Appaloosa Blu-ray

New Line Cinema | 2008 | 114 mins | Rated R | Jan 13, 2009

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Video Video codec: VC-1 Video resolution: 1080p Aspect ratio: 2.40:1 Audio English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English: Dolby Digital 5.1 English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (less) Subtitles English, English SDH, Spanish English, English SDH, Spanish (less) Disc 25GB Blu-ray Disc Digital copy

Price List price: $28.99  Amazon: $15.49 (Save 47%) Third party: $11.43 (Save 61%) Usually ships in 24 hours Blu-ray rating Users 3.7 Reviewer 3.5 Overall 3.6 Based on 17 user ratings Playback Region free

Appaloosa

The first thing you'll notice about Appaloosa's 1080p/VC-1 transfer is that it's slightly softer than most modern Blu-ray transfers -- its textures aren't as crisp, fabric and skin are a bit dull, and fine foreground details aren't as refined (even with the occasional help of some rather intrusive edge enhancement). If I didn't know any better, I would assume I was watching a remastered catalog classic. Even so, it all looks considerably sharper than the standard DVD edition and still has a lot to offer fans of the film. Closeups in particular look quite good, showing every wrinkle in Harris' face and every terse line around Zellweger's lips. Better still, the transfer's warm, rich palette evokes the Westerns of old while its deep blacks and natural contrast give the image the expected depth and dimensionality of a recent production. Furthermore, fleshtones are natural and delineation is spot on... regardless of the strength of the accompanying light source. The starkest shadows in the hottest light fail to conceal facial expressions, obscure detail, or ruin the overall quality of the picture. As it stands, even scenes shot at night look fantastic and rarely suffer from any visibility issues.

Noise has been kept to a minimum and, aside from some minor banding in the bright skies, there isn't a hint of artifacting, crush, or aliasing to be found. I suspect the aforementioned softness should be attributed to the film's original print, but Warner's habitual use of DNR shouldn't be ignored. Unfortunately, the definition of the overall image makes it tough to tell whether the reduced clarity is the result of the film's source or overzealous post processing. Either way, Appaloosa doesn't deliver the high-def polish I had hoped for. I was expecting to be blown away by Harris' vistas and Semler's cinematography, but instead had to settle for an above average transfer that could have been a reference quality standout.

Appaloosa Blu-ray, Audio Quality

Appaloosa includes a subdued but effective Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround track that captures the subtle sense of solitude and seclusion Harris has massaged into each and every scene. The track does a great job of capitalizing on the rear speakers, melding believable environmental ambience with Semler's gorgeous cinematography and pairing convincing interior acoustics with the spacious saloons and cramped hotel rooms featured in the film. Moreover, robust low-end support and sharp dynamics allow explosive gunfire to pierce the soundscape, surprising the listener with its sudden power as much as it surprises the on-screen gunmen with its sudden appearance. In fact, it's extremely easy to immerse oneself in the resultant soundfield. Pans are smooth and transparent, directionality is precise, and the high-end wheen of whizzing bullets is light and stable. More importantly, dialogue is crisp, clear, and nicely prioritized -- even under heavy fire, Virgil's mumbled exclamations and Everett's softest whispers are perfectly intelligible.

The Blu-ray edition of Appaloosa may not revel in aggressive sonics like other notable high-def Westerns, but its naturalistic qualities and nuanced soundfield nevertheless allow this one to emerge as an impressive lossless effort from Warner Brothers.

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