H D - S E N S E IA view on Hi-def discs by Gary W. Tooze |
Introduction: Hello, fellow Beavers! I have been interested in film since I viewed a Chaplin festival on PBS when I was around 9 years old. I credit DVD with expanding my horizons to fill an almost ravenous desire to seek out new film experiences. I currently own approximately 7500 DVDs and have reviewed over 3000 myself. I appreciate my discussion Listserv for furthering my film education and inspiring me to continue running DVDBeaver. Plus a healthy thanks to those who donate and use our Amazon links.
Although I never wanted to become one of those guys who
focused 'too much' on image and sound quality - I
find HD is swiftly pushing me in that direction. So be
it, but film will always be my first love and I list my
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HERE.
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Traitor (2-disc) [Blu-ray]
(Jeffrey Nachmanoff, 2008)
Review by Gary Tooze
Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
Discs: Region: 'A' Feature Runtime: 1:54:07.841 Chapters: 26 Disc Size: 33,076,545,760 bytes Feature Size: 29,721,077,760 bytes Average Bitrate: 34.72 Mbps One dual-layered Blu-ray / One digital copy DVD Case: Standard Blu-ray case Release date: December 19th, 2008
Video: Aspect ratio: 2.4:1 Resolution: 1080p Video codec: AVC
Audio:
Supplements:
•
Audio Commentary with director Jeffrey Nachmanoff and
Actor Don Cheadle
2nd disc - Digital Copy
Bitrate Graph:
Product Description: Academy Award nominee Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda, Crash) and Guy Pearce (Memento, L.A. Confidential) star in Traitor, a taut international thriller set against a puzzle of covert counter-espionage operations. When straight-arrow FBI agent Roy Clayton (Pearce) investigates a dangerous international conspiracy responsible for a prison break in Yemen, a bombing in Nice and a raid in London, all clues seem to lead back to former U.S. Special Operations officer, Samir Horn (Cheadle). But a tangle of contradictory evidence emerges, forcing Clayton to question whether his suspect is a disaffected former military operative—or something far more complicated. Obsessed with discovering the truth, Clayton tracks Horn across the globe as the elusive ex-soldier burrows deeper and deeper into a world of shadows and intrigue. Traitor is written and directed by Jeffrey Nachmanoff (screenwriter of The Day After Tomorrow)...
The Film: That's what makes the film's pure thriller elements work so well. Even in violent action scenes, the participants are forced to make instant decisions, or discoveries, about loyalties. We know from other movies how the violence will unfold, but neither we nor the combatants are sure which side everybody is on. That is true even of the urbane Omar, who is definitely a jihadist, but whose motives and their effect are paradoxical.
Excerpt from Roger Ebert's review at the Chicago Sun-Times located HERE
Image : NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were ripped directly from the Blu-ray disc. The transfer appears competent but I don't think Traitor's style lends itself to the dramatic 1080P visuals that many have come to expect from the Blu-ray format. There are some intentional style shots - reversal, grainy and plenty of indoor low-lit sequences. Of course, when we do venture outside in the brighter day - colors seem all that more vibrant. Detail is acceptable but I wouldn't label it as overwhelmingly 'strong'. Black levels and contrast are quite good though. It's, expectantly, damage-free and exhibits some minor depth at times just not on the scale that some aficionados seek from the Blu-ray format. Background noise and occasional grain exist. The dual-layered disc (feature taking almost 30 Gig) is at the middle-scale of Blu-ray transfer status. It's consistent quality from the AVC encode is surely well above the corresponding DVD it just doesn't 'Wow' very often. Still, I'll wager it represents the film's theatrical intent as good as can be expected.
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Audio & Music:
Extras:
Bottom line:
Gary Tooze December 6th, 2008
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