Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Prisoner Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 5, 2024

Nick Hurran's "The Prisoner" (2009) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment. The supplemental features on the release include audio commentary by producer Trevor Hopkins and editor Yan Morris; various cast and crew interviews; making of featurettes; deleted scenes; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

An attempt to replicate what Patrick McGoohan’s character does in the original TV series would have been a guaranteed recipe for disaster, which is precisely why Jim Caviezel plays a very different character. While thematically similar, this remake of the original TV series chooses to tell its story differently as well. It is not because various elements of it are updated to keep up with technological advancements that have been made in the years after the original TV series aired, either. This time the story is managed differently, repeatedly switching the audience’s point of view, and then forcing the audience to keep doing it at will. So, instead of a conventional remake of the TV original series, the end result is a fascinating original puzzle that begs to be revisited and deconstructed over and over again.

This puzzle is broken into six episodes, each a little over forty minutes long, that document what is essentially one giant mind trip. In the first, Caviezel’s character, for a while referred to only as Six, awakens in a massive desert where he encounters a seemingly deranged fugitive who reveals to him that there is a way out. While attempting to logically link the revelation to information that his mind is overwhelmed with, Six reaches The Village, an oasis resembling a picture-perfect suburb, whose residents are the happiest people to have ever roamed the planet. In the days ahead, while exploring The Village and gathering information about the fugitive and his revelation, Six then has consequential encounters with a motley crew of characters, some of whom claim to have known him before, and some of whom he recalls meeting in another reality. Six also discovers that there is a secret group of ‘dreamers’ who are aware that there is a different world beyond the massive desert and are hunted down and eliminated on behalf of Two (Ian McKellen), the undisputed ruler of The Village. Because of his uncanny ability to see and process information differently, Six eventually crosses paths with Two, and the more he learns about him and The Village, the more convinced he becomes that both are artificial creations.

Like the original TV series, this remake tackles a wide range of ideas and concepts about social order, political power, individualism, and freedom that make it impossible to spoil. In fact, when grouped, Six’s adventures and discoveries in The Village are essentially a giant ruse for a serious reevaluation of these ideas and concepts, which is why focusing on them and the progression of the drama pretty much guarantees a disappointing viewing experience. Also, the remake has an improved, very clear understanding of how advancements in technology can provide seemingly endless opportunities for the manipulation of controlled ecosystems like The Village, which of course is a metaphor for the classic contemporary Western society.

The most interesting material emerges after Six engages Two and the two begin debating the pros and cons of existing in The Village. As odd as it may sound, the clash of contrasting ideas covers a lot of threats that have become part of our reality, like the ability of AI to manipulate and alter history, or corporations creating and controlling demagogues who ‘defend’ a friendly authoritarian regime that has been reframed as ‘democracy’. This clash of contrasting ideas even reveals how the classic surveillance state the Communist Party built after the end of the Cold War is being resurrected with the active involvement of the same corporations using AI and similar technologies.

The resolution, like the climax at the end of each episode, invites multiple reads of the drama. The most logical of these reads is also the most chilling one because it easily places the drama in a Machiavellian context that reveals very authentic profiles of Six and Two.

Director Nick Hurran and cinematographer Florian Hoffmeister shot on location in Namibia and South Africa, which is why a lot of the outdoor footage looks breathtakingly beautiful.

The Prisoner Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Prisoner arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment.

There is room for some small yet meaningful encoding optimizations, but the overall quality of the presentation is very good. A lot of the outdoor footage from the desert in Namibia and oasis in South Africa, in particular, looks lovely. Usually, close-ups look great too, though during some of the memory overlapping there is stylization work that affects clarity and depth. Colors are terrific, but this is hardly surprising considering that The Prisoner was completed in 2009. Image stability is excellent. I wish to quickly mention that I upscaled a couple of episodes to 4K and thought that they looked magnificent. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

The Prisoner Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the majority of the content with the LPCM 2.0 track and thought that it handled the ambient soundtrack beautifully. To be honest, this soundtrack did a lot to make me enjoy The Prisoner as much as I did, so I was very pleased that the LPCM 2.0 track was solid. I did test the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track as well. However, I do not think that there is dramatic expansion in the surround movement, or a superior dynamic range, though I could have missed the material where such improvements are present.

The Prisoner Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

BLU-RAY DISC ONE

• Deleted Scenes - in English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Arrival (8 min).
  2. Harmony (4 min).
  3. Anvil (7 min).

• Making Of - in English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Arrival (7 min).
  2. Harmony (7 min).
  3. Anvil (4 min).

• Inside The Prisoner - in English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Arrival (5 min).
  2. Harmony (5 min).
  3. Anvil (5 min).

• The Prisoner Read Through - presented here is footage from the first reading of The Prisoner, with all actors present. A few of the leads comment on their expectations and anxieties. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Jamie Campbell-Bower Meets Ian Mckellen - presented here are two versions of a hilarious, mostly improvise interview. In English, not subtitled.
  
  1. UK Version (8 min).
  2. U.S. Version (5 min).

BLU-RAY DISC TWO

• Commentary - optional commentary by producer Trevor Hopkins and editor Yan Morris.

• Deleted Scenes - in English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Darling (10 min).
  2. Schizoid (6 min).
  3. Checkmate (9 min).

• Making Of - in English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Darling (6 min).
  2. Schizoid (6 min).
  3. Checkmate (7 min).

• Inside The Prisoner - in English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Darling (6 min).
  2. Schizoid (6 min).
  3. Checkmate (6 min).

• A Six-Hour Film Shot in 92 Days: The Diary of The Prisoner - this documentary chronicles the production of The Prisoner and features raw footage from the shooting process, with clips from several interviews. In English, not subtitled. (16 min)

• Beautiful Prisoner: The World of The Prisoner - in this program, several cast and crew members discuss the characters, themes, and narrative construction of The Prisoner. In English, not subtitled. (17 min)

• The Prisoner: Comic-Con Panel - in this program, Jim Caviezel, Jamie Campbell Bower, Lennie James, Jamie Campbell Bower, and screenwriter Bill Gallagher answer a series of questions about the conception and production of The Prisoner as well as its relationship to the classic TV series that inspired it. In English, not subtitled. (13 min)

The Prisoner Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Yes, there are various similarities that make it impossible not to acknowledge the influence of the original TV series with Patrick McGoohan. However, there are so many new themes that emerge after Jim Caviezel's Six reaches The Village, plus so many different, very contemporary reads of the multi-layered drama that this recent remake looks and feels like an original project. I had a great time with it. Via Vision Entertainment's two-disc set is Region-Free. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.