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S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r

 

H D - S E N S E I

A view on Blu-ray by Gary W. Tooze

Out of Sight [Blu-ray]

 

(Steven Soderbergh, 1998)

 

This Universal Blu-ray is compared to the 2022 Kino Blu-ray and 4K UHD transfers HERE

 

 

Review by Gary Tooze

 

Production:

Theatrical: Universal Pictures

Video: Universal Home Video

 

Disc:

Region: FREE! (as verified by the Momitsu region FREE Blu-ray player)

Runtime: 2:02:49.695

Disc Size: 38,021,587,034 bytes

Feature Size: 34,678,566,912 bytes

Video Bitrate: 31.29 Mbps

Chapters: 52

Case: Standard Blu-ray case

Release date: March 1st, 2011

 

Video:

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps

Video codec: VC-1 Video

 

Audio:

DTS-HD Master Audio English 2469 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 2469 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
DTS Audio French 768 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit
DTS Audio Spanish 768 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit
Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB / Dolby Surround

 

Subtitles:

English (SDH), English, French, Spanish, none

 

Extras:

• Screen-specific audio commentary by director Steven Soderbergh and screenwriter Scott Frank
Inside 'Out of Sight' (25:02)
10 Deleted Scenes (22:14)

My Scenes

D-Box Motion Controls

 

Bitrate:

 

 

Description: George Clooney, as a career bank robber with more charm than sense, and Jennifer Lopez, as a by-the-book federal marshal... with the unpredictable heart of a romantic, give "opposites attract" new meaning in Steven Soderbergh's funny, smart adaptation of Elmore Leonard's novel.

***

Out of Sight is a rich, entertaining film, stylish without being showy, faithful to the integrity of Leonard's potent dialogue and quirky characters, and seamlessly acted by a dream ensemble. Standouts include Albert Brooks as convicted insider trader Richard Ripley, who while in prison brags to the wrong people that he has $5 million in uncut diamonds hidden in his house; Don Cheadle as Maurice (don't call him "Snoopy") Miller, with whom Jack warily teams up to steal said diamonds; Dennis Farina as Karen's protective father (his idea of a birthday gift is a Sig-Hauer .38); and, in unbilled cameos, Michael Keaton, reprising his Jackie Brown role as FBI agent Ray Nicolet, and Samuel L. Jackson.

 

 

Based on Elmore Leonard's famous crime novel, OUT OF SIGHT finds director Steven Soderbergh back in Hollywood after a brief return to the independent world with SCHIZOPOLIS and GRAY'S ANATOMY. A funny, hip, and vibrant action-drama, OUT OF SIGHT tells the story of the unlikely relationship that forms between an FBI agent and a career criminal. After Jack Foley (George Clooney) escapes from jail with the help of his partner, Buddy Bragg (Ving Rhames), he takes Karen Sisco (Jennifer Lopez), a sexy federal agent, hostage. Immediately sparks fly between the two. Eventually they let her go and leave Miami behind, heading directly for Detroit, where they plan to rob a former cellmate of theirs, a wealthy, white-collar criminal (Albert Brooks). When Karen finally locates Foley, a passionate encounter unfurls (edited ingeniously by Anne V. Coates, recalling Nicolas Roeg's classic DON'T LOOK NOW). As Foley zeroes in on his target, Karen must decide which side she's on. Soderbergh's film is a raucous ride through the criminal underworld, featuring spot-on performances by Clooney and Lopez. It's the supporting cast that makes OUT OF SIGHT so unforgettable, however; Rhames, Steve Zahn, Luis Guzman, and especially Don Cheadle deliver hysterical turns that keep the laughs coming as the tension continues to mount.

