7.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Nearly fifty years ago, a gunman rode the elevator to the twenty-seventh floor of the University of Texas Tower and opened fire. TOWER, an animated and action-packed documentary, shares the untold story of that day - when the worst in one man brought out the best in so many others.
Starring: Violett Beane, Louie Arnette, Blair Jackson, Monty Muir, Chris DoubekDocumentary | 100% |
Crime | Insignificant |
Animation | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
While the 1966 University of Texas Tower Shooting certainly isn’t the first act of gun violence in America, it’s largely recognized as a preamble to the world we live in today, where aggression and displays of armament feel like a weekly event. While it was far from an innocent time, occurring during the Vietnam War, the event, where Charles Whitman situated himself on the top floor of the University of Texas Tower and began shooting at students and staff with a small arsenal, joined various motivated murders to erode America’s innocence, commencing a new dawn in anytown-style catastrophe. “Tower” is a bold examination of the day’s events, but instead of strictly employing talking heads to understand increasing anxiety as Whitman commanded the area for 96 minutes, director Keith Maitland uses rotoscoped animation to replicate intensity and explore the scene, putting focus on those on the ground trying to survive a nightmarish and seemingly never-ending experience.
The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation provides a crisp viewing experience, with encouraging sharpness to best bring out the animation achievements, picking up screen textures and styles. Detail is also strong during interview segments, offering a clear overview of facial particulars and teary emotional responses. Primaries are alive, with stable, meaningful hues that handle the many moods of the effort with grace. Delineation is ideal. Banding periodically pops into view.
The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix might seem small-time for a documentary, but the track has some hustle in it, examining the various voices that make up witness accounts, merging youthful actors with aged survivors. Sensitivity is easy to hear, keeping emotions bubbling, and enunciation isn't challenged. Scoring cues support without disturbance, and soundtrack cuts offer a bolder musical presence, helping to fill out low-end needs and surround activity. Atmospherics are important, positioning the listener on the campus, while shooting sound effects retain their sickening intent.
Again, "Tower" doesn't say much about Whitman, going deliberately vague about a monster with a rifle and a death wish who claimed mental illness for his actions in suicide notes. Maitland seems wary of dissecting evil, preferring to remain on the survivors, stitching together a portrait of endurance and heroism that often plays out as pure instinct, resulting in amazing stories of unity and bravery that are extremely emotional, displaying a primal need for humans to help one another out in the darkest of times. Maitland does tie the Tower Shooting to America's current woes with gun control and mental illness, making a distinct connection that's strong enough to fuel more debates on the unconquerable subject, and it's earned. "Tower" doesn't have all the answers, but it offers rare perspective on uncomfortable topics, adding to the overall education on U.S. violence and community, making sure viewers walk away from the documentary wiser about history, tragedy, and the human capacity for good. It's essential cinema.
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