7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A court-martialed general rallies together 1,200 inmates to rise against a corrupt and sadistic warden.
Starring: Robert Redford, James Gandolfini, Mark Ruffalo, Steve Burton, Delroy LindoWar | 100% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Action | 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)
German: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Japanese: Dolby Digital 5.1
English, English SDH, French, German, Japanese
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Digital copy
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
The Last Castle pits two legendary actors -- Robert Redford and James Gandolfini -- as opposing forces within the walls of a military prison. One disgraced, the other disgraceful, the story follows them at odds with one another, as one chain of command forms and another deteriorates. It's a well conceived film, problematic at times for plot holes and transparency, but the film is blessed with some solid work on both ends of the camera that carry the picture to success, even if it's not a particularly bold film, not one quite capable of matching expectations for what should be a slightly more compelling story told by two fine actors.
Paramount brings The Last Castle to Blu-ray with a workmanlike 1080p transfer. The picture is pleasing in general, offering sharp, well defined textures, particularly close-ups of military fatigues and faces, both of which are crisp and intimately revealing. These, and other elements (various rocks, prison yard textures, the finer appointments in Winters' office) lack dynamic clarity and pinpoint command but do enjoy solid foundational definition suitable for a midlevel catalogue film on Blu-ray. The picture holds a fine grains structure, one that is even and flattering. The print is free of any major distortions or distractions and there are no serious encode issues to report, either. Colors are not describable as "robust." The movie is rather gray and bleak on the whole with some warmer, more stable output in locations like, again, Winters' office, but the film's color temperature is deliberately depressed to reinforce the film's mood and the story's tone. Still, core output is fine under the film's intended visual parameters. This is hardly an exciting, groundbreaking, or memorable transfer, but it suits the material well enough.
The Last Castle's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack is neither superb nor disappointing, offering a well-rounded if not audibly rote and forgettable listen. The track is engaging at a base level but never soars, offering somewhat tepid sound effects, such as during a heavy rain around the 33-minute mark, but finding a little more immersive depth and intensity when the prison alarm blares, for example. A few gun blasts and other high energy action effects are suitably clear and substantial. Music is wide and plays nicely for clarity and low end support, not to mention satisfying surround blend. Dialogue is clear and well prioritized. It is center positioned for the duration.
This Blu-ray release of The Last Castle includes a handful of extras. A digital copy code is included with purchase. A DVD copy is not. This
release does not ship with a slipcover.
There's a fine film brewing just below the surface, but as it is The Last Castle never pushes from "interesting" to "compelling." Performances never hit the high end despite a star-studded cast, the story doesn't break new ground, and the narrative devices come predictably from the outset. It's a perfectly good film, very watchable even in its excess length, but audiences will be left pondering how it could have been even better. Paramount's Blu-ray is solid all around, offering several extras in addition to solid 1080p video and 5.1 lossless audio presentations. Recommended.
Unrated Director's Cut
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