Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Seeking Justice Blu-ray Movie Review

A by-the-book Thriller receives high-end video and audio presentations.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman June 12, 2012

The hungry rabbit jumps.

The truth of the matter is that there's no real good reason to watch Seeking Justice. Director Roger Donaldson's latest is a cookie-cutter Thriller if there ever was one, the perfect 105-minute definition of the unnecessary, repetitive, cinematic midpoint. The movie is competently put together and the story isn't an abysmal failure of screenwriting (though it is an abysmal failure of originality), but is the movie in no way memorable, novel, or all that distinguishable from other likeminded midlevel ventures that rely on tempo rather than plot to entertain audiences, that seek to reel in viewers with a name on a poster rather than the promise of anything new. Seeking Justice goes through the motions with the best of them, plodding along through unsurprising twists that are clear even to the half-paying-attention audience member even as the movie lurches forward through a bland opening few minutes and well before the story really pulls into high gear. This is moviemaking because a movie can be made and not necessarily because a movie should be made. There's just little-to-no value here beyond a good and all-too-brief chase scene and an example of a mediocre movie made with a sound technical foundation. Obviously, those really aren't reasons to part with any real hard-earned money, and only members of the just have to see everything crowd or the über-bored will want to even check this one out as a rental.

Wil being Cagey.

Wil Gerard (Nicholas Cage, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance) is a New Orleans English teacher. He's married to Laura (January Jones, Unknown), a classical musician. They have a loving marriage and have recently celebrated an anniversary with a night out on the town. One evening, while Wil is out playing chess with school colleague Jimmy (Harold Perrineau, "Lost"), his wife is beaten and raped. She'll survive, but the physical and emotional trauma will take many months to heal. At the hospital, on the night of the attack, Wil is approached by the mysterious Simon (Guy Pearce, Lockout) who claims to know Laura's rapist and his current whereabouts. He convinces Wil that swift justice is better than drawn-out justice or, worse, no justice. That night, with Wil's consent and his promise to one day answer Simon's call for a favor, the rapist is killed. Six months pass. Laura's physical wounds are healed, but her emotional scars have yet to go away. Wil is contacted by Simon and ordered to follow a family and be on the lookout for a suspicious man. But when the heat turns up too high and Simon wants Wil to participate in the unthinkable, the English teacher finds himself in a no-win situation with Simon on one side, the law on the other, and nowhere to hide in the middle.

"An offer no husband could refuse." "A bad decision turns worse every second." "A husband on the run." "Time ticking away." "Nowhere to hide." "A secret at every turn." It would be easy to throw any number of cheap Thriller tag lines at Seeking Justice and have pretty much all of them stick. Director Roger Donaldson's (The Bank Job) picture suffers through a severe case of the Unoriginals. It's the sort of picture sourced from a script that astute audiences could pen with some rapidity and proficiency, given a deep knowledge of Thriller cliché and enough time to iron out whatever details are necessary to ensure that all the specifics work into the original storyline, leaving out most the superfluous "nonsense" that would only slow that critical tempo that masquerades as entertainment (though to be sure there are a few "filler" subplots included). Create shallow characters, give one second-tier character a dark secret, and make sure everyone else is shaped in the classic paint-by-numbers formula, and voilà, Seeking Justice is born. Donaldson does craft the movie with an impressive technical know-how. It's all very well polished and moves fast, and he manages to squeeze out every last little bit of energy he can into the movie, the only recourse for a picture building off a shooting script as transparent and one-dimensional as this.

