TAKEN: 2-DISC EXTENDED CUT (20th Century Fox) - A Review by Peter Marlowe

Peter Marlowe · 05-12-2009, 11:45 PM

I WILL FIND YOU.
I WILL KILL YOU.

TAKEN (2009) -- Review by P. Marlowe 5/12/09

Studio Name: 20th Century Fox
MPAA Rating: UNRATED & PG-13
Disc Information: 50GB Dual Layer Widescreen 2.40:1; U.S. Region 1 Release
Video Codec: AVC@ 34 MBPS
Tested Audio Track: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (DTS core tested)
Director: Pierre Morel
Starring Cast: Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen
DIGITAL COPY of the film included

SYNOPSIS:

Some marketing materials for this outrageous, edge-of-your-seat Liam Neeson thriller proclaimed "Move Over, Jason Bourne!" and indeed, Neeson kicks mucho ass in this...so much so that some parallel him and can envision him as a 007 down the line...with some British accent lessons, of course.

Theatrically, Taken didn't succeed, and that was a head-scratcher because this was one of the most entertaining films -- let alone action pictures -- of the past few months. Making the theatrical launch very bittersweet for Mr. Neeson was the fact that his wife had died while they were on a ski vacation I believe it was...right before the film had opened in box offices everywhere.

But oh, how Neeson just fit like a glove in this role...the plot tells a rather brief 90-minute run time story about Neeson's character, who is a retired special agent spy with Jason Bourne and James Bond-like training, and who has become overtly paranoid from his time during his missions. He is divorced from the sexy Famke Janssen (House on Haunted Hill) and brings his paranoia and over-protectiveness to his daughter's world; the daughter, played by Maggie Grace, is a teenager now living with her new stepfather, a seemingly wealthy balding putz who owns a mansion and throws birthday parties for Grace that Nicky Hilton would be jealous of...almost. There's a sense of competition between the two fathers; Neeson brings Grace a GPX-brand karaoke machine for her birthday, and the stepfather buys her a horse which she rides around in front of her friends. And the ex-wife? Janssen plays the ultra-bitch she's so good at playing in things like House on Haunted Hill.

At first, you wouldn't think the rather semi-aging Neeson could pull off a role such as this...but as the action heats up, his performance as a martial arts-laden superspy is one you simply have to experience to appreciate. A group of Neeson's also retired spy friends tell him about a job they want to include him on, which involves private protection for a pop diva singer. Neeson agrees, and is assigned direct protection in the girl's dressing room. When the singer is attacked by an armed assailant, we see Neeson's training come into action for the first time -- and he puts this guy down as fast as Steven Seagal. There's a connection between Neeson's daughter wanting to be a pop singer and this girl he's protecting; after Neeson saves her life, she gives up her manager and vocal coach's contact information for his daughter. Those kinds of chances don't come every day.

The plot begins to come alive when Neeson meets Grace at a favorite restaurant, with Janssen in tow, and the daughter tells him she wants to go to Paris with her best friend to experience all the culture and art of the city -- the truth is, the girls are going to supposedly follow U2 on their European tour dates. While Neeson's paranoid, ridiculously overprotective character doesn't know this yet, he refuses at first but then allows her to go to Paris with the condition that she stay in touch with him at all times. The girls go, and the trampy, promiscuous friend ends up falling for a lame Euro-trasher named "Peter" who asks to share a cab with them on the Taxi line outside Charles DeGaulle Airport. Peter asks them to come to a party that night, and gets the address where they're staying, but he ends up being a contact guy for a group of Albanians who have staked a claim in France for the business of kidnapping and selling young girls for high-end prostitution rings.

In an exciting sequence, Neeson finally speaks to the daughter after attempting to contact her countless times, and as she speaks, her friend is abducted by a group of men right across the way from the bathroom she is in. Neeson understands what is going on just from what she is telling him, and in a rather odd part braces her for the fact that she's about to be kidnapped -- I thought Pierre Morel clouded things a bit here, as it's almost as if Neeson knew this was coming based on his reactions on the phone; at any rate, Neeson gets a good listen to their accents as they kidnap the girl. In the film's marketing jargon -- as indicated at the top of my review -- Neeson seethes some heavy-duty threats about what will happen to these men if they don't give him his daughter back...and it's really cool to listen to. Liam Neeson as a bad ass! Well, he proved he could do this already in Batman Begins but this is different; the kidnappers reply with "Good Luck"...and the chase is on.

