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    WSR Detailed DVD Review
    Contender, The


    Genre: Thriller

    Reviewed In Issue 49 (June 2001) Of Widescreen Review®

    Stars:
    Gary Oldman, Joan Allen, Jeff Bridges, Christian Slater, Sam Elliott, William Petersen, Saul Rubinek & Philip Baker Hall

    WSR Review Scores
    WSR Picture Rating: 4.5
    DD Sound Rating: 3.5
    DTS Sound Rating: 4
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    Reference Systems
    Critics' Composite Score: 3.5
    Internet Links
    http://www.dtsonline.com
    http://www.dreamworks.com
    Special Features
    Includes audio commentary with director Rod Lurie and star Joan Allen, a making-of documentary, ten deleted scenes with or without commentary, biographies, the theatrical trailer, plus booklet and on-screen production notes.


     DVD General Information

    (Studio/Distributor): DreamWorks Home Entertainment
    (Catalog Number): 87809
    (MPAA Rating): R
    (Rating Reason):

    		 Rated R for strong sexual content and language.
    (Retail Price): $26.99
    (DVD Type): Single Side, Dual Layer (DVD9)
    (Widescreen Edition): Yes
    (Full Screen Edition): No
    (Anamorphic Widescreen): Yes
    (Running Time In Minutes): 127
    (Color Type): Color
    (Chaptered/Scene Access): Yes
    (Closed Captioned): No
    (Regional Coding): 1
    (Theatrical Year): 2000
    (Theatrical Release): Yes
    (Direct-To-Video Release): No
    (DVD Release Date): 03/06/01
    (THX® Digitally Mastered): No

     Credits Information

    (Director): Rod Lurie
    (Screenplay/Written By): Subscribe Now!
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    (Director Of Photography): Subscribe Now!
    (Production Designer): Subscribe Now!
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    (Supervising Sound Editors): Subscribe Now!
    (Re-Recording Mixers): Subscribe Now!
    (Executive Producers): Subscribe Now!
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    (Academy Awards): Subscribe Now!

      DVD Picture Information

    (Principal Photography): Subscribe Now!
    (Theatrical Aspect Ratio): Subscribe Now!
    (Measured DVD Anamorphic Aspect Ratio): Subscribe Now!
    (Measured DVD Letterbox Aspect Ratio): Subscribe Now!

      DVD Sound Information

    (DVD Soundtrack): Subscribe Now!
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    (WSR Superb Sound Qualities): Subscribe Now!

      WSR Narrative Review
    Story Synopsis:
    United States President Jackson Evans (Bridges) has a tough decision on his hands after the sudden death of the Vice President. The frontrunner, Governor Jack Hathaway, is involved in an attempt to save an accident victim

    DVD Picture:
    The anamorphically enhanced 1.78:1 DVD picture is smooth and solid, with sharp and nicely detailed images. Some scenes have a stylized, slightly soft appearance. Colors are well balanced, with accurate fleshtones and deep blacks. One has to really be searching to catch a trace of enhancement. This DVD has a very film-like appearance. The source element is clean, with occasionally detected film grain and infrequent artifacts. Very rarely does an image shimmer, or show signs of pixelization. (Suzanne Hodges)

    Soundtrack:
    The sonic presentations for the 5.1-channel discrete soundtracks have been well-recorded, though are somewhat louder than would be expected for this rather quiescent-natured film. Voices have been recorded with impressive clarity, though they tend to sound overprominent with emphasis in the mid-bass. Much of the soundstage is centric toward mono dialogue, though at times atmospheric sound effects are spread across the screen, albeit with very little surround envelopment. Although there are a few exceptions, the surrounds are virtually quiet throughout. Deep bass and the .1 LFE typically are limited as well, except for some effects and music, notably during the opening credits and the dramatic auto splash into the river. The DTS

    This Disc Contains The Following WSR-Rated Superb Qualities:
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