6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.3 |
In the aftermath of the 2010 BP oil spill, an idealistic but flawed politician is forced to confront his dysfunctional life after his career is destroyed in a sex scandal.
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Connie Nielsen, Sarah Paulson, Peter Fonda, Bryan BattThriller | 100% |
Action | 81% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps)
English SDH, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
There's a certain love affair in cinema with the idealistic politician, a rare creature in the real world to be sure and one that easily fits into both a fictional heroic fantasy of the modern day crusader and, behind the curtains but not particularly well veiled, idealism and rally to a cause, or causes, for which the filmmakers themselves champion. The Runner fits that bill, telling the fictional story of a Louisiana politician knee-deep in the recovery and financial settlement efforts following the Gulf oil spill of 2010. The story sees the intersection of his well-meaning idealism and staunch political stances clashing with his personal shortcomings that threaten to destroy everything he's built and the doors he's opened for progress up the political ladder. It's a classic story of how sin catches up with a saint, where the value of integrity behind the desk and on the stump are brought into question by the goings-on between the sheets. Can the politician survive, can the message endure, or will the circling sharks devour the red meat and destroy not only a promising career but any chance the little guy has in the face of unbreakable corporate interests?
Embattled.
The Runner sprints onto Blu-ray with an all-around impressive 1080p transfer from Alchemy. The picture enjoys an organic, easy-on-the-eyes presentation that retains a moderately complex grain structure that provides a positive, visually appealing film-quality veneer. Details are sharp and effortlessly so, with the transfer revealing both complex backgrounds and distance shots with commendable clarity and sharpness but really dazzling up close where facial features, for instance, prove effortlessly revealing. Facial hair, pores, wrinkles, even makeup are all easy to see and naturally detailed. Colors are pleasing and accurate with a palette that's largely neutral though with, perhaps, an ever-so-slight chilly look to some of the lighter shades and blues. Black levels are impressively deep and accurate. Flesh tones, beyond the middy chilly look, at times, appear neutral. The image shows no obvious signs of wear, compression anomalies, or digital manipulation. Overall, this is a strong presentation from Alchemy.
The Runner arrives on Blu-ray with a solid Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The movie is dialogue intensive and presents the spoken word with natural center placement and consistently clear and lifelike articulation. Music is satisfyingly robust, playing with a front-heavy posture (and mild surround support), good front spacing, and a healthy low end weight. Ambient effects are hit-or-miss, but mostly hit. Natural ambience is never quite organic but the track does yield some positive natural effects like insects and thunder. Some of the more complex details, like background traffic, can comes across as hopelessly muddled (listen around the 12:10 mark). Overall, however, the track is good and a net-plus on the scoresheet.
All that's included are trailers for The Runner (1080p, 2:07), Kidnapping Mr. Heineken (480i), Survivor (480i), Good People (480i), and The Iceman (480i).
The Runner never really elevates beyond the level of paint-by-numbers, despite its good intentions. It explores fairly well worn territory, doing so here with only a (relatively speaking) current event as the focal backdrop. At its core, the movie tells a rather standard "hero falls from grace" tale that sees the character struggle to balance personal shortcomings with professional success, idealism, and threats from every side. Cage is strong in the lead but the other characters feel far less organic, yielding technically adequate but dramatically unremarkable secondary performances. Alchemy's Blu-ray release of The Runner features top-tier video and good audio. No extras of substance are included. Rent it.
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