Jamie Foxx) to a Christian sharecropper named Aretha (Sharon Warren), Charles began to go blind at a young age, suffered through the tragic death of his younger brother, and lost his sight entirely by the time he was seven. He never lost his love of the piano though, finding comfort in music and his mother's encouragement as his world grew darker and darker. As Ray developed his craft and forged the humble beginnings of an extraordinary career, fusing gospel and blues into something else entirely, he clung to his mother's words of wisdom and never allowed his blindness to dictate the terms of his success. But other influences soon took hold. His love of music was overshadowed by a love of money, his pure spirit was soon clouded by drugs and excess, his marriage to his second wife (Kerry Washington) was soon splintered by adultery and addiction, and his life ceased resembling anything his mother had envisioned. A heated temper, affairs, divorce, heroin, personal and professional shame, narcotics possession charges... hardly the things typically associated with the man whose 1960 recording of "Georgia on My Mind" has endeared itself to music fans for five decades. Ray doesn't turn a blind eye to any of it, casting light into the most unseemly corners of Charles's life, all with his blessing. (He died just three months before the film was screened, but was intimately involved in its development, casting and production.)

Any worthwhile discussion of Ray begins and ends with Foxx's performance; the sort of career-defining milestone a gold statue could never adequately honor. Those are his fingers on the piano, his eyes sealed shut for some fourteen hours each day, his soul channeling Charles's pain. Foxx doesn't merely impersonate Ray, he inhabits the struggling musician, the husband, the junkie, the icon, the very essence of the man. And he does it all with the utmost humility and conviction, taking on the challenge with the same veracity and passion Charles brought to his life. Like Hackford and screenwriter James L. White, he doesn't dwell on the peaks or hurry through the valleys. Ray's story is by no means the tale of a blind angel sent from God above. He fought tireless battles with veracious inner-demons, succumbed to all manners of addiction (both physical and emotional), destroyed many a life, ruined marriages, put his children through hell, abandoned his faith, unraveled in the public eye and sacrificed himself on the altar of success. But he also changed music as we know it, overcame insurmountable obstacles (each of which would have crippled a normal man), built a legacy out of Greenville's dust, challenged a short-sighted nation's perceptions of an African American, a blind man and a musician, and pursued a lifelong light he couldn't even see. All things Foxx, Hackford and White balance and portray with candor and precision.

However well constructed though, Ray isn't immune to all the ills of its subgenre. White's screenplay, an at-times frayed tightrope strung between biographical fact and dramatic liberty, loses sight of Charles's career the more his personal life comes undone; Foxx's supporting actors, while largely outstanding, aren't given the room to breathe a four or six-hour miniseries would have provided; and the structure of a 153-minute film is (and always will be) less-than-ideal when it comes to digging through thirty years of a man's life. No one sequence or element falls short (even if everything pales in comparison to Foxx's efforts), but the limited structure of a feature-length film doesn't lend itself to the full depth of Charles's descent or the height of his ascent. Be that as it may, Ray has a palpable pulse, a rhythm Hackford employs to lead viewers from high to low, achievement to failure, chart-topping hit to private disaster. And with Foxx at the piano, Charles's turmoil and music become one. As is the case with any great singer or musician, the line between his experiences and his most beloved songs disappears entirely, presenting his work as a roadmap of his life.

Make no mistake, Ray is as much Foxx's film as it is an unflinching glimpse into a troubled musician's career, and I can't imagine any other actor delivering such convincing work. The film itself isn't perfect, nor the be-all, end-all account of Charles's life, but it is an absorbing biopic blessed with a tour de force performance, a stellar cast and the truly indispensable music of Ray Charles.

Ray Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

One of the last Universal HD DVD releases to arrive on Blu-ray, Ray features a formidable 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer that looks every bit as striking as a biopic of its caliber should. Pawel Edelman's Deep South photography simmers with wonderfully muted, summer-struck primaries, gorgeous sun-baked skintones and satisfying, at-times savory black levels. All the while, detail never falters and rarely disappoints. Even with smoke hanging in the air and aged-newspaper shadows haunting every back alley club, fine textures remain undaunted, closeups are crisp and refined, and edge definition is sharp and clean (without any glaring edge enhancement to report). Filmic grain is apparent from time to time, but hardly intrusive, and errant white specks are the only anomalies worth mentioning (the most noticeable of which appear ever so briefly on Foxx's apron at the 16:40 mark). Artifacting, banding and aliasing never sully the results, ringing is kept to an absolute minimum, and noise reduction and smearing are nowhere to be found. As it stands, I doubt Universal could have done much more. Ray isn't just vastly superior to its DVD counterpart, it faithfully renders Hackford and Edelman's every intention and represents one of Universal's finest catalog transfers to date.

