7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.8 |
The Brothers Bloom are the best con men in the world, swindling millionaires with complex scenarios of lust and intrigue. Now they've decided to take on one last job - showing a beautiful and eccentric heiress the time of her life with a romantic adventure that takes them around the world.
Starring: Rachel Weisz, Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo, Rinko Kikuchi, Robbie ColtraneDrama | 100% |
Romance | 54% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
As far as con man stories go, I think I've heard them all.
A delightful picture of zigzagging, globe-trotting (mis)adventures all in the name of scoring the
"perfect con," The Brothers Bloom may be guilty of a bit of overzealousness and perhaps
too much quirkiness, but it's acquitted on all charges thanks to a bevy of fine performances and a
breezy tone that, even considering an abundance sometimes awkward twists and occasionally
sluggish pacing, proves a rollicking and somewhat novel "contemporary throwback" style of film
that's of no one genre but rather an amalgamation of styles all crammed into a singular vision
that's both unique and, mostly, fun. Directed by Rian Johnson (Brick), The Brothers
Bloom isn't the sort of picture that's all that demanding of its audience; it does ask that
viewers pay attention to the story so as not to become lost like a lonely tourist in one of its exotic
worldwide locales, but neither does the picture ever seem devoid of purpose or meaning. There's
little here beyond what's on the surface, but The Brothers Bloom isn't shallow
filmmaking, either. Its purpose is to entertain, to be different, to put a distinctive spin on its
combination of styles, and as a picture that, mostly, accomplishes these goals with bravado but
not with any sort of excess, The Brothers Bloom is a slightly flawed but otherwise
accomplished and crowd-pleasing picture.
Time for another con.
The Brothers Bloom arrives on Blu-ray with a handsome 1080p, 2.39:1-framed transfer. Colors are rich and vibrant throughout, but never overpowering, though a few scenes appear slightly washed out, due, seemingly, more to the environment rather than any flaw with the transfer. The image is consistently sharp and deep, richly detailed but perhaps a bit warm in tone. Leaves on trees appear nicely defined as individuals, close-ups of playing cards reveal the textured surface, and assorted buildings and exotic locales showcase a wide array of impressive texturing that effectively places the viewer in the midst of some of Europe's finest hotspots. Blacks are nicely presented, deep and rich without a sign of crush or artificial brightness, while flesh tones appear accurate. Nevertheless, slight banding is visible in a few scenes, and there's a touch of softness here and there, both in foreground and distant background shots. Still, The Brothers Bloom provides a well-above-average 1080p experience throughout, and a fine layer of film grain completes a consistently strong and pleasant high definition and film-like image.
The Brothers Bloom features a strong DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack that's nicely engaging and surprisingly active throughout. Music presentation is consistently rich and fulfilling with every note pouring from the speakers with a maximum level of clarity and precision. The track also presents plenty of fine ambient and atmospherics effects; a slight rainfall and distant rolling thunder nicely permeate the listening area in one scene, while a gently-rolling seaside as heard in another scene offers another highly convincing sound that flows exceptionally well and effectively places the listener beside the water. More aggressive effects -- the rattling of a speeding train, a few gunshots, or a couple of explosions, deliver a stronger, punchier effect that's more aggressive but no less clear and precise than the track's musical presentation or more nuanced sound effects. Throughout, the track features an exceptional sense of space, and sound consistently pans with an effortless flow from one speaker to the next. Rounded out by faultless dialogue reproduction, The Brothers Bloom makes for a fine lossless soundtrack.
This Blu-ray release of The Brothers Bloom contains a few notable extras, chief among them a commentary track with Director Rian Johnson and Producer Ram Bergman. Johnson proves himself an engaging speaker, discussing a wealth of information both off-the-cuff and relevant to the story and filmmaking experience. He speaks on casting, shooting locations, costuming, the assemblage of a film crew and the work they perform, special effects work, and much more. This proves a worthwhile track for those so inclined and with the time to enjoy it. From Sketch to Celluloid (1080p, 12:29) shows Director Rian Johnson's "amateur" storyboards versus the "real" storyboards and the final shot from the film. Scenes compared include A Con is Born, Hitting the Mark, and Buckle Up. Next is In Bloom: Behind the Scenes (1080i, 15:37), an intriguing, no-fluff piece that effectively places the viewer on the set to witness the work behind the filmmaking process. Rounding out this collection of extras are 20 deleted scenes (480p, 32:48) with optional Rian Johnson commentary and an image gallery set to music (1080p, 3:21).
A fun but somewhat frivolous movie, The Brothers Bloom doesn't achieve -- but then again rarely aims for -- some higher level of meaning. It's fairly superficial, but there's still a semblance of depth to the characters -- particularly that of Bloom -- and meaning to the story. At the end of the day, it's an entertaining spectacle, an amalgamation of style that's a bit flighty but otherwise well-made and mostly entertaining but not necessarily engrossing. A difficult film to adequately describe considering its novel tone and approach, The Brothers Bloom is worth a watch if only to indulge the senses in something that's delightfully out of the norm. Summit's Blu-ray release impresses. Featuring quality video and audio transfers and a fair collection of extras, newcomers should find no qualms about giving this a rent, and fans can rest assured that a purchase will net a technically proficient disc.
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