6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Five men waking up in a chemical warehouse and realizing they don't know who they are and how they got there. But through time they deduct that some of them are hostages and some are kidnappers. The men now must figure out who is who as they've learned the lead kidnapper is on his way and plans to kill the hostages.
Starring: Jim Caviezel, Barry Pepper, Greg Kinnear, Joe Pantoliano, Jeremy SistoThriller | 100% |
Mystery | 80% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: LPCM 2.0
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 2.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Simon Brand’s indie thriller "Unknown" (2006) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Optimum Home Entertainment. There are no supplemental materials on the disc. Not subtitled in English. Region-B "locked".
Who are we?
Presented in anl aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Simon Brand's Unknown arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Optimum Home Entertainment.
The Blu-ray transfer is not overly impressive. Generally speaking, clarity is rather good, but detail and contrast are problematic. I noticed plenty of edge-enhancement and contrast boosting that give the film a very artificial look. Furthermore, there is a bit of mild digital noise that pops up here and there. As a result, some of the indoor scenes look somewhat soft and murky. I also spotted a bit of noise reduction, which is very easy to detect during the daylight scenes. There are a few issues with the color-scheme as well. For example, blacks and greens look weak, especially during the first half of Unknown. Blues, light reds, grays and whites, however, are tolerable. I did not detect any large debris and stains to report in this review, but I spotted more than a few flecks popping up throughout the film. To sum it all up, those of you with larger than 50' screens will probably have a difficult time enjoying Unknown; those of you with smaller than 50' screens would likely not experience most of the issues I've noted above. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English LPCM 2.0. I opted for the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track and later on did a few random comparisons with the English LPCM 2.0 track for the purpose of this review.
Unknown is primarily a dialog-driven feature. As a result, there is hardly any activity in the surround channels. In fact, aside from a few of the shootouts, the audio is mostly channeled through the front speakers. I did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, or hissings. There are no balance issues to report either. The dialog is clear, crisp and easy to follow. This being said, it is rather disappointing to see that once again Optimum Home Entertainment have not supplied optional English subtitles for the main feature.
The English LPCM 2.0 track is quite similar to the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Aside from a few minor dynamic improvements that you would notice on the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track when you compare it to the English LPCM 2.0 track –mostly during the shootouts – to my ears the dialog sounds just as crisp and easy to follow. Once again, I did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, or hissings to report.
Most unfortunately, there are absolutely no supplemental materials to be found on this Blu-ray disc whatsoever.
Simon Brand's Unknown reminded me a bit about Cédric Klapisch's Ni pour, ni contre (bien au contraire). It is very well scripted, terrifically acted and surprisingly well directed. Frankly, had the film been shot in B&W, and some of its rougher spots polished just a bit more, it would have been an enormous hit. If you could, see it. This said, the Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of Optimum Home Entertainment, is a bit disappointing. If you find a good deal on it, get it; otherwise, we recommend that you rent it.
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