As a strictly dialogue driven movie, you really can't expect this one to rock your home theater even though 5.1 Surround is the only option. The few scenes where the rear surrounds are called on use them to perfection. Some of the words can be hard to hear (if not impossible) when the characters are speaking softly which led me to turn on the subtitles a few times to make sure I caught everything. Otherwise, everything comes through clear without any distortion. (***)
There are two separate versions of this film available. One is a single disc edition with absolutely no features and 3-disc set that includes the soundtrack. I had every intention of reviewing the 3-disc, but I was unable to find a copy. Here is a list of features from the 3-disc set, unfortunately, from amazon.com:
Commentary by actors Tim Robbins and Kevin Bacon
"Beneath the Surface" - featurette with cast and crew interviews
"From Page to Screen" - making of the film featurette
Selections from "The Charlie Rose Show" - full-length interviews with Clint Eastwood, Tim Robbins and Kevin Bacon
Two trailers
Complete CD soundtrack
Widescreen anamorphic format
The single disc edition doesn't even feature a trailer so if you need to have something extra with your films, avoid this one completely and go right for the special edition. (no stars)
If the almost constant critical praise was not enough to force you into watching this film, then there is really very little left to say that hasn't been said elsewhere. This is a must-see movie and one that deserved every award it was given. Every single actor gives everything they have and this makes for one of the most gripping thrillers in some time.
Originally posted at Breaking Windows.
Article comments
1 - kirk
"As if all of this wasn't enough, along comes an ending that will sweep in from out of nowhere and completely blind side you."
Blindside is a good word. Predicting how the plot will resolve itslef is impossible because the audience is never given enough information. Thats my big beef with this movie. Good movie yes, great movie hell no. I wouldn't buy this movie.
2 - sadi
I liked this too - but the Massachusett's accents were so far off - they made everyone in the state sound they like slightly retarded or something, and since I've lived there for quite a while, I can honestly say that the put-on accents by Tim Robbins and Laura Linney in particular, were so not on target that, unfortunately, that detracted from the main story, which was good. Lehane isa good writer, and it's interesting to see how he's grown from his early days when I hosted a reading thatincluded him at Waterstones (also, sadly defunct - bookstores everywhere seem to perish, and there's no room for the independents anymore, which is sad...)
But i liked this film a lot too - I just wish that the the daughter's character and relationship with her father (Penn) had been more developed - it would have made his grief more palpable, more believable. That said, I think Penn doesan outstanding job, and likely, the best performance that I've ever seen of him.
3 - Rob
Kinda late, I just bought the video today...
The dialogs (at least at the beginning) were sort of disconnected and not flowing (vs what often happens in real life, where one person says "Hey Joe, how ya doin?" and the other (Joe) says "not bad, Pete").
I saw later that the scene with SP and his daughter was a "last moment together" scene so it maybe has to be forgiven, but hello? what 19 yr old daughter hangs on their dad's neck like a pseudo-girlfriend, kissing him on the nose and all that crap? Jees, she was prettty, but I'm glad she died, I couldn't have taken much more. The early scenes in SP's market were not smooth and natural and after that I stopped looking for smoothness at least in a dialog where two people might be expected to have a natural conversation...
I liked KB. He's getting better and better. TR was a caricature. I suppose they have to give the Academy Award to someone.
And whoever mentioned shitty Boston accents - oh my God! They had an accent tutor on-site, no? Someone who at least could have said "Repeat aftah me, Pahk the cah, etcetera"
Most scenes looked like they were done once and off to the editing room, so all the actors had to do was listen to any native say the line and then repeat it.
And the icing on the cake? Women. I don't know if it's Eastwood or the screenwriter or the author of the book, but gee whiz! One not-100%-sure-of-it woman turns her innocent hubby in to get killed, the other woman helps her husband who did it get over it by spouting some really cheesy "well, even his wife thought he did it, you can't be blamed" type sermon. How much did I have to keep reminding myself "you like Marcia Gay Harden, you like Marcia..."
God, at least Italian mafiosi get to live in a little style while they're stupid, this is just bad.