6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Colonel Terry Childers is a 30-year Marine veteran: a decorated officer with combat experience in Vietnam, Beirut and Desert Storm - a patriot, a hero. But now, the country he served so well has put him on trial for a rescue mission that went terribly wrong. For his attorney, he has chosen Marine Colonel Hays Hodges, a comrade-in-arms who owes his life to Childers. Hodges is not the best lawyer in the service, but Childers trusts him as a brother Marine who knows what it's like to risk death under fire. Bound by duty and friendship, Hodges reluctantly takes the case, even as he begins to doubt the man who saved his life in Vietnam three decades ago.
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Samuel L. Jackson, Guy Pearce, Ben Kingsley, Bruce GreenwoodWar | 100% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
William Friedkin's "Rules of Engagement" (2000) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include archival audio commentary by the director; behind the scenes featurette; vintage trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
Kino Lorber's release of Rules of Engagement is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray disc is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray disc is Region-A "locked".
Please note that all screencaptures included with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc.
The release introduces an exclusive new 4K makeover of Rules of Engagement struck from the original camera negative. In native 4K, the 4K makeover can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I chose to view it with Dolby Vision and later spent time with the 1080p presentation on the Blu-ray.
Delineation, clarity, depth, fluidity, and image stability are outstanding. Color reproduction is fantastic, too. All primaries and supporting nuances are incredibly vibrant and wonderfully balanced, so there are no anomalies to report. With Dolby Vision enabled, darker areas reveal plenty of beautiful nuances and never appear flat or crushed. The brighter footage is equally convincing. Also, all visuals have such outstanding density levels that it quickly becomes impossible not to be impressed. I mention this because there is a lot of diverse footage that comes from locations with completely different qualities, so such consistency is not easy.
What about the 1080p presentation on the Blu-ray? Is it as impressive as the native 4K presentation? Yes. If the 4K makeover was made available on Blu-ray only, I would have been just as enthusiastic. Perhaps only the attack on the embassy reveals slightly richer visuals in native 4K, but this is a discrepancy that even on a very large screen remains quite small. The bottom line is this: the party that prepared the 4K makeover at Paramount did a phenomenal job, and this is the main reason Rules of Engagement looks so good on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray.
There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
The 5.1 track is incredibly potent, so I suspect that it will test the muscles of some audio systems. During the embassy attack, for instance, there are several segments that produce the type of dynamic intensity you would hear on the 4K Blu-ray release of Black Hawk Down. Mark Isham's score is very effective too. The dialog is crustal clear, always stable, and very easy to follow.
4K BLU-RAY DISC
In a situation like the one depicted in the beginning of William Friedkin's Rules of Engagement there is only one possible outcome, which is the only logical one, too. It is this simple. And yet, oddly, acknowledging the obvious is the reason why Rules of Engagement became a rather controversial film. As the drama flourishes, Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L. Jackson give tremendous performances that should be considered some of their best work. Kino Lorber's combo pack introduces a fabulous new 4K makeover that looks lovely on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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