The Infidel Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

The Infidel Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 15, 2010

Screened at the Tribeca Film Festival, Josh Appignanesi "The Infidel" (2010) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Revolver Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an audio commentary with director Josh Appignanesi, writer David Baddiel, and actors Omid Djalili and Richard Schiff; behind the scenes featurette; footage from the world premiere of the film; original theatrical trailer; and more. In English, without optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Father and son

Mahmud (Omid Djalili, Modigliani) is a "moderate Muslim" who owns a small minicab company somewhere in London. He loves his family. He likes football, pop music, and alcohol. He hates politics and only occasionally goes to the local mosque.

Mahmud’s mother unexpectedly dies. While clearing her house, he accidentally discovers a set of documents containing his adoption papers. After a quick visit to the local City Hall, Mahmud learns that his real name is Solly Shimshillewitz. He is also informed that there is absolutely no doubt that he was born Jewish.

Mahmud also discovers that his father is dying in a hospital not too far away from his home. He attempts to see him but a young rabbi (Matt Lucas, Alice in Wonderland), who is taking care of his father, warns Mahmud that he should learn to look and sound Jewish before they meet - for safety reasons.

Mahmud quickly befriends one of his neighbors, Lenny Goldberg (Richard Schiff, Heaven, People I Know), a divorced Jewish-American cabdriver with a special affinity for porn films, who agrees to teach him what it means to be Jewish. After a series of exhausting lessons, Mahmud is taken to a Bar Mitzvah where his newly acquired knowledge is tested.

Meanwhile, Mahmud’s family is visited by a radical Muslim cleric, Arshad El Masri (Yigal Naor, Clara Hakedosha), whose daughter, Muna (Mina Anwar), is in love with Mahmud’s son, Rashid (Amit Shah). Naturally, before Mahmud could go back to the hospital and meet his father, everything that could go wrong goes terribly wrong.

Josh Appignanesi’s The Infidel is undoubtedly a bold film that has the potential to upset as many people as it is likely to impress. It has to be said, however, that its target is not religion but religious extremism and those who promote it.

David Baddiel’s script is excellent, but The Infidel works primarily because of the great chemistry between Djalili and Schiff - their improvisations are terrific. Indeed, without these two actors on board, The Infidel would have been a very different film.

Kim Gaster’s editing, however, isn’t terribly convincing. The transition from comedy to drama that occurs during the second half, for example, is notably uneven. There are more than a few problematic scenes that serve no purpose.

Appignanesi’s relaxed direction, however, is most appropriate for the type of message The Infidel strives to deliver - anything fancier would have certainly transformed The Infidel into a pretentious farce that would have been absolutely impossible to endure. The constant swearing that compliments the witty one-liners also works well.

Note: Earlier this year, The Infidel was screened at the Tribeca Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival, and Durban International Film Festival.

The Infidel Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Josh Appignanesi's The Infidel arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Revolver Entertainment.

This is a strong high-definition transfer. Fine object detail is very good, clarity pleasing and contrast levels consistent throughout the entire film. The color-scheme is also attractive; blues, greens, yellows, reds, browns, blacks and whites look warm and natural; the intended by director Josh Appignanesi greenish-blueish tint has also been preserved. There are a couple of scenes where I noticed mild edge-enhancement creeping in. Macroblocking, however, is not an issue of concern. I also did not see any traces of heavy noise reduction. There are no serious stability issues to report in this review either. All in all, considering the source limitations (the film was shot on 16mm), The Infidel looks very good in 1080p. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

The Infidel Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, Revolver Entertainment have not provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.

The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is surprisingly strong. The bass is potent, the rear channels not overly active but quite effective, and the high-frequencies not overdone. Some of the most intense scenes in the film are the ones where the music of Erran Baron Cohen has an important role. These scenes will not test the muscles of your audio system, but they are arguably the only ones where the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track shines. The dialog is mostly crisp and clean, but I definitely had a difficult time following what was being said; some of the accents in The Infidel are quite strong. Obviously, optional English subtitles should have been offered.

The Infidel Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Commentary - an audio commentary with director Josh Appignanesi, writer David Baddiel, and actors Omid Djalili and Richard Schiff. This is an informative and at the same time quite entertaining commentary with terrific points about different types of religious prejudices, stereotypes, etc. The four gentlemen also spend a great deal of time discussing how specific scenes were shot, what changes were made, etc.

David Baddiel's Video Diary - a hilarious behind the scenes featurette with plenty of raw footage from the shooting of the film. In English, not subtitled. (19 min).

The World Premiere of The Infidel - footage from the world premiere of the film, with some incredibly funny statements courtesy of director Josh Appignanesi and actor Omid Djalili. In English, not subtitled. (9 min).

Which Religion is Funniest? - two comedians entertain the crowd during the world premiere of The Infidel. In English, not subtitled. (9 min).

Trailer - the original UK theatrical trailer for the film. Not subtitled. (2 min).

The Infidel Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Josh Appignanesi's The Infidel is a hilarious and at the same time incredibly sad independent film that gets a lot of things right. Hopefully, the right people will see it. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of British distributors Revolver Entertainment, looks and sounds very good. It is, however, Region-B "locked". RECOMMENDED.