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Heist (The) (Blu-ray)
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - United Kingdom - Signature Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Samuel Scott (2nd February 2014). |
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The Film
 ***This is an A/V and extras review only. For reviews on the movie from various critics, we recommend visiting HERE.*** It was a stoke of genius, but now the perfect crime is turning into a perfect disaster.... Charles (Freeman), Roger (Walken) and George (H.Macy) are the very picture of honest security guards, but when they learn their favorite artworks are being sent to another museum, the concoct a plan to switch the real masterpieces with fakes. All goes well until a mistake forces these first-time thieves into a last-minute escapade. They're not bad guys... just bad thieves.
Video
Independent British distributor Signature Entertainment have released low-key comedy "The Heist" (original title "The Maiden Heist") onto Blu-ray in the United Kingdom at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The transfer is 1080p, and uses an AVC MPEG-4 encode. First off, the 1.78:1 aspect ratio. What the hell Signature Entertainment? The original aspect ratio is 2.35:1, yet you've decided to crop it to 1.78:1, chopping the transfer off at the sides. If you were so determined to have a 1.78:1 ratio, the least you could've done is leave it open matte. The problems do not stop there unfortunately. There are several instances of compression artefacts and colours often seem slightly washed out, with blacks looking particularly soft at times. The reds from uniforms also have a tendency to bleed on occasion. On the plus side, some of the details in close-ups look reasonably good, but even detail is annoyingly inconsistent. At least there are no scratches present. Despite all these problems, I have no doubt this is better than its DVD counterpart, but this is a recent film with an extremely well-known cast. It deserves much better. Note, that if 1.78:1 had been the original aspect ratio, I would rate the picture a C+ rather than a D+. The disc is region free, and the feature runs 90:14.
Audio
There are two audio tracks available here: - English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 - English LPCM 2.0 Stereo For my viewing, I opted for the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, which fares better than the transfer. The track is quite focused towards the front speakers for long periods of time, but the surrounds do kick in for the score and the occasional effect such as traffic, or an aeroplane flying overhead. Dialogue is generally clear, but the odd line does come across a little mumbled (usually from Christopher Walken). Volume levels are at least consistent however. Some of the environmental noises do not sound great, and sound more like background hiss than wind, or echoing airport hangars. Thankfully, there are no drop outs, scratches, or any other noticeable signs of damage. No subtitles have been included.
Extras
Nothing. Not even a trailer.
Overall
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