Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Zipper Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 5, 2015

Zipper's second shot depicts Sam Ellis' (Patrick Wilson) wedding ring clanking nervously off a glass, immediately establishing two critical identities, one overtly physical and more covertly emotional that comes to light as the film develops. The shot says he's married and, more subtly but still quite clearly, that it's not a perfect marriage. Indeed, Zipper explores the physical, mental, and emotional state of a man who isn't merely unfaithful but whose psychological addiction to extramarital sex leads him down a darkened path from which neither he nor his family may ever be able to escape. Zipper, written and directed by Mora Stephens (Conventioneers), uses external drama to amplify an intimate, and often fascinating -- even as it's rather dramatically stale -- study of a secret side of the human condition in which addiction not only to life's darkest carnal pleasures but also the drug-like highs and emotional lows that follow in an ebb and flow of right and wrong signals rushing through the brain are explored to surprising satisfaction both on the surface and deeper within.

No turning back.

Sam Ellis (Patrick Wilson) is a hotshot attorney whose future is bright. He has plans to run for District Attorney and, after that, explore a career in Washington politics. He's married to longtime spouse Jeannie (Lena Headey), has a son (Kelton DuMont), and seems on top of the world. When a naive intern kisses him in a back alley during a celebration following his latest victory, he brushes her off and tries his hardest to avoid temptation. The missed opportunity haunts him, however, and the matter becomes complicated when his next case involves a girl from a high-end escort service. He probes further and finds an online service that promises him everything he's ever wanted. He finally fights back the urge to say "no" and calls on a throwaway cell phone. He books an appointment and meets with a call girl named Christy (Alexandra Breckenridge) who eases him into the date and satisfies his cravings. Sam quickly finds himself absorbed in the world and makes appointments with practically every girl on the agency's roster, but at what price to his marriage, his career, his future, and his soul?

Zipper's core drama stems from the temptations every man faces. Sexual fantasies, and the opportunity to indulge in them, seem made all the simpler -- yet still in many ways more complex -- by the modern digital age where an "escort" is a click or a phone call, and an envelope full of cash, away. But the film isn't really about prostitution, by whatever name it goes by, but instead the consequences thereof not even so much on the body -- and there's plenty of reason to worry about the effects on the body -- but rather the soul. The film explores how the immorality of the actions weigh the man down. It deals in the ideas of obsession and addiction, how the desire transforms Ellis' world and changes him, almost chemically, as he reaches, and reaches, and reaches for that high as a junkie does the next fix. Patrick Wilson is quite good in the lead, at first depicting the character as he inwardly wrestles with the temptations and, later, as he becomes fully entangled in the world and, later still, dealing with the consequences of his actions. Wilson is at his best when the gears are churning in his head, when he's both overtly and subconsciously weighing the positives and negatives of his actions. It's a strong inward performance that he outwardly emotes with a command of the character that significantly elevates the movie beyond its rather tepid, "been there, done that" core.

Superficially, Zipper goes through the paces. It goes through them confidently and intriguingly, however, with a sometimes frenzied sexualized veneer that's starkly contrasted with an intimate portrait of a breaking, and eventually broken, man. In many ways the film offers little more beyond a standard character study of someone who has fallen deep down his own personal rabbit hole of self corruption and personal ruin from which he cannot escape, save for traveling deeper and deeper by way of, here, seeing more and more girls. Fortunately, the movie is good enough to keep the viewer interested to see how it will play out, to see if Ellis can escape and save not only his future and family but his very center and soul. Again, the film greatly benefits from a strong lead from Patrick Wilson without whom it would seem destined to fall into an abyss of decent but forgettable films but here elevated to something a bit more satisfying thanks to Wilson's Jekyll and Hyde, angel on one shoulder and devil on the other, performance.

Zipper Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Zipper arrives on Blu-ray with a high-end, but routine, 1080p transfer, meaning it looks great but doesn't really stand apart in any distinguishable way. The digital photography source leaves the picture looking a hair smooth and glossy, but it's never much of an issue. The transfer is clean as a whistle and as sharp as the medium allows, revealing intimate facial features -- pores, pock marks, wrinkles, lines, and stubble -- with remarkable clarity and definition up close. Clothing textures, appointments around a fancy hotel, and other secondary elements are consistently well defined and sharp, too. Colors are steady and pleasing, with the palette never appearing in any way showy or dull; there's a pleasant evenness to the various hues that are so effortlessly realistic that viewers really won't notice one way or another, which is a good thing. Black levels are suitably deep and yield positive shadow detailing. Flesh tones are likewise fine. Aside from minor bouts of source noise there's no evidence of any other unwanted intrusions such as banding, aliasing, or macroblocking. All in all, this is a perfectly good -- great -- presentation from Alchemy.

Zipper Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Zipper's Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack is likewise unremarkable, but not with a minor flaw. The primary issue is dialogue that's not quite as loud as expected, playing a bit shallow in spots, particularly early on but never feeling as naturally aggressive as it should. Prioritization is never a problem -- background sounds always give way to favor the spoken word -- but there's a lightness to it, a minor reservation, that keeps it from commanding the stage, a shame considering that dialogue is the dominant sonic factor throughout the movie. Otherwise, the track is pleasant enough, with suitably stable and spacious music and minor support ambience, including light applause in chapter four.

Zipper Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Zipper contains a commentary and deleted scenes with commentary.

• Audio Commentary: Co-Writer/Director Mora Stephens serves up a well spoken track in which she discusses character details, plot specifics, themes, research and inspirations, technical details, and more. Audiences who enjoyed the film's story and depth should find this track to be of some value.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p): Dalia Confronts Sam (2:50), Ellis Arrests Stiegel (0:59), Dinner Party (1:15), Political Montage (1:24), Jeannie on the Hunt (2:31), Sam and Jeannie Make Up (1:24), and Sam, James and Jack the Bunny (1:07). With optional Mora Stephens commentary.
• Previews: Zipper (1080p, 2:20) and 480i trailers for The Runner, Fading Gigolo, Welcome to Me, People Places Things, and Strangerland.

Zipper Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Zipper has all the makings of a throwaway Thriller, but it's instead a surprisingly rich and intimate character study made fairly intense and absorbing thanks to Patrick Wilson's strong lead performance. The film's peripherals aren't particularly exciting or novel, but Wilson brings a tangible depth to the part that sells the story's emotional core very well. The result is a rock-solid film that, even considering its pedestrian edges, will keep audiences engaged for the duration. Alchemy's Blu-ray is fairly standard (in a good way), offering strong video, decent enough audio, and a few extras. Recommended.