6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 2.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
A female NYPD detective, whose father was murdered 13 years ago by a group known as "The Ministers," learns that the group has begun to kill again. After she is taken off the case, she unknowingly becomes romantically involved with a member of the dangerous group.
Starring: John Leguizamo, Florencia Lozano, Diane Venora, Wanda de Jesus, Harvey KeitelCrime | 100% |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps)
Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 1.5 | |
Video | 2.5 | |
Audio | 2.5 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
Given the recent success of Taken, revenge films seem to be the latest craze in Hollywood. All it takes is a single night of television, and you’ll likely find trailers for two upcoming films with revenge at the core. When you consider most budding filmmakers keep their finger on the pulse of what’s hot, it comes as no surprise that director Franc. Reyes picked 2009 as the year when he’d finally turn his first screenplay into a cinematic masterpiece. After all, he’d already earned at least some credibility as writer/director of the marginally successful 2002 film Empire, presenting the tale of an entrepreneurial drug dealer from the South Bronx. Unfortunately, despite the ideal timing for a second collaboration with John Leguizamo, Reyes simply couldn’t pull off the key components of a revenge flick, and The Ministers fell down the black hole of mediocrity (earning less than $3,000 in a meager theatrical run). Unceremoniously released to the home theater market through a fledgling studio, Reyes and Leguizamo are likely hoping for a strong show of support from the home theater community. Sadly, they won’t find it here.
I doubt she's interested in a book on religion after witnessing her father's murder.
Presented in 1080p utilizing the VC-1 codec (at an average bitrate of 25Mbps), The Ministers delivers an average visual experience that ultimately fails to impress on any level. Fine object detail offers reasonable clarity in approximately 75% of the film, but the other 25% appears far too hazy for a high definition offering. I don't mind a smooth, film-like transfer (not every film is meant to be razor sharp), but the lack of well-delineated textures became troublesome. Beyond the lack of crisp detail, the transfer struggles with the stylistic choices of the director, who drenched the source material in yellows and oranges. As a result, skin tones often seem a little sickly and reds appear overly hot. Since I never viewed the film during a theatrical run (if there was one), I'm not 100% confident I can attribute the garish hues to the transfer, since they could easily have been present in the source material, so I'm merely setting expectations rather than crying foul. I know I'm sounding like a bit of a complainer, but there's one last item worth mentioning. The majority of the film is shot during the nighttime or within low-light interiors (such as the police station). As a result, it's imperative for black levels to remain deep, offering contrast the opportunity to create subtle shade transitions. Unfortunately, The Ministers fails to meet the calling, delivering blacks that rarely extend beyond dark gray, and weak contrast that struggles to reveal shadow details in the background. As a result, we're left with large patches of dark nothingness that damage the overall depth of the image.
Despite my critical assessment of the transfer, it's still far better than a standard definition offering. Just don't expect it to be one of the better titles in your collection.
As with prior releases from Maya Home Entertainment (a relatively new studio with a focus on Latin productions), all we're given is a Dolby Digital 5.1 track in the native language of English. Sadly, as with most other lossy tracks, the mix lacks the clarity and punch we've come to expect from a lossless mix. The film itself is a dialogue driven affair with punctuated moments of intense action, so there's rarely much expectation for the track to do anything more than simply deliver clear lines. To a large extent that's what we get, but some listeners will begin to notice a tendency for crackle to seep into voices during high volume dialogue (and there are plenty of moments where voices are raised). Aside from that one problem, the mix utilizes surround separation to a sufficient degree, and volume balance between the various elements in the track is spot on. So long as you're able to forgive the lack of a lossless mix, and accept the absence of rich clarity in the experience, this will serve as a routine audio presentation that merely gets the job done.
Interviews (480p, Dolby Digital 2.0, 9:31 min): Beginning with an interview between John Leguizamo and an unnamed female reporter, this supplement focuses largely on a discussion of Latino filmmaking (which grows tiresome extremely fast). Eventually, the featurette switches to a brief interview with Wanda De Jesus, who offers praise for director Franc. Reyes and compares him to Martin Scorsese (are you kidding me???). The final 90 seconds features Franc. Reyes, who offers a topical analysis of the themes in the story.
The Story Behind "The Ministers" (1080i, Dolby Digital 2.0, 6:21 min): This is more or less a marketing featurette containing interviews with cast members and the director, intercut with clips from the film.
Rounding out the extras, we have a high definition trailer for The Ministers.
When I originally looked at the cover for The Ministers and read the brief synopsis of the plot, I assumed this was a production with potential. After all, the key to a successful revenge story is quite simple. Make an emotional appeal to the audience, create a character we can sympathize with, and let the mayhem ensue. Unfortunately, The Ministers never generates an ounce of sympathy for its victims, and fails to present a single worthwhile twist. Add in shoddy acting on top of a weak script, and I can't see much point in even recommending a rental. There are certainly worse films out there, but this ranks toward the bottom of the pile.
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