7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A burdened man feels the wrath of a vengeful God after he and his wife are visited by a mysterious stranger.
Starring: Henry Czerny, Mark O'Brien, Mayko Nguyen, Mimi Kuzyk, Kate CorbettHorror | 100% |
Drama | 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 5.1
English: LPCM 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
In just the latest incidence of "synchronicity" visiting my review queue, The Righteous, a rather visually striking film from Canadian actor and director Mark O'Brien, bears certain similarities to the (relatively) recently reviewed The Exorcism of God. Both films feature focal characters who are (or in this case, were) priests, each with a somewhat equivalent "sin" in their past which continues to haunt them to the supposedly present day. The Exorcism of God probably tips more overtly into outright horror territory than The Righteous does, though that's not to say that The Righteous doesn't offer a few accruing gory moments, at least in its kind of hyperbolic finale. Some of the metaphysical questions that are at least alluded to in my The Exorcism of God Blu-ray review are once again on tap here, including the timeless (no pun intended) dialectic of how a "believer" can reconcile a conception of an all powerful Deity with elements like Evil (with a capital E). Here that is combined with the kind of (appropriately) Apocalyptic zeal one finds in Revelation, a Bible "finale" of sorts that is utilized for first some subtext and then what I guess I'd call actual text, at least insofar as Bible verses are literally shown and the closing images of the story suggest the kind of "fire and brimstone" that John of Patmos (the ostensible author of the book) seemed to have visions of.
The Righteous is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Arrow's insert booklet contains only the following fairly generic information on the transfer:
The Righteous is presented in its original 2.39:1 aspect ratio with 5.1 surround sound. The High Definition master was provided by Vortex Media.The IMDb doesn't have any technical data to speak of, and while the interview with director of photography Scott McClellan included on this disc as a supplement gets into lots of things like lighting, lenses, and contrast, I didn't hear him mention an actual camera. One of the stills in another supplement (the gallery that plays to the soundtrack) shows an Arri camera, but I couldn't authoritatively state what model, and I'm not sure what resolution the DI was completed in. All of that said, this is a pretty stunning looking presentation which only encounters a couple of actually pretty severe moments of banding (one of them you can actually make out in screenshot 19), when sudden light changes ripple out (in more ways than one) through the otherwise gorgeous black and white cinematography. Really deep blacks (something else McClellan gets into in his interview) are quite noticeable, and there's a definite chiaroscuro look to things throughout the film. Detail levels are typically excellent, especially given a prevalence of midrange and close-up framings. There are occasional oddities toward the edges of the frame where things can look distorted or blurred that I'm assuming were done intentionally.
The Righteous features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 audio options. I heartily recommend sticking with the surround track if you have the setup for it, as there is noticeably more spacious imaging of both an interesting (if not exactly innovative) score by Andrew Staniland, and some rather evocative sound effects mixing that tends to blend ambient environmental effects with the score in a seemingly intentionally hallucinatory way. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.
- Mark O'Brien (Writer, director and actor) (HD; 33:47)
- Mark O'Neill (Producer) (HD; 7:01)
- Henry Czerny (Actor) (HD; 17:08)
- Mimi Kuzyk & Kate Corbett (Actors) (HD; 17:17)
- Spencer Jones (Editor) (HD; 11:04)
- Scott McClellan (Cinematographer) (HD; 10:02)
- Jason Clarke (Production Designer) (HD; 9:26)
Years ago when I was in my metaphysical inquiry phase, I read a really interesting book called The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross, which suggested that early Christian mystics, including that aforementioned John of Patmos, may have been munching down certain natural "edibles" that may have opened the veritable doors of perception, allowing them to "prophesy" in imagery that is often opaque at best. The imagery in The Righteous is arguably its most instantly visceral element, but there are definitely interesting aspects to the story, even if the concatenation of "coincidences" ultimately turns out to be less than convincing. Technical merits are excellent and the supplements outstanding, which may outweigh any deficits some may feel the film itself has, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.
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