Neeson informs Janssen what has happened, along with the a-hole stepfather, and the rich stepfather flies him to Paris via private jet, where he breaks down every door to find his daughter. These sequences are the most exciting in Taken, where Neeson first learns who the kid was who spotted his daughter and her friend -- and who is still doing it as more girls fly into Paris -- and beats him to a pulp trying to gain information. With the spotter dead (in a wild scene in which he's struck by a speeding truck) Neeson turns his sights on the underground prostitution ring in the city, which eventually leads him to the Albanians who are in control of the kidnapping ring. All the while, a French investigator who has a history with Neeson's character, is tracking his every move, refusing to give up any information about the group. Neeson's search eventually lands him in a place where ultra-wealthy sheiks and lords from all over the globe actually sit in a circle and "buy" sexy young girls that have been kidnapped by this organization and drugged into coma-like states so they simply cannot resist. The sequence where the girls are "bid on" is a bit disturbing, but what's more disturbing is the visual of the fat bastard beached whale who bid on Neeson's daughter -- the thought of what that fat f***ing pig was going to do to this teen in high heels stoned out of her gourd on G-d knows what will make you barf up your Marie Calendar's Lasagna dinner.

Good thing Neeson arrived just in time, eh?

There's also a clever, satisfying end sequence involving the pop diva from the beginning and Neeson's daughter, which I won't divulge.

What's refreshing about Taken is that for the first time in a long time, a film actually made sense and didn't require a doctorate in mythology to really understand...not only that, it runs at a brisk 90 minutes as I said, so it never really drags on in any one spot. This was a very entertaining, solidly-made action thriller that although I enjoyed more in the theater, will definitely have replay time in your home theaters.

Also of note...this is the "Unrated" 2-Disc Extended Cut of the title, which gives you the option of watching the theatrical version or the "extended" version; after selecting the extended cut, I saw really nothing different nor "longer" to warrant it receiving this moniker as compared to my memory of the theatrical release.

But Neeson does kick ass in this...

Did I say that already?

VIDEO QUALITY:

Theatrically, Taken didn't look good at all -- and it apparently carries over to Blu-ray on this AVC 34 MBPS codec used by Fox. Theatrically, the film was loaded with grain -- definitely a stylistic and photographic choice -- and the same effect and image stains the Blu-ray release. The outdoor sequences of the film look fantastic for the most part -- but the majority of Taken just looks crummy in my opinion; there's a heavy dose of grain that becomes distracting at many points, causing, like so often, a given scene to go soft and un-HD-like. As a matter of fact, I would go so far to say that if you want to save a few bucks, Taken may even satisfy enough on standard DVD.

AUDIO QUALITY:

If the video transfer wasn't really top-notch, the film's DTS Master Audio mix makes up for it -- in LFE spades. Even running at its core DTS track, the mix is absolutely loaded with low frequency effects that rattle the walls to the point you'll have to turn down your master volume to compensate. There's an abundance of every element that makes a good sound design here: Cars rushing into the surround channels during chase sequences, intelligible dialogue, crushing bass...the track was very impressive. I found this better than Fox's last co-release, Quantum of Solace which was also in Master Audio.

If there was anything to nit-pick, I would have to say the mix overall has a bit of a...how do I say it..."covered in a little bit of a blanket" effect -- what do I mean by this? Well, while certainly loud and aggressive, there's a style to this sound design that feels a bit "chesty" and "blanketed" as if some kind of noise reduction (audio) or dynamic range compression was added or on. And before you ask, yes, I did check to see that my system wasn't running with any "Night Mode" or range compression.

But if wall-rattling, booming LFE is your thing, this track has it.

SUMMARY:

As I said, a solidly-made action thriller that will surely entertain Bourne and even Bond fans -- to see Liam Neeson kick ass since he did so in Batman Begins was truly nail-biting and exciting; while hammy and campy in certain places, his performance warrants putting this title on your shelf.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

I can whole-heartedly recommend this, friends; when I saw this theatrically, I walked out thinking I couldn't wait to get the Blu-ray when it came out...it seemingly came out in the blink of an eye because it didn't apparently do well at the box office, and I can recommend it for any fan of the action/spy/martial arts genre. It's not anything that is going to shake the Oscar Awards foundations to its core with planet-changing performances or setpieces, but it sure is a fun hour and a half.

