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Fourth State (The)
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray B - United Kingdom - Koch Media Review written by and copyright: Samuel Scott (23rd November 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.*** Paul Jensen has taken a job as society-pages editor of Moscow Match. Whilst investigating a story, Paul witnesses the murder of a respected reporter critical of the Russian regime - and when the magazine kills his colleagues story on the suspicious circumstances surrounding the journalist's death, Paul suggests that the piece run as part of his celebrity coverage never suspecting this will land him in the middle of a terrorist plot.
Video
Koch Media have released the German funded, English/Russian language euro-thriller "The Fourth State" on to Blu-ray in the United Kingdom using the original aspect ratio of 2.35:1. The transfer is 1080p, and receives an AVC MPEG-4 encode. It's a strong looking release. As with many euro-thrillers that have been doing the rounds the last few years, director of photography Daniel Gottschalk has opted for a desaturated look, with blue and greens hues in consistent use. The palette that comes with this, suits the tone and cold Russian setting perfectly, and although blacks aren't always as deep as they perhaps should be, details shine through the lighter colours. The minute details in the jumpers worn by various characters, the small blemishes in the cast members' skin, every errant hair, and even dirty smears on glass surfaces, all go towards giving the feature an excellent sense of depth. Details in shots which look into the distance also look very good. Shot on digital using an Arri Alexa (with some high-speed shots using an Arriflex 435), this transfer is very pleasing indeed. Aside from some minor crush here and there, and one or two insignificant signs of compression artefacts, there aren't any obvious or major problems of note. Not reference quality, but certainly well placed in the high-end spectrum of transfers. The film is uncut, and runs 115:26.
Audio
Two audio options are available, both of which are in the original language: - English/Russian DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 - English/Russian LPCM 2.0 Stereo For my viewing, I opted for the English/Russian DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, despite the fact that the film plays using the stereo track by default. Like the transfer, I was very pleased with what we have been given. The noticeably strong use of the surrounds starts as early as 2:15 when the block of flats is demolished, but continues throughout the feature, whether it be in explosions, subtle environmental noise, or when cameras take Paul's mugshots in the Russian jail. Directionality and channel separation is excellent, with nary a foot stepped wrong, and the explosion/building demolition scenes make good use of the LFE without becoming overly enthusiastic. Dialogue is clear at all times, though can sound ever so slightly flat on occasion depending on the location. Still, there are no issues with scratches, drop outs or background hiss to speak off. An immersive and enjoyable experience. English subtitles are included for the Russian dialogue only, and are forced.
Extras
Just a solitary start-up trailer: - "Arbitrage" (1:31)
Overall
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