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What Doesn't Kill You
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray B - United Kingdom - Signature Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Samuel Scott (25th July 2014). |
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The Film
 ***This is a technical review only. For reviews on the movie from various critics, we recommend visiting HERE.*** They didn't choose a life of crime. They came from it. What Doesn't Kill You follows the story of two childhood friends Brian (Ruffalo) and Paulie (Hawke). The pair have grown up on the tough and unforgiving streets of South Boston doing whatever they can to survive in the dog-eat-dog neighbourhood and ultimately falling under the sway of a powerful crime boss. As the vicious cycle of drugs, murder and robbery consume them the pair plan one last heist. Will they pull it off and escape the only life they know?
Video
Independent British distributor Signature Entertainment have released the 2008 crime thriller "What Doesn't Kill You" on to Blu-ray using the original aspect ratio of 2.35:1. The transfer is 1080p and uses an AVC MPEG-4 encode. First things first, the cinematography by Chris Norr (Sinister, Rob the Mob) really captures the winter conditions of Boston perfectly, with the blacks and whites contrasting each other well. The transfer here has transferred this tone very well indeed. Blacks are inky and deep throughout, whilst the various whites show good clarity, with the details of old snow on the roads adding some surprising depth to the picture. In fact, details are very strong throughout, most notably in the clothing materials such as the pale blue jail suits and the darker winter jackets. There is some unfortunate minor aliasing in the background of some scenes, such as the fencing at 46:32, but it's not notable enough to be much of a problem. There is some natural film grain throughout the picture, helping give the picture that gritty crime feel, though the transfer never becomes noisy. The picture can feel a little bright and overblown on occasion, but I believe to be a creative choice by the filmmakers, rather than a problem with the actual transfer. There are no signs of damage to the print such as scratches or dust. The film is uncut and runs 100:00.
Audio
There are two audio options 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 was strong, but at the same time, quite basic. It's a surprisingly dialogue heavy film, with some scenes of hard-hitting action, and the sound field notes this quite well. Dialogue remains central and is clear at all times, whilst the action segments make limited use of the LFE, and add a bit more depth with good effect direction and channel separation. Scenes which take place in more crowded environments, such as the bar scene, use some subtle environmental effects including general chatter and bar noise, though I do think the surrounds could have been better utilised at times. The score is fairly average, but the volume levels never interrupt the dialogue. There are no signs of problems like drop outs or scratches. No subtitles have been included.
Extras
Nothing at all.
Overall
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