Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

Till Blu-ray Movie Review

Southern inhospitality.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III January 20, 2023

Chinonye Chukwu's biographical drama Till is tough to judge. By framing its narrative around the real-life 1955 murder of 14 year-old Emmett Till and its shameful aftermath, it's impossible to find fault with this film's mission statement: bringing attention to horrific events that played a key role in the next decade's civil rights movement. It's an admirable attempt to be sure, one that features a potent lead performance and enough restraint to avoid sensationalism, but the film's inert pace and homogenous tone don't exactly make for an emotionally effective experience from start to finish. It can't pass with flying colors on merit alone, but makes a decent primer for better takes on the material.

Many have already been exposed to the film's unsettling historical roots through such earlier books and other media, from 2003's American Experience installment "The Murder of Emmett Till" to last year's The Lost Story of Emmett Till: The Universal Child and Let the World See. I was first introduced to his fate during a somber 1993 classroom viewing of PBS' award-winning series Eyes on the Prize, where the unforgettable image of Emmett's disfigured face stayed with me for decades. And while the first leg of Till recounts the murder of Emmett (Jayln Hall) -- one in which the teenager was lynched, beaten to death, and thrown into a river for daring to whistle at a pretty white store clerk -- the bulk of it concerns his mother Mamie (Danielle Deadwyler) and her handling of the incident, from the daring decision to have an open-casket funeral to her transition towards activism that would continue until Mamie's death in 2003.

Since the central murder occupies but a fraction of Till's 130-minute running time (which, to the film's credit, is not shown in graphic detail, nor is Emmett's heavily-attended funeral), one might expect an even-handed and methodical account of Mamie's life and accomplishments after that fateful day in 1955. We don't get that. What we do get is an emotionally devastating performance from relative newcomer Danielle Deadwyler, who carries the weight in her eyes as the ensuing murder trial -- and her treatment by authority figures and the public -- wears the once-happy mother down to a shell of her former self. But while this reminder of Mamie's real-life strength during impossibly trying times makes Till an ultimately hopeful and even somewhat rewarding experience, there's little else that comes with it. Inert pacing slows things to a crawl, quickly establishing a homogenous tone that's dragged slightly further down by expositional dialogue and personal interactions that almost all drag on too long. As the film drifts toward a conclusion, it constantly feels like we're watching a lightly seasoned re-enactment and true dramatic escapism is rarely reached.

Till is surely fine enough for a once-over, with solid supporting performances by the likes of Whoopi Goldberg (almost unrecognizable under the makeup) and Frankie Faison, but the weight of its subject matter and stubbornly slow pace don't exactly make it a film you'll watch very often. And while its lack of success at the box office is disappointing, it's not surprising either: despite the film's obvious moral merits, this doesn't feel like the sprawling epic promised by its focus on a life whose purpose continued long after 1955. Still, it's worth watching for Deadwyler's performance alone and, if you're less familiar with the history, key moments will undoubtedly land with greater impact.

Universal's Blu-ray seems to mirror the film's underwhelming theatrical run: there's absolutely no support in the bonus features department, although its rock-solid A/V presentation will certainly get the job done.

Till Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Despite my reservations about the film itself, Till looks great on Universal's 1080p Blu-ray transfer -- almost too great, if that makes any sense. (The film's all-digital pedigree, even with its largely earth-toned palette and period-specific production design, gives it a polished appearance that almost doesn't suit such grim subject matter.) But I'm not really here to judge that side of things, so instead I'll just say that this looks to be a very crisp and faithful representation of the theatrical experience, albeit one that unfortunately wasn't given a 4K option. Fine detail and textures are uniformly clear, black levels and shadow detail are spot-on, and color saturation offers a pleasing mixture of vivid primaries and muted tones that capture the decade -- not to mention the stark visual contrast between suburban Chicago and rural Mississippi -- well enough. No banding, aliasing, or other compression artifacts could be spotted along the way, though I did see a bit of striping on a few passing objects including car grills. I'd imagine Till would have looked just about perfect in UHD, but I've no real complaints here -- it's a fine-looking Blu-ray, to be sure.

Till Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Equally impressive is the DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio mix, which proves to be more than enough sonic real estate for what's essentially a dialogue-driven drama with no shortage of quiet and somber moments. But "quiet and somber" doesn't always mean "confined to the center channel", as portions of the original score creep more subtly into the rears like a faint echo. Some of Till's more jarring and dramatic moments, which probably don't need to be clarified, are obviously more impactful with strong channel separation, amble low end, and and overall more hefty presence that really underlines a sense of dynamic range as the film's moods shift from one extreme to another. It's a fine effort, all things considered, with all the advantage of modern studio recording techniques and almost none of the drawbacks -- it's not overcooked or showy, which suits the subject matter just about perfectly.

Optional English (SDH), French, and Spanish subtitles are included during the main feature.

Till Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This two-disc release ships in a dual-hubbed keepcase with poster-themed cover artwork, a matching slipcover, and a Digital Copy redemption code tucked inside. Sadly, no bonus features are included... not even a trailer.

Till Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Chinonye Chukwu's biographical drama Till means well. Its source story is inarguably moving and Danielle Deadwyler's lead performance is one of the year's most impressive... but the film peaks early, never establishes a strong pace, and feels at least 20-25 minutes too long. Its worthy premise is wasted on a plot that plays connect-the-dots and, while clearly not without a few great moments, Till is sadly much less memorable than all the books, documentaries, and other media that have set such a high bar over the years. Universal's Blu-ray has great A/V merits, but the lack of replay value (and extras) doesn't make it a strong blind buy. Established fans may be interested, though.