There it is, friends! Please fire away with any comments or questions!

Thanks for reading!

sopranocaponyc · 05-13-2009, 12:49 AM

Once again Pete, You leave another excellent review. I picked this up today at Best Buy along with major league, and Star Trek(6). The only thing i didn't like about this movie was that it was only 90 Min's. I will check it out one day.

Peter Marlowe · 05-13-2009, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sopranocaponyc

Once again Pete, You leave another excellent review. I picked this up today at Best Buy along with major league, and Star Trek(6). The only thing i didn't like about this movie was that it was only 90 Min's. I will check it out one day.

And as usual, Soprano, your kind response is as honest as you are a human being...thank you for reading, my good friend!

The film was 90 minutes, but it FELT longer, and I actually look forward to the films that are a bit shorter today, that's why I said it was refreshing to sit through a 90-minute run time...

You got Star Trek VI on Blu-ray? The Undiscovered Country is one of my favorite Treks in the series -- probably because Nick Meyer (the guy who did Wrath of Khan) directed it, and has a good sense of space battle sequences and Federation weaponry.

Yes, please let us know what you thought of TAKEN when you get a chance!

mshulman · 05-13-2009, 02:23 PM

Great review!

Great movie too.

The only criticism I have for you is that I don't typically read your reviews because you divulge too much info for my taste if its a movie I haven't seen. If you toned it down a bit and didn't reveal so many details I'd probably read more of them since they are very informative (a bit too much right now)

Peter Marlowe · 05-13-2009, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mshulman

Great review!

Great movie too.

The only criticism I have for you is that I don't typically read your reviews because you divulge too much info for my taste if its a movie I haven't seen. If you toned it down a bit and didn't reveal so many details I'd probably read more of them since they are very informative (a bit too much right now)

Thank you so much for reading, and for your comments, too! I will DEFINITELY take your advice and tone down the divulgence of plot information. Thank you, M!

PokerFace · 05-13-2009, 10:29 PM

great review, this came out all ready. i feel like I just saw it.

Peter Marlowe · 05-13-2009, 11:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PokerFace

great review, this came out all ready. i feel like I just saw it.

Thanks, Poker!

You know what's funny? I said the EXACT same thing to my fiance when I watched it last night -- I felt like this JUST came out in theaters like...last week...it's so weird!

But you're right.

Peter Marlowe · 05-14-2009, 03:33 PM

BTW, Soprano:

Please tell me your impressions of this disc when you have a free moment (when you see it) as I am curious if you found the same thick, almost nasty grain structure running rampant behind certain sequences on this 2.40:1 transfer. It's been the subject of debate on other forums and review sites, and I've received a handful of e-mails from people who agreed and disagreed regarding the visuals on this disc.

Thanks!

mshulman · 05-14-2009, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter Marlowe

Thank you so much for reading, and for your comments, too! I will DEFINITELY take your advice and tone down the divulgence of plot information. Thank you, M!

Maybe you could do a brief summary, then with the spoiler tag do your longer full story review? Then you don't have to really change your style, just perhaps add a brief overview of what the general idea of the movie is.

Peter Marlowe · 05-14-2009, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mshulman

Maybe you could do a brief summary, then with the spoiler tag do your longer full story review? Then you don't have to really change your style, just perhaps add a brief overview of what the general idea of the movie is.

I'll figure out a way to divulge less and yet do a good analysis as well; thank you for your suggestions!

HD Goofnut · 05-14-2009, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter Marlowe

I'll figure out a way to divulge less and yet do a good analysis as well; thank you for your suggestions!

That would definitely be nice because I might actually read them then.

Peter Marlowe · 05-14-2009, 09:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

That would definitely be nice because I might actually read them then.

