Hijacked Blu-ray despite solid video and audio falls short as a Blu-ray release
Special agent Paul Ross (UFC star Randy Couture) has made it his mission to destroy the international crime syndicate known as "The Tribe" but when the group hijacks a private jumbo jet, Paul is pushed to new limits. The hijackers are demanding $2.73 billion or they'll begin killing off the passengers, one of which is Paul's ex-fiancée (Tiffany Dupont).
For more about Hijacked and the Hijacked Blu-ray release, see the Hijacked Blu-ray Review published by Martin Liebman on July 30, 2012 where this Blu-ray release scored 2.0 out of 5.
Hijacked is exactly the sort of movie that would have benefited from being scrapped at the developmental stage. Even for a direct to video
venture the movie is awful, not so awful as to be completely unwatchable, but it's certainly borderline. Imagine a flick in the style of Air Force One or Executive Decision with almost no action, an unnecessarily convoluted
plot, poorly-developed characters, terrible acting, unconvincing sets, lame visual effects, and bland direction, and one might have an idea of
what a bad movie this is. It's so bad that it stars a UFC fighter rather than professional wrestler. Apparently folks like John Cena, Ted DiBiase, Edge, and Triple H were smart enough to stay away from this clunker. Structurally, the
movie is bested by Asylum junk titles. Dramatically, well, there is no drama, and the action is so
brief and boring the gunshots barely register. Expectations are already low going in, and the movie manages to kill off any last shred of potential by
the end of the first act.
Randy Couture cannot explain the failure that is 'Hijacked.'
"The Tribe" is a terror group escalating violence in Gaza. Their influence and attacks are also spreading through Europe at an alarming rate. They are
also working in the drug business in Western Europe, and they're about target a very large corporate fish. Bruce Lieb (Craig Fairbrass) is a business
magnate who has just acquired Polar Energy. Scandal surrounds an unfazed Lieb who is set to depart for an overseas trip aboard his luxurious
private jet, one he purportedly won in a card game with Emir of Qatar, a jet that's the equivalent of a mansion on wheels and wings. Paul Ross
(Randy Couture) is a CIA operative who believes The Tribe is primed to target Lieb. He's also trying to save a fading relationship with his girlfriend,
who works with Lieb. Ross urges the flight be grounded, but it takes off anyway. Ross remains aboard to ensure the flight's safety, and it
doesn't take long for his hunch to become fact. The plane is overtaken by terrorists. There's a bomb on board, set to go off when the terrorists
accomplish
their mission. Now, Ross will have to use his skill set to save the plane and the people on it before a sinister plan is completed.
There's certainly not much to the plot. Viewers will likely give up early, uninterested in the details and content, at first, to wait for the action. And
wait and wait some more. Unfortunately, what little action there is comes rarely and ends quickly. The picture mixes up its priorities, refusing to
settle
for "dumb action," eschewing lots of gunfire and explosions in favor of building up a story that nobody watching is going to care about and that
doesn't
make a whole lot of sense anyway, even after a dull, anticlimactic ending where it's all pieced together in a string of hazy flashbacks (and first
introduced with the "fake news segments" crutch). The opening act
takes far too long to set everything in motion and the payoff is practically nil in acts two and three. Hijacked is a classic "go through the
motions" sort of movie, struggling to find intelligence in a genre that requires none and in which none is expected. Smarts are a bonus to be sure,
but
at the expense of action or, worse, at the expense of cohesion? That's a fatal flaw, one Hijacked demonstrates from the get-go.
Sadly, there are additional problems beyond the plot and lack of action to drag Hijacked down into the depths of bad movie-dom.
Hijacked isn't a big studio Action blockbuster and viewers (and reviewers) cannot treat it as such, but flimsy sets and CGI bullet holes really
detract from the experience. Brandon Nutt's direction does nothing to up the energy level or dramatic intensity, leaving the film completely in the
hands of a bloated and dull script and a cast that never falls into part. Randy Couture struggles to breathe life into the film's lead character. The
former UFC fighter has absolutely nothing to work with; it's a solid defense for a largely miserable performance, but he brings zero charisma and no
screen presence to the part, something the WWE actors seem to do quite well, even when mired in otherwise lower-rung movies. The film does cast
a few name actors in other parts, but again Hijacked does nothing with the talent other than aim the camera at it.
Hijacked may be an awful movie, but that hasn't stopped Anchor Bay from delivering a handsome 1080p Blu-ray transfer. Aside from fairly
consistent background banding -- particularly thick over the opening credits -- and flesh tones that sometimes push towards a shade of red, the image
appears quite
nice. Detail is solid-to-exemplary throughout. The HD video source photography captures some very nice textures throughout the movie, including
creases in
plush leather seats, lines in pricey tuxedos, and complex skin textures. The downside is that some of the shoddy set decorations look extra-cheap, but
the transfer certainly brings out everything there is to see. Colors are well-balanced aside from those reddish flesh tones. The nice appointments around
the plane look sharp, and even black attire appears deep and true. Shadow detail isn't perfect, but is at least acceptable. This isn't a mind-blowing
image, but it's representative of what a good Blu-ray
sourced from HD video photography should look like.
Hijacked's Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack largely impresses, though it's certainly not perfect. The opening party sequence offers smooth
Jazz notes that float through the front speakers and into the listening area. There's little surround support, and the general din of the party remains a
product of the front speakers, too. Score plays with the same sort of posture, emanating from the front and with a solid low end accompaniment.
Gunfire is fairly impressive. The biggest shootout occurs early in the film; there's a lot of noise and a fair sense of clarity to the various pops and cracks
and booms. The surrounds pick up steam here and carry a good bit of the information and help to transport the listening audience into the middle of the
havoc. There's not much ambient support on board the plane, and the rumble of takeoff never seems quite as deep and rattling as one might
expect. Dialogue is clear and firm, flowing easily and without trouble from the center channel. This is a good track for a low-budget Action flick. It's not
demo material, but it suits the movie well.
This Blu-ray release of Hijacked contains no supplements. The main menu offers only options for "Play" and "Scene Selections." A DVD copy of
the film comes in the box.
Its hard to be disappointed with Hijacked considering how low expectations are going in. But the film even fails to offer the direct-to-video
Action
movie basics. There's precious little action, an overworked script, boring direction, a sluggish pace, and awful acting. The movie never takes off, so to
speak, and the set-up for a sequel (that will likely never come) is the final cringe-worthy element in a movie that's full of them. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray
release of Hijacked does offer solid video and audio. No extras are included. Skip it.
Blu-ray.com and Anchor Bay Entertainment are offering three members an opportunity to win a copy of Hijacked, starring Randy Couture, Craig Fairbrass, Dominic Purcell and Vinnie Jones. The action thriller arrives on Blu-ray on July 31st.
