5.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
A defense attorney works to get his teenage client acquitted of murdering his wealthy father.
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Renée Zellweger, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Gabriel Basso, Jim BelushiThriller | Insignificant |
Drama | 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, English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
UV digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
I couldn’t help but have a twinge of irony seeing that The Whole Truth was written by Nicholas Kazan, since I associate his name so strongly with the far from “whole truthful” supposed biographical film Frances, a movie I’ve rather pointedly taken to task for inventing all sorts of things about the late actress Frances Farmer (enterprising Googlers should have no problem finding my research on the subject). Luckily (if that’s the right word, given the results), The Whole Truth doesn’t bear that always questionable imprimatur “based on a true story”, and so the various outlandish proceedings that accrue can be attributed to Kazan’s imagination. Kazan is an undeniably hugely gifted writer (some other fans may associate him more with his Academy Award nominated screenplay for Reversal of Fortune, a piece which supposedly stuck closer to the actual facts than Frances did), but it’s hard to see what exactly he hoped to achieve with this film, one which plays like a gussied up made for television movie at times. That proclivity is even stranger given the fact that The Whole Truth was directed by Courtney Hunt, who made such a promising feature film debut with Frozen River (earning her own Academy Award nomination for Best Screenplay in the process). It’s interesting to note, however, that the IMDb also lists that Hunt directed two episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and it’s not hard to imagine that this project could have been sparked one way or the other by Hunt’s experience on the series. (It’s also interesting to note that Kazan used a pseudonym on the final credits, perhaps suggesting that somewhere along the line he became dissatisfied with what was happening to his screenplay.) The Whole Truth attempts to provide a baffling thriller ambience, but perhaps the biggest conundrum facing the audience is why so many obviously talented people ended up making such a predictable and even drab film.
The Whole Truth is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Once again the IMDb comes up empty with technical data, but luckily the film's cinematographer Jules O'Loughlin has his own site where he lists the Arri Alexa as the camera used on this shoot. This has the typically glossy if somewhat flat look of the Alexa, with fine detail at excellent levels during the many close-ups director Hunt employs. The courtroom scenes are just slightly desaturated looking, something that contrasts nicely with the more buttery flashback sequences, ones that are ironically lit to resemble "golden memories" when the events being depicted hardly fit that happy description. There are a couple of very brief moments (including one night scene involving Reeves and co-star Gugu Mbatha-Raw outside of an apartment house, for example) where there's very slight noise that's almost imperceptible, but overall this is a competent if never mind blowing looking presentation that offers good detail levels and few compression anomalies.
Much like the video presentation, The Whole Truth's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is perfectly workmanlike if never really overly awe inducing. The film really doesn't have huge opportunities to exploit impressive surround effects, and therefore much of the immersion comes from the relatively cloistered confines of the courtroom, where directionality comes into play in terms of spectator sounds and the like. The film's slightly overamped score also fills the surrounds regularly, but otherwise this tends to be a more front and center sound mix that nonetheless offers dialogue perfectly cleanly, with no problems whatsoever.
The so-called "Special Features" listed on the Main Menu of the disc turn out to be trailers for other Lionsgate releases and bookmarks, neither of which I consider a scorable supplement. And that's the truth.
Reeves almost seems to be sleepwalking through large swaths of The Whole Truth, and the film has a kind of pall surrounding it where the perception that everyone knows things aren't quite working as well as they should be is fairly unmistakable. Nevertheless, there are some good supporting performances here, including Basso as the self confessed killer and especially Zellweger, who makes Loretta a suitably twisted character. There really aren't any surprises here, at least for those who have been down this particular thriller road before, and the film shows signs of having been pretty dramatically tinkered with at some point during the production process. Fans of the cast may be able to overlook various deficiencies, and technical merits are generally strong for those considering a purchase.
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