I know you haven't been one of the members who have anything remotely kind to say to me, and have taken liberties to point out any element of my reviews which can expose them in a negative light, et.al. calling them "essays" and joining in the ongoing harrang that has plagued multiple reply channels via members who are no longer here, plus continuing the dog fight in the thread at the top of this section of the forum...but I have always held my own and stayed the course, defending the fact that I write in my own unique style with providing a plethora of detail and personal plot analysis -- I will begin to comply with member requests for not divulging so much plot information, but I won't adjust my lengthy style of the reviews under threat that someone "will not read them" which is what I suspect you're attempting here. It's been cleared with administration and moderation teams that very long reviews have been authorized and it's been suggested that those who don't care to read or partake in such threads shouldn't enter such threads and derail them for the sake of claiming the review is too long.

At any rate, I am glad, in keeping with the spirit of the newly implemented and now enforced site policy of members providing different viewpoints of one title, that you and I have given two freshly separate review presentations of Taken. I suppose you were one of the members of the opinion -- based on the subject matter of your reply -- who felt too much plot information was being divulged, and while I thought I had a handle on that compared to the early beginnings of my review contributions on this site, apparently I need to re-evaluate the approach once again, and so I shall.

I will either be implementing this through spoiler tags (which we've discussed tirelessly in the past, I am aware, but which I don't really care to use because I feel it interrupts the "flow" of an editorial piece) or by way of doing something very different to the plot analysis -- probably doing less of the scene-by-scene breakdowns.

HD Goofnut · 05-14-2009, 09:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter Marlowe

I know you haven't been one of the members who have anything remotely kind to say to me, and have taken liberties to point out any element of my reviews which can expose them in a negative light, et.al. calling them "essays" and joining in the ongoing harrang that has plagued multiple reply channels via members who are no longer here, plus continuing the dog fight in the thread at the top of this section of the forum...but I have always held my own and stayed the course, defending the fact that I write in my own unique style with providing a plethora of detail and personal plot analysis -- I will begin to comply with member requests for not divulging so much plot information, but I won't adjust my lengthy style of the reviews under threat that someone "will not read them" which is what I suspect you're attempting here. It's been cleared with administration and moderation teams that very long reviews have been authorized and it's been suggested that those who don't care to read or partake in such threads shouldn't enter such threads and derail them for the sake of claiming the review is too long.

At any rate, I am glad, in keeping with the spirit of the newly implemented and now enforced site policy of members providing different viewpoints of one title, that you and I have given two freshly separate review presentations of Taken. I suppose you were one of the members of the opinion -- based on the subject matter of your reply -- who felt too much plot information was being divulged, and while I thought I had a handle on that compared to the early beginnings of my review contributions on this site, apparently I need to re-evaluate the approach once again, and so I shall.

I will either be implementing this through spoiler tags (which we've discussed tirelessly in the past, I am aware, but which I don't really care to use because I feel it interrupts the "flow" of an editorial piece) or by way of doing something very different to the plot analysis -- probably doing less of the scene-by-scene breakdowns.

The reason I don't read your reviews is because you REVEAL TOO MUCH PLOT, but I thought Rizzo showed you how to use the spoiler tags. Either write a short synopsis or use the spoiler tags. Why is this such a issue for you? This is primarily why you don't get along with many of the members here, well that and the fact your ego is as big as a house.

Peter Marlowe · 05-15-2009, 02:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

The reason I don't read your reviews is because you REVEAL TOO MUCH PLOT, but I thought Rizzo showed you how to use the spoiler tags. Either write a short synopsis or use the spoiler tags. Why is this such a issue for you? This is primarily why you don't get along with many of the members here, well that and the fact your ego is as big as a house.

And I already explained, in great, adult-ladened detail in the reply above to you, that I will not alter my writing style in terms of length (which has nothing to do with revealing plot) because you find the need to tell me to do so.

My ego is as big as a house? You have absolutely NO idea what you are talking about, and apparently no consideration for another person's feelings or how your comments may offend someone -- par for the course, as your commentaries have proven this in the past. If you really really knew me as an actual person and communicated with me as friends and associates do in work and personal relationships, you'd know that I don't have ANY ego, nor do I think myself better than anyone -- you're WAY off on that one.

You know what's the most disturbing about the whole fiasco we're talking about? I'm discussing these elements of life and online blog boards with someone who actually chose to call himself HD Goofnut...for that, I should honestly have my head examined.

