BLU-RAY REVIEW

Righteous Kill

Featured In Issue 139, March/April 2009

Picture5
SoundNR
WSR Score3.5
Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
(Studio/Distributor):
Anchor Bay Entertainment
(Catalog Number):
N3061
(MPAA Rating):
R
(Rating Reason):
Violence, pervasive language, some sexuality and brief drug use
(Retail Price):
$39.98
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Dual Layer (BD-50)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
No
(Running Time In Minutes):
103
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
Not Indicated
(Theatrical Year):
2008
(Theatrical Release):
Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release):
No
(Disc Release Date):
01/06/09
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
No
(Director):
Jon Avnet
(Screenplay/Written By):
(Story):
(Music):
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer):
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor):
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers):
(Co-Producers):
(Producers):
(Academy Awards):
(Principal Photography):
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
(Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
(Disc Soundtrack):
Dolby TrueHD 5.1
(Theatrical Sound):
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(DTS Bit Rate):
(Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
(Additional Languages):
(French Language):
(Spanish Language):
(Chinese Language):
(Subtitles):
(Cantonese Language):
(Mandarin Language):
(Japanese Language):
(Italian Language):
(German Language):
(Portuguese Language):

After 30 years as partners in the pressure-cooker environment of the NYPD, highly decorated Detectives David Fisk (Pacino) and Thomas Cowan (De Niro) should be ready for retirement, but aren't. Before they can hang up their badges, they are called in to investigate the murder of a notorious pimp, which appears to have ties to a case they solved years before. Like the original murder, the victim is a suspected criminal whose body is found accompanied by a four-line poem justifying the killing. When additional crimes take place, it becomes clear the detectives are looking for a serial killer, one who targets criminals that have fallen through the cracks of the judicial system. (Gary Reber)

Special features include two featurettes: The Investigation: An In-Depth Look At Righteous Kill (HD 14:23) and The Thin Blue Line: An Exploration Of Cops & Criminals (HD 19:05), the theatrical trailer, and BD-Live interactivity.

The 2.35:1 1080p AVC picture quality is excellent throughout. Contrast is well executed, exhibiting finely rendered highlights and deep, solid blacks. Shadow delineation, overall, is excellent. Resolution is terrific, with finely resolved facial expressions and textures. Fleshtones are absolutely natural looking, with differences in complexions clearly discernible. While, overall, the picture is solid, at times noise is noticeable, but never objectionable. This is a very natural-looking picture with excellent color fidelity delineated with rich, saturated colors and superb resolution. (Gary Reber)

The Dolby® TrueHD 5.1-channel soundtrack is nicely produced with, at times, an active holosonic ® presence. Surround envelopment is often aggressive and directionalized for effect. Dialogue is generally well recorded and intelligible throughout, though, often sounding forward with no support for spatial integration. ADR dialogue production is prominent. The music score is nicely recorded and wraps into the surrounds, providing effective envelopment support. Sound effects and Foley effects are convincing and often aggressively directionalized as well. At times, though, they can overpower a scene. Occasionally, bass extension is deep, extending to below 25 Hz. Overall, this is an effective soundtrack that is sure to please. (Gary Reber)