 

 

The Film:

This is easily Soderbergh's best effort since 1993's King of the Hill. It's not his first venture into the crime genre -- he stopped there a few years ago with The Underneath. Here, however, he demonstrates mastery of the material. He weds the two aspects of the narrative (the love story and the caper story) together so well that Out of Sight can be seen as a romance with a crime story background, or a crime story with a little romance thrown in for good measure. The director's one possible misstep, and it's a minor mistake, is overusing the brief freeze-frame. This technique, designed to highlight a moment, occurs a few times too many.

Like Pulp Fiction, Get Shorty, Bound, and other motion pictures of the like, Out of Sight contains enough to please just about anyone who enjoys an unpredictable, character-driven thriller. Despite a somewhat nonlinear structure that uses flashbacks to fill in story holes, the plot is not difficult for a thinking viewer to follow. Better still, it's compelling from start to finish. And, for the kind of movie that this is, you couldn't ask for a more appropriate closing scene. Out of Sight offers the best entertainment Hollywood has been able to muster since Memorial Day.

Excerpt from James Berardinelli at ReelViews.com located HERE

This Universal Blu-ray is compared to the 2022 Kino Blu-ray and 4K UHD transfers HERE

Image : NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

With, presumably the same D1 source of the HD-DVD version of Out of Sight - also via the VC-1 encode (but exceeding that defunct format's single-disc capacity) - the Universal Blu-ray looks okay, with nothing to compare it to. Slight grain exists - although often cloaked by the dynamic visuals.  This is dual-layered with a high bitrate and may be shade glossy for some tastes but it seems to suit the film presentation. Contrast exhibits reasonable black levels and though it may feel a bit manipulated - I think it's a decent-to-strong appearance that most will be impressed with. Something does feel a bit 'off'.

 

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Audio :

Perhaps not the most technically strong DTS-HD Master 5.1 at 2469 kbps but it appears to support the film adequately. Despite the action sequences of the film - the track is not particularly responsive in either range or depth. However, this is probably in-line with the film theatrical expression. There is a score by David Holmes that doesn't come into play much but seems rendered faithfully tight and sweet. There are optional subtitles and my Momitsu has identified it as being a region FREE disc playable on Blu-ray machines worldwide.

 

Extras :

Nothing new that I can determine with the same audio commentary sequences by director Steven Soderbergh and screenwriter Scott Frank - which is quite good. The director is usually a decent listen and this is situation-normal. Inside 'Out of Sight' is a standard featurette running about 25-minutes, and 10 Deleted Scenes for about 22-minutes. Nothing is in HD. The disc offers the My Scenes and D-Box Motion Controls capabilities.

 

 

BOTTOM LINE:
Out of Sight touches on a few genres from noirish crime caper to romance and even some comedy with eccentric and amusing support characters. There are plenty of familiar faces (Ving Rhames, Don Cheadle, Catherine Keener, Steve Zahn, Albert Brooks and Luis Guzmán) - all looking younger and adding further charm to Soderbergh's reasonably lightweight entertaining. Yes, we have a hot J-Lo in tight skirts and flimsy shorts plus Clooney - in his Paul Newman-esque embodiment of handsome-cool. The Universal Blu-ray gives a decent presentation - always a fun film to revisit.

 

This Universal Blu-ray is compared to the 2022 Kino Blu-ray and 4K UHD transfers HERE 

Gary Tooze

February 23rd, 2011

 

About the Reviewer: 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 9500 DVDs and have reviewed over 3500 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.

Gary's Home Theatre:

60-Inch Class (59.58” Diagonal) 1080p Pioneer KURO Plasma Flat Panel HDTV PDP6020-FD

Oppo Digital BDP-83 Universal Region FREE Blu-ray/SACD Player
Momitsu - BDP-899 Region FREE Blu-ray player
Marantz SA8001 Super Audio CD Player
Marantz SR7002 THX Select2 Surround Receiver
Tannoy DC6-T (fronts) + Energy (centre, rear, subwoofer) speakers (5.1)

APC AV 1.5 kVA H Type Power Conditioner 120V

Gary W. Tooze

 

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