Actually, I have a better idea...I'm just going to go ahead and put you back on "IGNORE" so if you think I am "hiding" from your eventual and predictable response to this, you are mistaken. I just don't want to hear from you any longer.

Knock yourself out!

**bruceames** · 05-15-2009, 07:30 AM

Ok guys, constuctive criticism is fine, but let's not get personal please. Peter put a lot of time and effort into this review, and if you think it reveals too much plot, just say so and move on.

05-12-2009, 11:45 PM	#1
Peter Marlowe Resident BD/DVD Reviewer Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 2,298	TAKEN: 2-DISC EXTENDED CUT (20th Century Fox) - A Review by Peter Marlowe I WILL FIND YOU. I WILL KILL YOU. *TAKEN (2009) -- Review by P. Marlowe 5/12/09* Studio Name: 20th Century Fox MPAA Rating: UNRATED & PG-13 Disc Information: 50GB Dual Layer Widescreen 2.40:1; U.S. Region 1 Release Video Codec: AVC@ 34 MBPS Tested Audio Track: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (DTS core tested) Director: Pierre Morel Starring Cast: Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen DIGITAL COPY of the film included *SYNOPSIS:* Some marketing materials for this outrageous, edge-of-your-seat Liam Neeson thriller proclaimed "Move Over, Jason Bourne!" and indeed, Neeson kicks mucho ass in this...so much so that some parallel him and can envision him as a 007 down the line...with some British accent lessons, of course. Theatrically, Taken didn't succeed, and that was a head-scratcher because this was one of the most entertaining films -- let alone action pictures -- of the past few months. Making the theatrical launch very bittersweet for Mr. Neeson was the fact that his wife had died while they were on a ski vacation I believe it was...right before the film had opened in box offices everywhere. But oh, how Neeson just fit like a glove in this role...the plot tells a rather brief 90-minute run time story about Neeson's character, who is a retired special agent spy with Jason Bourne and James Bond-like training, and who has become overtly paranoid from his time during his missions. He is divorced from the sexy Famke Janssen (House on Haunted Hill) and brings his paranoia and over-protectiveness to his daughter's world; the daughter, played by Maggie Grace, is a teenager now living with her new stepfather, a seemingly wealthy balding putz who owns a mansion and throws birthday parties for Grace that Nicky Hilton would be jealous of...almost. There's a sense of competition between the two fathers; Neeson brings Grace a GPX-brand karaoke machine for her birthday, and the stepfather buys her a horse which she rides around in front of her friends. And the ex-wife? Janssen plays the ultra-bitch she's so good at playing in things like House on Haunted Hill. At first, you wouldn't think the rather semi-aging Neeson could pull off a role such as this...but as the action heats up, his performance as a martial arts-laden superspy is one you simply have to experience to appreciate. A group of Neeson's also retired spy friends tell him about a job they want to include him on, which involves private protection for a pop diva singer. Neeson agrees, and is assigned direct protection in the girl's dressing room. When the singer is attacked by an armed assailant, we see Neeson's training come into action for the first time -- and he puts this guy down as fast as Steven Seagal. There's a connection between Neeson's daughter wanting to be a pop singer and this girl he's protecting; after Neeson saves her life, she gives up her manager and vocal coach's contact information for his daughter. Those kinds of chances don't come every day. The plot begins to come alive when Neeson meets Grace at a favorite restaurant, with Janssen in tow, and the daughter tells him she wants to go to Paris with her best friend to experience all the culture and art of the city -- the truth is, the girls are going to supposedly follow U2 on their European tour dates. While Neeson's paranoid, ridiculously overprotective character doesn't know this yet, he refuses at first but then allows her to go to Paris with the condition that she stay in touch with him at all times. The girls go, and the trampy, promiscuous friend ends up falling for a lame Euro-trasher named "Peter" who asks to share a cab with them on the Taxi line outside Charles DeGaulle Airport. Peter asks them to come to a party that night, and gets the address where they're staying, but he ends up being a contact guy for a group of Albanians who have staked a claim in France for the business of kidnapping and selling young girls for high-end prostitution rings. In an exciting sequence, Neeson finally speaks to the daughter after attempting to contact her countless times, and as she speaks, her friend is abducted by a group of men right across the way from the bathroom she is in. Neeson understands what is going on just from what she is telling him, and in a rather odd part braces her for the fact that she's about to be kidnapped -- I thought Pierre Morel clouded things a bit here, as it's almost as if Neeson knew this was coming based on his reactions on the phone; at any rate, Neeson gets a good listen to their accents as they kidnap the girl. In the film's marketing jargon -- as indicated at the top of my review -- Neeson seethes some heavy-duty threats about what will happen to these men if they don't give him his daughter back...and it's really cool to listen to. Liam Neeson as a bad ass! Well, he proved he could do this already in Batman Begins but this is different; the kidnappers reply with "Good Luck"...and the chase is on. Neeson informs Janssen what has happened, along with the a-hole