6.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A French journalist in Afghanistan is kidnapped by the Taliban.
Starring: Diane Kruger, Djimon Hounsou, Benoît Magimel, Denis Ménochet, Raphaël PersonnazAction | 100% |
War | 96% |
Foreign | 27% |
Drama | 16% |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.38:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0
English, English SDH, French SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Stephane Rybojad's "Forces spéciales" a.k.a "Special Forces" (2011) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Entertainment One. The supplemental features on this release include a gallery of deleted scenes; a long and very informative making of featurette; and a video interview with a member of an elite French commando unit. In French, English, and Persian, with optional English, English SDH, and French SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
The commandos
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.38:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Stephane Rybojad's Special Forces arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Entertainment One.
The high-definition transfer appears to have been sourced from the same master StudioCanal had access to when they prepared their Blu-ray release of Special Forces for the UK market. Unsurprisingly, the U.S. and UK releases look virtually identical. The only very small discrepancy I spotted is in the area of color reproduction - the film's prominent yellow tint is slightly stronger on the StudioCanal release (compare screencapture #3 with screencapture #10 from our review of the StudioCanal release). Depth and especially clarity are often outstanding, despite the fact that various portions of the film were shot under drastically different conditions. Contrast levels are also stable. There are no serious transfer specific anomalies, such as heavy banding and aliasing. Also, there are no serious stability issues to report in this review. To sum i all upl, viewers who have been hoping to get a North American Blu-ray release of Special Forces should be pleased to know that Entertainment One's presentation of the film is every bit as impressive as StudioCanal's. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English Dolby Digital 2.0 (with portions of English and Persian). For the record, Entertainment One have provided optional English, English SDH, and French SDH subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
The lossless track is appropriately aggressive. Many of the shootouts also have some excellent surround effects. There is also a good range of nuanced dynamics that allow the soundtrack to blend well with the action sequences. The dialog is very crisp, clean, and stable. There are no pops, cracks, audio dropouts or distortions to report in this review.
Stephane Rybojad's Special Forces should appeal only to those of you who enjoy very fast, loud and very flashy action films. I personally enjoyed the very long documentary film that is included as a bonus feature on this release a lot more. Rybojad and his crew's journey through Central Asia, where the majority of Special Forces was shot, is truly eye-opening. Entertainment One's technical presentation of Special Forces is excellent.
2011
1990
2018
Ultimate Edition
2002
2010
红海行动 / Hong hai xing dong
2018
2012
2012
Collector's Edition
1984
1997
1991
1968
Unrated Director's Cut
2005
2002
1968
1970
2001
2006
2019
2009