Ray Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Unless you find a way to visit the Ritz Theater in 1945 or sit in on a Swing Time Records recording session in 1951, the best way to experience the fullness and soulfulness of Ray Charles's music is via Universal's lively DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. Whether barking "Mess Around," wailing "Drown in My Own Tears" or crying "I Can't Stop Loving You," his baritone barbs punch through the soundscape, rising above the rich, rowdy roar of his piano and mingling above the bluesy madness of his most spirited songs. But it isn't just his singing voice that receives top-tier treatment. Everything from his band to the clubs he plays in to the chatter of an ecstatic crowd is given its proper due, wrapping the listener in the chaos of Charles's surging celebrity. The LFE channel grabs hold of every bass line and tantrum, lending weight and presence to each dramatic turn in the singer's life. The rear speakers aren't as aggressive as I expected, but there's an ease and effortlessness to their subtlety that showcases the immersive properties of the film's ambience and the nuance of its original sound design. Cross-channel pans are smooth and convincing, directionality is accurate and effective, and the soundfield is enveloping, regardless of how quiet, solemn or frenzied a scene becomes. Moreover, dialogue is clear, natural and neatly prioritized throughout, and only a handful of lesser lines struggle to be heard. It's an absorbing experience to say the least; one sure to envelop and engage audiophiles, casual filmfans and students of Charles's music alike.

Ray Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Blu-ray edition of Ray also delivers a string of excellent special features including a Picture-in-Picture track, a director's audio commentary, a variety of behind-the-scenes material and more. It would have been nice had all of the video content been presented in high definition, but it's a minor quibble at best.

• Audio Commentary: Director Taylor Hackford delivers an impassioned commentary that details his fifteen-year struggle to bring Ray to the screen, reveals which elements of the story were based on Charles' life and which were fabricated or altered for dramatic purposes, and touches on the nuances of the performances, script, music and final cut. If you have any love of Ray or the legend whose life it encapsulates, be sure to start here; it's one of those rare, must-listen commentaries that do nothing but enrich and enhance the films they accompany.
• Picture-in-Picture Scene Companion: Universal offers up an exclusive U-Control PiP track loaded with behind-the-scenes footage, cast and crew interviews, scene dissections, biographies and more. A handful of chapters don't feature any content, but for the most part, it doesn't disappoint.
• The Music of Ray: This secondary U-Control track provides text-based information on the songs that grace the film. It isn't nearly as extensive as the PiP experience, but for those looking to expand their musical horizons, it's a decent tool.
• Uncut Music Performances (SD, 26 minutes): Jamie Foxx introduces a magnificent collection of nine complete, uncut music performances from the film. Songs include "What Kind of Man Are You," "Hit the Road Jack," "Hallelujah, I Love Her So," "Leave My Woman Alone," "Night Time is the Right Time," "Unchain My Heart," "Mary Ann," "I Can't Stop Loving You" and "Hard Times."
• Ray: An American Story (SD, 29 minutes): "Ray Charles is the leading actor in this film. I am the supporting actor. Without Ray Charles leading the beautiful, complex, intriguing life, you wouldn't have this story." So says Foxx at the outset of this essential Charles documentary. Though heavy on film clips, don't miss this one.
• Stepping Into the Part (SD, 11 minutes): Follow Foxx's transformation into Ray Charles, beginning with an impromptu Blues lesson between the actor and the then-living legend, continuing with his intense commitment to the role, and ending with impressions of his performance from Charles' friends and family.
• The Women of Ray (SD, 10 minutes): Meet the actresses who brought Charles' ladies to life.
• The Filmmakers' Journey (SD, 9 minutes): A solid, albeit fairly generic making-of featurette.
• Ray Remembered (SD, 4 minutes): "Think about this. Fifty, sixty years... have you ever seen another Ray Charles?" Foxx, Hackford and Charles' friends and family pay an all-too-brief tribute to the late performer.
• Deleted Scenes (SD, 28 minutes): Fourteen deleted scenes with optional director's commentary.
• Director's Introduction (SD, 2 minutes): A short intro that first appeared on Universal's 2-disc DVD.
• A Look Inside Ray (SD, 3 minutes): A rapidfire EPK.
• BD-Live Functionality and News Ticker
• My Scenes Bookmarking

Ray Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Walk the Line may be the more powerful biopic, but Ray comes awfully close thanks in large part to Jamie Foxx's jaw-dropping Oscar-winning performance. Universal's Blu-ray release doesn't mess around though, delivering the goods on all fronts. A stunning video transfer, a powerful DTS-HD Master Audio track, an extensive, engrossing supplemental package... each one perfectly suited for filmfans and music lovers of all stripes. Ray isn't going to blow everyone away, but its Blu-ray debut will. Snag a copy and see for yourself.