stepfather, and the rich stepfather flies him to Paris via private jet, where he breaks down every door to find his daughter. These sequences are the most exciting in Taken, where Neeson first learns who the kid was who spotted his daughter and her friend -- and who is still doing it as more girls fly into Paris -- and beats him to a pulp trying to gain information. With the spotter dead (in a wild scene in which he's struck by a speeding truck) Neeson turns his sights on the underground prostitution ring in the city, which eventually leads him to the Albanians who are in control of the kidnapping ring. All the while, a French investigator who has a history with Neeson's character, is tracking his every move, refusing to give up any information about the group. Neeson's search eventually lands him in a place where ultra-wealthy sheiks and lords from all over the globe actually sit in a circle and "buy" sexy young girls that have been kidnapped by this organization and drugged into coma-like states so they simply cannot resist. The sequence where the girls are "bid on" is a bit disturbing, but what's more disturbing is the visual of the fat bastard beached whale who bid on Neeson's daughter -- the thought of what that fat f**ing pig was going to do to this teen in high heels stoned out of her gourd on G-d knows what will make you barf up your Marie Calendar's Lasagna dinner. Good thing Neeson arrived just in time, eh? There's also a clever, satisfying end sequence involving the pop diva from the beginning and Neeson's daughter, which I won't divulge. What's refreshing about Taken* is that for the first time in a long time, a film actually made sense and didn't require a doctorate in mythology to really understand...not only that, it runs at a brisk 90 minutes as I said, so it never really drags on in any one spot. This was a very entertaining, solidly-made action thriller that although I enjoyed more in the theater, will definitely have replay time in your home theaters. Also of note...this is the "Unrated" 2-Disc Extended Cut of the title, which gives you the option of watching the theatrical version or the "extended" version; after selecting the extended cut, I saw really nothing different nor "longer" to warrant it receiving this moniker as compared to my memory of the theatrical release. But Neeson does kick ass in this... Did I say that already? *VIDEO QUALITY:* Theatrically, Taken didn't look good at all -- and it apparently carries over to Blu-ray on this AVC 34 MBPS codec used by Fox. Theatrically, the film was loaded with grain -- definitely a stylistic and photographic choice -- and the same effect and image stains the Blu-ray release. The outdoor sequences of the film look fantastic for the most part -- but the majority of Taken just looks crummy in my opinion; there's a heavy dose of grain that becomes distracting at many points, causing, like so often, a given scene to go soft and un-HD-like. As a matter of fact, I would go so far to say that if you want to save a few bucks, Taken may even satisfy enough on standard DVD. *AUDIO QUALITY:* If the video transfer wasn't really top-notch, the film's DTS Master Audio mix makes up for it -- in LFE spades. Even running at its core DTS track, the mix is absolutely loaded with low frequency effects that rattle the walls to the point you'll have to turn down your master volume to compensate. There's an abundance of every element that makes a good sound design here: Cars rushing into the surround channels during chase sequences, intelligible dialogue, crushing bass...the track was very impressive. I found this better than Fox's last co-release, Quantum of Solace which was also in Master Audio. If there was anything to nit-pick, I would have to say the mix overall has a bit of a...how do I say it..."covered in a little bit of a blanket" effect -- what do I mean by this? Well, while certainly loud and aggressive, there's a style to this sound design that feels a bit "chesty" and "blanketed" as if some kind of noise reduction (audio) or dynamic range compression was added or on. And before you ask, yes, I did check to see that my system wasn't running with any "Night Mode" or range compression. But if wall-rattling, booming LFE is your thing, this track has it. SUMMARY: As I said, a solidly-made action thriller that will surely entertain Bourne and even Bond fans -- to see Liam Neeson kick ass since he did so in Batman Begins was truly nail-biting and exciting; while hammy and campy in certain places, his performance warrants putting this title on your shelf. *RECOMMENDATIONS:* I can whole-heartedly recommend this, friends; when I saw this theatrically, I walked out thinking I couldn't wait to get the Blu-ray when it came out...it seemingly came out in the blink of an eye because it didn't apparently do well at the box office, and I can recommend it for any fan of the action/spy/martial arts genre. It's not anything that is going to shake the Oscar Awards foundations to its core with planet-changing performances or setpieces, but it sure is a fun hour and a half. There it is, friends! Please fire away with any comments or questions! Thanks for reading! __________________ THEATER: ONKYO TX-SR605B OPPO BDP-83 SONY 1080p KDS-50A2020 SXRD Mains: polkaudio RTi12 - *NEW!* Center: polkaudio CSi30 Surrounds: SpeakerCraft In-Ceiling Sub: polkaudio PSW350 APC SurgeArrest System INTERCONNECTS & SPEAKER CABLING BY MONSTER *2-CHANNEL (IN PROGRESS):* ONKYO A-9555 (coming soon) polkaudio R20 (possibly) Stands by Sanus Systems (possibly) marantz CC4001 TASCAM CD-RW900SL Professional Technics SL-1200 (coming soon) Numark CD MIX-1 Last edited by Peter Marlowe; 05-12-2009 at 11:56 PM.

