Blu-Ray Review:
The International
By Jason Gillard
*Screenshots are not from the Blu-Ray source.
Movie
Current Rottentomatoes.com score 58% Fresh: 109 Rotten: 78
Interpol agent Louis Salinger (Clive Owen) and his partner, New York Assistant D.A. Eleanor Whitman (Naomi Watts), are consistently stonewalled by local law enforcement in their attempt to close in on the bank's insiders. The conflict deepens two-fold as Salinger discovers not only how wide the bank's nefarious influence spreads, but how loosely he will act within legal boundaries to get his man.
I remember the International coming out in theaters but it didn't last long. So I didn't have high hopes sitting down to watch this one. But I was pleasantly surprised to find a good movie with conspiracy theories and some good action scenes thrown it. Clive Owen is a great choice as the Interpol agent and considering how good he was in Shoot Em Up he is well adept at taking over the action role. The movie moves along at a pretty brisk pace. Everybody likes a movie where the big corporation is going to be brought down by the little guy. There are some really cool action scenes. Massive amounts of gunfire erupt, so if you like that sort of thing, it's definitely in there. I liked the movie but still think I like the Bourne films better. Having said that this is a good film with a good plot.
7 out of 10
Video
Presented in it's original aspect ratio of 2.40:1 the International has received an almost perfect 1080p transfer. I noticed right away that the detail level in this transfer was fantastic. Everything from clothes, to the actor's faces, to buildings could be seen in striking detail. Depth is also good. Black levels are solid showcasing some nighttime city shots with stunning clarity. At the beginning of the movie it's raining and you can see the reflection in the water. This scene for most transfers would be hard to get right, but the transfer here showcases it with razor sharp accuracy. There is also a light bit of film grain throughout the frame which is perfect and the transfer makes it one of the most film-like transfers yet. Overall this is a very impressive transfer and one that ranks up there with the best transfers the format has to offer.
10 out of 10
Audio
I am happy to say that the audio fares as well as the video. When the movie opens we are in the midst of a thunderstorm. Rain and thunder envelope the listener in sound. This is a sign of things to come. When there is tons of gunfire every shot comes across realistically and with power, making you feel every shot as it either hits its target or the wall or any other piece of furniture in the room. Ambient noise is also present. Crowd noises in the political rally scene also put you the viewer in the midst of the action. Dialogue also comes across well, never having me reach for the remote to hear something one of the actors said. The LFE channel is also active, bringing sonic impact to everything from the rain to gunshots. This is a fantastic Dolby TrueHD soundtrack that deliverers from the first scene to the end.
10 out of 10
Extras
Here is what you get in the way of extras:
Commentary with Director Tom Tykwer and Writer Eric Singer
'The International' Experience: Picture-in-Picture
Salinger & Whitman -- Extended Scene
Making 'The International'
Shooting at the Guggenheim
The Architecture of 'The International'
The Autostadt
BD-Live
Digital Copy of the Film
There is a lot of good material here. I really enjoyed "Making: The International". Most of the information contained in this feature can be seen in the picture-in-picture track, but you get to see it full screen here. It's a good background on what it took to make this film. I also really like the feature called "Shooting at the Guggenheim". This feature details the fake museum they had to create for the really cool shoot out in the film. I found "The Autostadt" a really cool location and the feature of the same name talks briefly about what it was like to shoot at this Volkswagen plant. If you don't want to be bothered with watching everything in its entirety, then the picture-in-picture track is a good thing to watch because it covers most aspects of behind the scenes material in a condensed format. Overall I think they have done a good job with the extras here.
8 out of 10
Overall
This is a really good disc with great picture and great audio. The extras are decent and the movie is decent as well. If you were a fan of the movie there is no reason why you should not be adding this film to your collection. Even if you haven't seen it I suggest you pick it up.
9 out of 10