6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A group of Vietnam War veterans re-unite to rescue one of their own left behind and taken prisoner by the Vietnamese. Supported his father (a retired military man himself) and a rich businessman whose son was also a POW, the group engages in a dangerous and violent adventure trying to rescue the POWs and at the same time re-direct their lives.
Starring: Gene Hackman, Robert Stack, Fred Ward, Reb Brown, Randall 'Tex' CobbWar | 100% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Action | 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 (48kHz, 24-bit)
German: Dolby Digital 2.0
French: Dolby Digital 2.0
English, English SDH, French, German
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Director Ted Kotcheff is best known for the wonderful First Blood which follows the story of a physically capable but mentally and emotionally scarred American struggling to survive and earn the respect he deserves following the war and back in the States. With Uncommon Valor, another post-Vietnam film Kotcheff directed a year later, he doesn't find the same level of depth or purpose, favoring something more of a straightforward Action film with little substance beyond asking its audience to attach to the basic humanity that propels the story. It's a quality film in a vacuum, but its failure to say anything meaningful amidst the action, which is framed within a story ripe for greater human interest depth, is something of a disappointment.
Paramount's been on a roll lately with its wave of competitively priced catalogue titles (Barefoot in the Park, The Two Jakes, Private Parts, to name a few) and Uncommon Valor continues the string of excellence. The picture is terrific all around, presenting with rich, healthy colors and a perfectly filmic façade. Details are extremely crisp and fine, complimented by the naturally occurring grain structure. There's no fuss, no mess, no appearance of unwarranted processing. It's handsomely true to its source, and beyond the grain viewers will appreciate the fine-point complexity visible in faces, military fatigues, wear on firearms, and grasses and huts seen in the middle and end sections when the men train and fight, respectively. The military green fatigues look terrific. The tone is dialed in to perfection, appearing accurate and lifelike. There's nice separation between that color and all of the surrounding natural greenery found throughout the film. Bright orange fireball explosions pop with pleasant depth and punch. Skin tones are dialed in nicely and blacks are well rounded. There are very few signs of print wear and tear and encode issues are absent. Several other studios should take notice: Paramount's got the quality-price equation down to a science. This one look substantially better than what some other studios are releasing at more than double the price.
Uncommon Valor's Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack is nowhere near so robust as the nearly perfect 1080p video counterpart, but it's certainly well capable in most areas. General elemental clarity is fine, particularly considering music and dialogue. The former is satisfyingly wide with a little bit of back channel depth in addition to offering fine foundational detail, while the latter is well prioritized and holds steady in the front-center channel. A few good atmospherics trickle through, well placed and complimentary of any given scene they accompany. The soundtrack unfortanely falls short where it should soar: during action. Low end response is more than a little flat; perhaps the best example comes when several bridges explode towards films' end with very little depth or authority. Gunfire similarly struggles to engage the bottom end. The weapon signatures are identifiable, but flat. On the plus side, surrounds do pick up some weapons fire, particularly in the rescue mission proper. The sound design is dated and listeners might be left wanting more, but overall this one appears fairly faithful to the rather limited opportunities within the original audio specifications.
This Blu-ray release of Uncommon Valor contains no supplemental content. No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does not ship with a slipcover.
Uncommon Valor released a year before Chuck Norris' franchise-starter Missing in Action, another film about a rescue mission to save American P.O.W.s following the cessation of hostilities. Neither film does much to speak to the issue, favoring action and only enough narrative to move the story forward. Uncommon Valor says little about the war, the prisoners, or even the mindsets of those who have returned home, only to go again for a greater purpose than self. It dabbles around with the latter -- some of the characters are plainly scarred by their wartime experiences -- but it mostly remains within the realm of the superficial. Still, this is a fun movie and a necessary add to any serious Vietnam war film collection. Paramount's Blu-ray fits that role nicely. While it's unfortunately absent supplemental content, the disc does deliver exceptional 1080p video. The 5.1 lossless soundtrack is not as memorable but it gets the job done. Recommended.
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