05-13-2009, 02:23 PM	#4
mshulman My Projector is High Def. Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Marlborough, MA Age: 35 Posts: 6,766	Great review! Great movie too. The only criticism I have for you is that I don't typically read your reviews because you divulge too much info for my taste if its a movie I haven't seen. If you toned it down a bit and didn't reveal so many details I'd probably read more of them since they are very informative (a bit too much right now) __________________ Toshiba HD-A2 and HD-A3 PS3 Panasonic BD-P1600 Sanyo PLV-Z3 Canon HF-10 Onkyo 805 Panasonic TC-P46S1 Vholdr 1080P HD Helmet Cam "I eat green berets for breakfast and I'm very hungry!"

05-14-2009, 03:33 PM	#8
Peter Marlowe Resident BD/DVD Reviewer Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 2,298	BTW, Soprano: Please tell me your impressions of this disc when you have a free moment (when you see it) as I am curious if you found the same thick, almost nasty grain structure running rampant behind certain sequences on this 2.40:1 transfer. It's been the subject of debate on other forums and review sites, and I've received a handful of e-mails from people who agreed and disagreed regarding the visuals on this disc. Thanks! __________________ THEATER: ONKYO TX-SR605B OPPO BDP-83 SONY 1080p KDS-50A2020 SXRD Mains: polkaudio RTi12 - *NEW!* Center: polkaudio CSi30 Surrounds: SpeakerCraft In-Ceiling Sub: polkaudio PSW350 APC SurgeArrest System INTERCONNECTS & SPEAKER CABLING BY MONSTER *2-CHANNEL (IN PROGRESS):* ONKYO A-9555 (coming soon) polkaudio R20 (possibly) Stands by Sanus Systems (possibly) marantz CC4001 TASCAM CD-RW900SL Professional Technics SL-1200 (coming soon) Numark CD MIX-1

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05-13-2009, 12:49 AM	#2
sopranocaponyc High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: NYC Age: 33 Posts: 821	Once again Pete, You leave another excellent review. I picked this up today at Best Buy along with major league, and Star Trek(6). The only thing i didn't like about this movie was that it was only 90 Min's. I will check it out one day.

05-13-2009, 10:29 PM	#6
PokerFace High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: BaySide Age: 30 Posts: 60	great review, this came out all ready. i feel like I just saw it.

05-15-2009, 07:30 AM	#15
bruceames Moderator Join Date: May 2006 Location: Novato, CA Posts: 10,583	Ok guys, constuctive criticism is fine, but let's not get personal please. Peter put a lot of time and effort into this review, and if you think it reveals too much plot, just say so and move on.