Secret Défense Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Secret Défense Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 25, 2009

A frantically paced spy thriller with a complex narrative, Gallic director Philippe Haïm’s “Secret Defense” (2008) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of UGC-PH. Amongst the supplemental features on the disc are a director’s commentary and a making-of featurette. A North American release is yet to be announced. English-friendly, Region-B “locked”.

The martyr

There are two separate stories in Philippe Haïm’s Secret Defense. The first one is about a young pusher, Pierre (Nicolas Duvauchelle, Trouble Every Day), who is captured by the French police and sent to jail. There, the man is immediately raped by a group of fascists. Literally minutes after that, he is befriended by a radical Muslim who convinces him that Allah needs his help. Time goes by and Perre becomes Aziz.

The second story is about a young girl, Diane (Vahina Giocante, Lila dit ça), who studies Arabic at a prestigious college in Paris. She fails her final and consequently misses on a lucrative job opportunity. Luckily, the girl befriends a handsome young man (Aurélien Wiik, Frontière(s)) whose father (Gérard Lanvin, Mesrine - L'ennemi public n° 1 ) asks if she would be interested in working for him as a translator. She immediately agrees.

Approximately thirty minutes into Secret Defense, things start getting complicated. Aziz is transported to a secret camp outside of Kabul, Afghanistan, where he is trained to become a martyr. After a series of grueling exercises, he is told what is expected from him. Then, he is flown back to Paris.

On the morning after she is offered a job, Diane is picked up and driven to a government facility used by DGSE (Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure), the French Secret Service. There, she is trained to become an agent. Later on, Diane is asked to infiltrate a radical Islamic organization with a powerful leader (Simon Abkarian, Yes), who DGSE suspect is planning a major attack on French soil.

Alongside Aziz and Diane’s stories, Secret Defense also follows closely the deeds of two other characters. The first, Ahmed (Mehdi Nebbou, Truands), is a devoted Muslim and special agent whose allegiance to France is questioned by his superiors. The second, Leila (Rachida Brakni, Chaos), is also a special agent who faces an impossible dilemma.

Secret Defense is a fantastic spy thriller that would appeal to those of you who liked the multi-faceted narrative of Michael Mann’s The Insider (1999) and pace of Ridley Scott’s Body of Lies (2008). It story is very intense and visually compelling.

The emphasis on detail is incredible. Director Haïm and his team of consultants have achieved a sense of authenticity that is admirable. Additionally, the lack of political correctness gives Secret Defense an edge over other recent similarly themed productions.

The cast is comprised of well known and upcoming French actors with strong resumes. Old-timer Gérard Lanvin is terrific as the jaded special agent whose patriotism is only a step away from fanaticism. Nicolas Duvauchelle is chilling as the martyr. Later this year, he could also be seen in two much anticipated French films - André Téchiné’s La fille du RER a.k.a The Girl on the Train (2009) and Alain Resnais’ Les herbes folles a.k.a Wild Grass (2009). The young Vahina Giocante is magnetic as the determined but emotionally brittle spy.

Technically, Secret Defense film benefits greatly from cinematographer Jérôme Alméras’ (I Loved You So Long) chic lensing. Veteran Sylvie Landra’s (Leon: The Professional) editing is also solid. Finally, Alexandre Azaria’s sensual scoring is surprising but very effective.

Secret Défense Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Philippe Haïm's Secret Defense arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French distributors UGC PH.

I don't have any major complains with the transfer. Contrast is consistently pleasing, clarity very good and detail pleasing. The color-scheme is quite interesting. The desert footage conveys incredible colors – yellows, blues and black are notably rich – while some of the indoor scenes have been intentionally paled. The lensing is also incredibly sharp and, in my opinion, one of the key reasons why the film works so well. I noticed a few examples of mild edge-enhancement, the most uncomfortable one early in the film, when Alex drives Diane to the DGSE facility. On the other hand, macro-blocking is not an issue of concern. This being said, the actual transfer is in fantastic condition – there isn't a smidge of dirt, debris, or stains. To sum it all up, this is a strong French release, which I have absolutely no problem recommending to you. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" disc. Therefore, unless you have a native Region-B or Region-Free player, you won't be able to access its content).

Secret Défense Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and French DTS 2.0. I opted for the French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track and later on did a few random comparisons with the French DTS 2.0 for the purpose of this review.

The French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is lovely. It is not of reference quality, but it gets just about everything right. The bass is rich, the high-frequencies not overdone and the surround channels used only when necessary. The dialog is crisp, crystal clear and very easy to follow. Additionally, there are absolutely no balance issues that I could detect. This being said, I would like to point out how impressive the music score – the French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track provides it with enormous amount of depth. The dynamics in particular are very effective. Finally, I did not detect any disturbing cracks, pops, or hissings to report in this review. The French DTS 2.0 track is somewhat puzzling. It is notably inferior - none of the depth and fluidity from the French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track are present on it. For the record, the UGC PH have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

Secret Défense Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio commentary with director Philippe Haïm - most unfortunately, it is not subtitled in English.

Isolated Music Score -

Making-Of - a standard featurette with footage from the production process and generic comments by the cast and crew. Not subtitled in English. (PAL, 30 min).

Scenes coupees - a collage of deleted scenes with optional commentary by director Haïm. Not subtitled in English. (PAL, 2 min).

Fin alternative - an alternate ending with optional commentary by director Haïm. Not subtitled in English. (PAL, 1 min).

Photo gallery-

Film annonce - theatrical trailer (PAL, 2 min).

Teasers - (PAL, 4 min).

Secret Défense Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Intelligent, provocative and superbly executed, Secret Defense is a terrific spy thriller. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed looks good and sounds great. If you you can play Region-B discs, consider this film for your libraries. Very Highly Recommended.