"The Fare" is a Hitchcockian romance in which Harris, a weary cab driver (Pesi), and his enigmatic passenger named Penny (Kelly), charms him as her ride begins over and over and over again as she disappears from the back seat without a trace each time. As he desperately tries to make sense of what happened, he resets his meter and is instantly brought back to the moment she first climbed into his cab. He and his passenger find themselves trapped in an endlessly looping ride that changes their lives forever. (Gary Reber)
Special features include commentary with Director D.C. Hamilton and commentary with Actor/Writer /Producer Brinna Kelly, alternate, deleted and extended scenes, a gag reel (HD 03:26), the featurettes "Secrets Of The Fare (HD 15:17) and "The Look Of The Fare (HD 09:02), and trailers.
The 2.39:1 1080p AVC picture, reviewed on a Sony Bravia Z9D 4K Ultra HD HDR display, upconverted to 2160p with greater resolution and luminance, was photographed digitally using Panavision cameras and sourced from a 2K master Digital Intermediate format. The movie opens with brief color then extensive black-and-white, turning to color, and back and forth. Color fidelity is excellent with natural hues throughout within the cab. The exterior of the cab is accurate yellow, as in a yellow Checker Cab. The focus is on facial appearances with accurate fleshtones. Contrast is well balanced with effective spotlighting, such as interior lighting and the cab headlights, deep blacks and aerial shadow delineation at night. Daylight scenes are naturally colorful and vibrant. Resolution is excellent with fine facial features, hair and beard stubble finely detailed. The dispatcher radio is nicely detailed, Clothing is also nicely defined along with Penny's jewelry. The imagery is narrowly focused within a cab with exterior environmental settings. This is an unusual picture but effectively dramatic and well crafted. (Gary Reber)
The Dolby Digital 5.1-channel soundtrack delivers excellent fidelity with at times good dynamics, such as segments of powerful thunder and lighting, an engine noise from the cab and road sounds. All are supported with strong and deep bass and effective .1 LFE sub-25 Hz frequencies. The voices on the dispatcher radio and the radio are effectively presented. During one crash segment, there is realistic-sounding shattering windshield glass. As the movie progresses, the thunderstorm intensifies with dynamic intensity. The engine sounds of stalling and ignition starts sound realistic, as does the sound of radio interference. Sound effects throughout are effectively aggressive and occupy the soundfield. The music score nicely complements the unfolding of the story with a wide and deep soundstage. Dialogue is intelligible throughout, with varying dialogue effects. Penny's voice is, for the most part, quite forward sounding, as with ADR, while Harris retains good spatial integration throughout. This is a captivating soundtrack. (Gary Reber)