The Offence Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

The Offence Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf January 10, 2015

More notable than 1972’s “The Offence” is the story concerning how movie was actually funded. Star Sean Connery, pulled back into James Bond duty for “Diamonds are Forever,” contractually demanded a greenlight for two additional pictures of his choosing, hoping to burn off the 007 blues with a heaping helping of serious dramatic work. Well, he wasn’t messing around, as films do not come more sobering than “The Offence,” an adaptation of the John Hopkins play, which features an intense dissection of psychological strain and a particularly volatile sense of gamesmanship involving the law and human weakness. Directed by Sidney Lumet and co-starring Trevor Howard, the effort is bleak and unforgiving. No wonder Connery had to use his Bond clout to nudge it into production.

Playing Detective Sergeant Johnson, a veteran of the police force who’s seen his share of ugliness, Connery delivers perhaps the finest performance of his career. With a history of horror haunting his every step, Johnson has finally reached a stage of explosive vulnerability after capturing an alleged child rapist, conjuring feelings of anger and guilt that have ruined his life. He’s challenged at work, acting violently toward the suspect, and at home, engaging cruelly with his demoralized wife. Finally, Johnson wrestles with an investigator (Howard), who confronts the broken man at the lowest point of his life. “The Offence” is all raw nerves and violent outbursts, retaining Hopkins’s theatrical structure, which is respectful to the source material, but often gives the effort a dull, stagy atmosphere that throttles its searing intent.

The Offence Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.67:1 aspect ratio) presentation does reveal its age. It's a darker viewing experience with intentionally drained colors, but it looks slightly fatigued, detailing a few minor struggles with contrast, while blacks periodically swallow detail. An adequate amount of texture is found in close-ups, but sharpness isn't a priority. While it favors a colder palette, bolder hues on costuming manage to stand out. Print remains in decent shape, offering only some mild speckling.

The Offence Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix doesn't provide a crisp understanding of accented dialogue exchanges, displaying thickness due to age and inherent limitation. Hiss is present as well. Some dramatic passages are difficult to understand, requiring a boost in volume, but the majority of the performances are left intact. Scoring is on the sharp side, and atmospherics are blunt but alert, carrying police bustle and exterior commotion.

The Offence Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Theatrical Trailer (1:51, SD), which doesn't highlight anything about the film, is included.

The Offence Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"The Offence" is harrowing and frequently punishing, but also miraculous in its depiction of a mental breakdown, with Lumet juggling abstract visual and aural cues to back up Connery's exceptionally nuanced performance. It's not always interested in keeping viewers involved in core dramatics, almost refusing a cinematic stance at times, but when it drills into Johnson's corroded psyche, a place of unimaginable thought, "The Offence" captures real behavior in a profoundly honest manner.