With a movie in the mold of Seeking Justice, that amped-up energy is just enough to make the movie a tolerable experience for the adventuresome viewer who doesn't mind the otherwise total lack of originality. For the dedicated cinema enthusiast -- particularly the one who decries all of the usual tricks and shady practices that pass for moviemaking these days -- or the more high-minded amongst moviegoers, this is the exact sort of picture to avoid, but then again that's just preaching to the proverbial choir perched up there in the balcony, in the rear of the multiplex, or these days, plopped on the custom home theater sofa. Seeking Justice is a classic "as-asvertised" movie. This is no hidden gem but it's also no all-time awful sort of movie, either. No, Seeking Justice, as noted, plays exactly as one might expect, right down to the disinterested Nicholas Cage performance where droopiness and monotone cover everything from the raw emotion following the revelation of a beaten and raped wife to the adrenaline of a shootout, from the thrill of the foot chase to the realization of how deep the rabbit hole goes, never mind how high the rabbit jumps. In other words, highbrow audiences ought to skip this one entirely, viewers on a time crunch should select something with a little more dramatic muscle and thematic novelty, and the "watch everything ever made" sort can get through this one on cruise control.

Seeking Justice Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Seeking Justice debuts on Blu-ray with a highly proficient 1080p transfer. Anchor Bay's latest Blu-ray impresses in every regard and no matter the style of shot. This is a crisp, almost perfectly-defined image. Viewers will enjoy intimate details evident on skin and clothing textures, even in medium-distance shots. Close-ups are often quite remarkable, and clarity and sharpness remain intact at a distance. There's nary a poorly-defined texture in the whole movie, right down to close-ups of a worn chess set and the flimsy plastic playing surface. Skin tones are even, and black levels are marvelous, with every dark scene amazingly well-defined and yielding not a hint of crush. Colors are nicely balanced even darker scenes. Brighter, naturally-lit scenes produce an even, true-to-life palette no matter the brilliance or blandness of the shade. Very minor shimmering and light banding are evident once or twice, but this is otherwise nothing short of a marvelous Blu-ray picture.

Seeking Justice Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Audiophiles should seek out Seeking Justice for its wonderful Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The audio fares much better than the film it supports. Everything is in finely-tuned working order, from the piercing sound of shattered glass to the heaviest gunshots. The track employs a wide, seamless soundstage that's home to some pitch-perfect music -- from light instrumental rehearsal to adrenaline-charged Thriller score -- that's clear as a bell and as deep and tight as needed. The track plays even the most complex sound effects with ear-shattering precision, whether crashed vehicle metal-on-metal, smashing concrete, a rumbling train as heard in chapter ten, or closed-in gunfire inside a deserted mall as heard near film's end. Natural ambience satisfies no matter the location, whether a scene of rowdy New Orleans street partying that positively envelops the listener in the festivities or the subtle din of a busy restaurant that follows. Dialogue is smooth and balanced, playing evenly through the center channel and never lost under surrounding elements. This is a first-class soundtrack all the way.

Seeking Justice Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Seeking Justice contains two brief extras and a DVD copy of the film on disc two.

• Seeking Justice: Behind the Scenes (480p, 7:08): A brief look at the making of the film, with cast and crew interviews, clips from the film, and behind-the-scenes footage.
• Seeking Justice Trailer (1080p, 2:04).
• DVD Copy.

Seeking Justice Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Seeking Justice isn't cinema rubbish, unless one considers the poster child for "unoriginal" to be "rubbish." While Director Roger Donaldson's picture certainly isn't going to find much favor with well-versed audiences, it'll serve duty as a passable time waster for the disinterested viewer who only wants background noise and a minimal-slash-predictable plot. Anyone paying full attention is sure to be bored, bored, bored -- there are just no surprises in this one at all -- even if Donaldson maintains a healthy pace and films a few quality chase scenes. Seeking Justice never seeks originality, so only novice filmgoers or those who don't mind a different collection of moving pictures telling the same old story will find any value here. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release of Seeking Justice features superb video and audio presentations, but the extras are minimal. Cage completists or those who just have to see it for whatever reason will be best served with a rental. Anyone else who expects even a modicum of originality or genuine suspense should skip it and watch the sunrise instead. After all, that's basically the same thing every time, too. It's also prettier and costs nothing.