Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

The Promise Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 20, 2017

Whether Pearl Harbor, The Promise, or any number of other like films, the cinema medium has been no stranger to the stories of love in times of upheaval and war. Like any other genre or grouping, there are distinct demarcations of excellence, with films that tell a familiar story but in some way elevate the material well beyond tropes and types and capture real emotion beyond the crude maneuverings of the heart and the battlefield coming to the top. The Promise comes closer to that top than do many of its peers, but the film, from Director Terry George (Hotel Rwanda, Reservation Road), can't quite reach the zenith. Though technically strong, boasting good performances, playing with an even cadence, and telling an important central story, the film falls just short of breaking through, satisfying more often than not in terms of intimately exploring the complex, destructive world at its center but never quire realizing the full potential of its love story, which plays with a mostly generic, uncreative vibe.

Mikael (Oscar Isaac) is an Armenian apothecary who dreams of attending medical school. He cannot afford the tuition at Constantinople's Imperial Medical Academy, so he agrees to marry a local girl and use the dowry -- 400 pieces of gold -- to fulfill his dream and, subsequently, care for his wife and coming family. He promises to finish school in two years rather than the usual three. He's a good student; his passion, background, and self-taught medical mechanics place him near the top of his class. He befriends a Turk named Emre (Marwan Kenzari) and finds himself falling for an Armenian girl named Ana (Charlotte Le Bon) who is being courted by an American journalist named Chris Myers (Christian Bale). Mikael and Ana fall in love, but war breaks out and tears them apart, setting each on the harrowing front door of coming genocide.

The Promise, following its namesake, promises much and delivers on more of it than not. Its only flaw, and certainly one that isn't fatal, is a failure to truly differentiate itself in romance and action basics. Otherwise, the film works well, plays well, hits hard as necessary, and engages the audience with its well defined core qualities that are only supported by basic character arc essentials. It speaks loudly at times but doesn't speak all that loudly when it comes to its characters, characters who cannot make an impact despite the impactful world around them. That's not to belittle the movie in any way. It's very good and it dances around the periphery of a classic, or at least briefly entering the discussion. As it is, the film enjoys stable, even exemplary, at times, storytelling and craftsmanship. Characters are well-rounded for the story beyond the romance, the historical narrative is dense and detailed, it has something important to say, and performances from several fine actors breathe life into it all. It's good, wonderful, even, in the moment and for the duration, but whether its strong core can overcome its average superficialities remains to be seen.

Where the film excels, it excels. Even as it's oftentimes cliché and occasionally corny, there's no mistaking the sense of grandeur and intimate character detail that become swept up in the fog of war. The film's depictions of war and genocide, its physical tolls and emotional tolls alike, hold nothing back. The film confidently and without reserve delivers a complex and effortless demonstration of the real horrors of war and the juxtaposition of intimate and widespread suffering alike, and the film may be remembered not for its central love story but rather its unafraid depiction of genocide. The romance, on the other hand, plays out with some predictability, but also with some sincerity. Developments may be fundamentally hammy, but the film is written and performed well enough to mask the lack of novelty and focus fully on the characters, who are likable and believable and terrifically cited by the film's A-list ensemble. The film will pull at the heartstrings and it's unafraid of pushing the envelope. Again, though, it all comes back to whether it can, over time, separate itself from the field. It's near the top the crop, but it doesn't seem destined for the cream.

The Promise Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The digitally photographed The Promise impresses on Blu-ray. The 1080p image delivers a dense and detailed picture, leaving behind much of the flatness associated with digital and revealing a pleasantly complex picture rich in textural wonder. Certainly faces and clothes are the basic bedrocks, and both reveal superb definition along the way. But the film's environments are the standouts. Whether more finely appointed areas around the medical school or the dusty, earthy, roughly textured rocks and terrain of a labor camp, the image sparkles with density and attention to detail that's hard to top. Colors are well saturated. The film takes on a fairly neutral, and pleasant, color scheme. Primaries are bold, support and earthen shades hold steady, flesh tones are natural, and black levels are appropriately dense. Light noise creeps in at times, visible, occasionally, even in very well-lit scenes, but no other major intrusions are evident.

The Promise Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Promise features a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack that's equally comfortable with gentle dialogue and romantic scenes and chaotic moments of war and horror. Certainly it's the latter that allows the track to stand out and stand apart. The low end is deep and dense, heavy and relentless as it's needed but nicely complimentary to the greater sound needs. Explosions are particularly powerful, and the debris field that flies through the stage is largely faultless. Around the 49-minute mark, a train rumbles through the stage, and a moving train exterior scene follows, defined by visual darkness and some terrors and scares but audibly by a driving, stinging rain that saturates the stage, missing only a dedicated top layer to truly immerse the listener. Music is wide and well defined throughout the range. Support din is wonderful, whether pained sounds at a labor camp or more welcoming elements around town or the medical school. A number of discrete effects impresses as well, including a ringing bell signaling the start of class early in the film. Dialogue is clear and well prioritized for the duration. It further enjoys natural front-center placement.

The Promise Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Promise contains deleted scenes, a trio of brief featurettes, and a commentary track. A DVD copy the film and a voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy are included with purchase.

• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 6:13 total runtime): Betrothal, Cleansing the Empire, and Morgenthau Resigns. With optional Terry George commentary.
• The Love Story (1080p, 2:36): Cast and crew cover plot and character basics with a little more focus on the movie's romantic plot.
• War and Struggle (1080p, 2:51): Another brief character and plot recap with a tighter focus on the intrigue, war, and depiction of genocide featured in the film.
• A Cause (1080p, 3:19): A third plot and character recap that turns into a discussion of the film's structure and how it helps tell the greater story. It also offers a caution on continued genocide in the world.
• Audio Commentary: Director Terry George and Producer Eric Esrailian dissect the film in detail.

The Promise Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Promise is one of those movies that's very good, just not great. It tiptoes around cheesy romantic excess but goes full-on in its depictions of the horrors of war and genocide, both on personal, intimate levels and sweeping, large-scale levels as well. Altogether it doesn't differentiate itself from the field, but it's nevertheless well done and engaging; it just doesn't appear to be a movie with any serious legs, at least as far as its greater narrative arc is concerned. Universal's Blu-ray is excellent, offering high quality video and audio as well as a fair offering of bonus content. Recommended.