5.8 | / 10 |
Users | 3.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.2 |
A woman seeks revenge against those who orchestrated a plane crash that killed her family.
Starring: Blake Lively, Sterling K. Brown, Jude Law, Max Casella, Richard BrakeThriller | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1
English, English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The Rhythm Section does its best to straddle that fine line between marching to its own beat but also wearing out familiar turf along the way. The story of an average, deeply wounded person seeking violent revenge on those who destroyed her family has been done ad nauseam, and just recently in the so-so Jennifer Garner Action vehicle Peppermint. The story is told again here under the watchful eye of Director Reed Morano (I Think We're Alone Now) working from a script penned in part by Barbara Broccoli who, if that name sounds familiar, is the daughter of longtime James Bond Producer Albert R. Broccoli but who has carved out a name for herself, particularly in recent years with the Daniel Craig Bond films. There are certainly some stylistic similarities between The Rhythm Section and modern Bond, going for grit and depth over flash and style. It's a solid film within its genre but whether it holds much, if any, replay value remains to be seen.
The Rhythm Section's 1080p Blu-ray presentation delivers the digitally sourced photography with all-around visual excellence. Everything is in good working order, presenting the film's varied locations -- run down motel rooms, dense city streets in several countries, more plush penthouses -- with impressive attention to detail that all showcase the film's well-versed production design with very impressive clarity. The photography does sometimes yield softer corners and edges but what's in focus is plenty sharp and revealing. Clothing textures are firm and skin components excel, showing every pore, bruise, and hair on Stephanie's battered body with immaculate clarity. Colors are firm and stable, presenting with a largely neutral contrast that doesn't push the picture too hot or cold. The diversely colored city exteriors are where the image's palette thrives, but natural greens are also in abundance during Stephanie's training sessions with Iain, and those, too, offer spectacular depth and saturation. Black levels are great, vital in the film's many lower light interiors, and skin tones are natural within any given location's lightning specifics. Noise can be seen in lower light shots but rarely to a distracting density. The picture showcases no additional source issues or encode errors. This is a very good all-around, high performing Blu-ray presentation from Paramount.
Blake isn't the only "Lively" on this disc. The Rhythm Section's DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack is itself lively and very sonically satisfying. The track offers plenty of output high points, including thunderous low end outbursts at several key moments. One of the best comes around the 29-minute mark when Stephanie is dragged into a building and first meets Iain, and another later in the film where a bus explodes, filling the stage with concussive shockwaves and flying debris (there's a good little supplement on making it, too). Gunfire tears through the stage in the first major shootout in the film in chapter 12 with very impressive depth, yielding some of the most lifelike shots one will hear in a movie soundtrack. Deep, penetrating, zipping fast, and impacting hard around the listening area, the scene is in full sonic command and is both aural treat and terrifying exercise in soundtrack realism. Music escalates with frequency, too, commanding the stage with deep, detailed output that stretches wide, heavily engages the back channels, and tests the sound systems on several occasions. The track folds in plenty of realistic environmental din as well, such as a busy cafeteria in chapter four or various examples of city street sounds heard throughout the movie across several diverse locales. Dialogue is clear, well prioritized, and center focused for the duration. 7.1 lossless tracks don't get much better than this.
The Rhythm Section features deleted and extended scenes and several featurettes. A DVD copy of the film and a digital copy code are included
with purchase. This release ships with a non-embossed slipcover.
The Rhythm Section doesn't push boundaries or tell a particularly interesting tale, but there's enough gritty realism, thanks in large part to Blake Lively's internally and externally committed performance, to carry the movie to success. Paramount's Blu-ray is likewise quite good, featuring high yield video, reference audio, and a good smattering of extra content. Recommended.
30th Anniversary Edition
1992
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Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
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