Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Standoff Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 5, 2016

Writer/Director Adam Alleca's debut feature is Standoff, a Psychological Thriller with a title that couldn't be more simple or more descriptive of what audiences are getting with the movie. The film pits characters played by Laurence Fishburne and Thomas Jane in a battle of iron wills, a war of words, and a test of time when they clash over the fate of a little girl. The movie isn't particularly creative, but it's lean and largely intense, a fine example of how a film can succeed on a limited scope, a tiny character roster, and little breathing room. Alleca's film manages to blend dramatic intensity with a little violence and well defined character details that, as they're revealed, help to better shape and, by extension, evolve the story's greater dynamics. It's a tidy film that's well done and maintains interest for the duration.

Fight for survival.

A man named Sade (Laurence Fishburne), dressed in black, his face hidden under a mask, guns down a woman and a preacher at an isolated funeral service. He believes he's done the deed cleanly but soon comes to realize that a little girl, who goes by "Bird" (Ella Ballentine), has not only witnessed the event, but photographed him with his mask removed. A chase ensues, and she winds up on the door of a man named Carter (Thomas Jane) whose life has recently taken a turn for the worse. He lives in an isolated country home and, when he sees the man clad in black approaching the house with guns blazing, he takes Bird inside, shoots the man with a 20 gauge shotgun shell, and retreats upstairs. Sade is only wounded and Carter only has one shot left in his gun. As he and the girl take refuge upstairs, Sade settles in downstairs with no plans on leaving until both are dead and the camera film is in his possession.

Even as Standoff plays out as a waiting game for much of its runtime, it never grows tiresome. Much of the movie is literally Fishburne's Sade downstairs and Jane's Carter upstairs, exchanging taunts and desperately trying to sort one another out, the former with more "weapons" at his disposal, both literally and figuratively, as he assembles Carter's backstory through photographs, a letter, and packing boxes strewn all over the house. Carter is left at a disadvantage, then, only able to figure out Sade as far the villain is willing to take him and by what little details Bird, who is also holed up upstairs, can color in. The actors never miss a beat, tension rarely relents, and the movie's dramatic heartbeat plays out with a tangible rhythm under the guidance of both Alleca's script and Jane's and Fishburne's performances.

The movie plays itself out in a largely straightforward way. It's possible to read various metaphors into the movie, but as both writer and director Adam Alleca never emphasizes them, leaving it more up to the audience whether they want to take the movie at face value or choose to a dig a little deeper into whatever thematic undercurrents one wants to read into the film. That said, it works best as a "take it as it is" movie. It's very lean and focused with precious little unnecessary exposition and a whole lot of good acting from the leads who soak up the opportunity to dig deep into character, an opportunity necessarily granted them by the movie's rather cramped and confined location and their inability to really maneuver all that much through the limited real estate. The battle of wits never gets off course, and both leads seem to cherish the opportunity to spar with one another, and in a fairly organic, believable way. There's plenty of emotion in the voices, from Jane in particular but it's Fishburne's character and performance that are most interesting, as he's tasked with hiding emotion but necessarily letting some out as his wounds fester and his patience begins to wear even a little thin.

Standoff Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Standoff arrives on Blu-ray from Lionsgate with a fair-to-good transfer. The 1080p image, sourced from a digital shoot, is at times very noisy, particularly in darker corners of the movie. Less intrusive, but still evident, are both banding and macroblocking. That out of the way, the presentation otherwise impresses. Fine details are quite good, particularly evident on the heavier fabric and stitches seen on Sade's mask. Wooden surfaces inside the house and grasses and leaves outside also manage to impress. Colors are fine, though heavily influenced by the movie's locations. Exteriors reveal a satisfying barrage of natural greens, but interiors are stuffy and drained, favoring shadowy browns with only cursory splashes of subdued color in the surroundings. Neither flesh tones nor black levels prove problematic. Though far from a reference image, Lionsgate's presentation gets the job done.

Standoff Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Standoff features a standard-issue DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Gentle country ambience sets the stage at various timestamps throughout the movie. Gentle breezes, rustling grasses, birds, insects, and other small details help set a serene scene, at least before the bedlam of the confrontation. Even inside the house, little creaks and drafts help better sonically define the musty environment. Music has no trouble with spacing, immersion, or definition. Action scenes are suitably potent, though not quite so commanding as one might expect. Sade uses suppressed weapons which dampens the sound, and Carter's shotgun blast offers a fair bit of oomph. A couple of good discrete effects are present; Sade throws a breakable off-camera at one point, and it shatters in the back. Dialogue delivery is clear and detailed with flawless prioritization.

Standoff Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Standoff contains one supplement. A Fight to the Death: The Making of 'Standoff' (1080p, 7:03) is a catch-all piece that examines story inspirations, the movie's style and structure, plot basics, characters and performances, shooting locations, symbolism, and more. Also included is a selection of previews for other Lionsgate titles.

Standoff Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Standoff is a solid movie that, despite its rather limited movement and dramatic diversity, holds a little replay value for the opportunity to look at it from a different angle. It's not profound, it doesn't really speak all that loudly beyond its story, but it's a solid bit of moviemaking that benefits from two strong lead performances and a script that holds up very well. Of note is that Writer/Director Adam Alleca also wrote the screenplay for the upcoming movie Cell, based on the novel by Stephen King. Lionsgate's Blu-ray release of Standoff is disappointingly short on extra content, but video and audio qualities are fine. Recommended.