Solitary Man Blu-ray offers decent video and audio in this enjoyable Blu-ray release
Ben Kalmen, formerly successful car dealer, through his own bad choices lost his entire business. Now Ben's on the verge of a comeback, but some of the same motivations that led to his demise are threatening to take him down again. If Ben can just keep his hubris in check for a little while longer, he will be back as big as ever. But circumstances place him in very close proximity with the one girl he shouldn't touch, throwing everything into jeopardy.
What is is that makes a man a lonely -- or a solitary -- man, and what does it mean to be "lonely?" Is loneliness
something that takes shape from some source outside a man's sphere of influence, or is it something that festers,
grows, and comes to dominate from within? Does he bring it upon himself, does he choose to live a life of relative
seclusion, or does he allow his life choices to in some way define his existence to the point that others see him as
something akin to Kryptonite, a person that's always followed by pessimism, hurt, or some other negative influence?
Does being "lonely" literally mean the absence of people, or can it mean that emptiness that exists inside, that
nagging feeling that urges a man to turn his life around but that goes ignored in favor of more vice, more living for
the moment, more ignoring the pleas of those who really care? More often than not, and certainly in the case of the
fictitious lead character in Directors Brian Koppelman's and David Levien's Solitary Man, the answer is some
combination of "all of the above." Ben Kalmen (Michael Douglas, Beyond a Reasonable Doubt, in one of
this best roles in years) lives a life that seems to bring him equal amounts of pleasure and pain, but his insistence on
disregarding the latter in favor of the former -- to the detriment of both his body and soul and to those around him --
leads him to a point in life where he has almost no one to care for him and no one to blame but himself for what
begins as loneliness defined as that emptiness inside the soul and that seems intent on manifesting itself to that
other brand of loneliness that sees a man abandoned by even those closest to him.
Nobody disses the yellow shirt.
Ben Kalmen (Douglas) once had it all -- a thriving automobile dealership, a loving family, and great friends -- but it's
all gone now. Diagnosed with a potentially serious heart condition that he never follows up on, Kalmen chooses to
not live in fear but instead live in the moment, even if that means further alienating his already-estranged family
and cutting ties with any business and personal connections he may have left. When he agrees to escort his current
lover's daughter, Allyson (Imogen Poots, 28 Weeks Later), to a college interview
where he still holds some clout and his name still adorns the library building, he meets an ambitious but naive
student, Daniel (Jesse Eisenberg, Zombieland), whom Ben takes under
his wing and teaches how to bed the pretty girls and establish himself as a popular student rather than a nerdy one.
Unfortunately, Ben can't keep his hands to himself or his mouth shut, sleeping and flirting with a few too many
women and vocalizing those thoughts best left in the mind. For all his charm, his good looks, and the ease with
which
he carries himself, those superficialities slowly but surely begin to fail the man underneath, leading Ben to finally face
reality and decide if he's going to continue on with a life that's going nowhere or to fall back into the arms of those
few who still care.
Solitary Man is picture that focuses on a character so psychologically complex that it's difficult to figure out
exactly what it is that motivates him to live as he does, but it's that ambiguity that makes the film such a marvelous
character study. Ben Kalmen is a case study for a man who had it all and flushed it away for...well, maybe even he
doesn't know for sure. A longing for a bygone youth? One-night stands? Hubris? It would seem that each of these
play some part in his downfall from automobile magnate and family man to a shell that might still impress others at
first glance but certainly doesn't offer any long-term benefits to those he tricks with promises of sexual, financial, or
emotional satisfaction into entering his personal space. In a way, Solitary Man is a highly original picture,
for
its primary character doesn't necessarily lead the sort of fast and easy life that's always within earshot of those
internal
regrets that always seem to put a damper on such characters and at least give them pause before they once again
engage in that cycle that's slowly but surely sealing their fates. Kalmen, instead, takes news that he may by sick
and
without much time left as an excuse to live as freely and recklessly as he chooses, and while he still attempts to
maintain relationships with his family and friends, rekindle his automobile empire, or bed almost any good-looking
girl
willing to give him the time of day, his mounting failures never seem to carry all that much weight when he stops to
analyze why things aren't going according to plan. Kalmen doesn't seem to understand what it is that's reducing
him to nothing, and if he does, he just doesn't seem to care. Directors Brian Koppelman and David Levien have
crafted a wonderfully novel picture that revels in its character's carelessness and ambiguity all the way through to its
perfect final
shot.
Ben Kalmen is a superbly-written character, but it's Michael Douglas' performance that puts him into a category that
sees Kalmen elevated to one of the more memorable in recent memory. Douglas displays an uncanny ability to leave
his audience sympathizing with Kalmen, even through every episode that further cements the character as the
very definition of a slime ball. That's a testament to Douglas' acting chops to be sure, but it seems the actor's and
the script's secret is that, even underneath the philandering, hubris, and random acts of rudeness that are on
display, the audience can still see a glimmer of hope for the character, some base psychological foundation that may
be long since buried underneath a pile of vices, but one that still promises at least a sliver of hope that, just maybe,
there's the Ben Kalmen of old -- a character the audience never really comes to know save through brief spurts of
dialogue between characters -- that is still somewhere inside and just waiting to come back out. Another area where
Solitary Man truly works is in the way that those closest to Ben -- his ex-wife, his daughter, his old friend --
continue to hold out hope for him, to treat him with at least a semblance of dignity, to offer him a hand when he
needs one the most, even if he's repeatedly failed to offer his. Additionally, the remainder of the cast is unusually
strong and
extraordinarily understanding of the picture's finest nuances that make Solitary Man one of the best
character studies in some time. Susan Sarandon, Danny DeVito, and Jenna Fischer are all superb in their supporting
roles as those who see in Ben the worst but still can't help but to hope for the best.
Solitary Man yields a highly inconsistent, but never overtly disappointing, 1080p, 2.35:1-framed transfer.
Clarity and definition
often waver, with the image at times delivering a crisp, focused, and sharp image and, later, looking haggard, soft, and
flat. Fine details are strongest around the exterior of the college that plays a prominent role throughout the picture;
stone walls, pavement, grasses, leaves, and other odds and ends sport amazingly clear and realistic textures, with the
image also capturing a fair bit of depth. Unfortunately, those hazier, less defined scenes pop up almost as often as the
better ones, with darker shots in particular suffering from washed out details and pale blacks. Flesh tones also display a
strong push towards an orange shade in many scenes. Otherwise, colors are generally stable and sometimes brilliantly
rich, once again looking their best in those daytime exteriors. Slight banding and a few very minor compression artifacts
are visible in a few select shots, but the
transfer doesn't suffer through any other major bugaboos. A very fine layer of grain is retained over the image, but it
doesn't do much to give the transfer a superior film-like texture. Unfortunately, Solitary Man doesn't quite live
up to the same standards set by Anchor Bay's best transfers, but it's still highly watchable and, more often than not, free
of any transfer-ruining detrimental anomalies.
Solitary Man features a nuts-and-bolts PCM 5.1 uncompressed soundtrack that carries the film's dialogue-heavy
elements well enough, but could use some spit-and-polish in several other areas. The picture opens with a
fundamentally sound presentation of a Johnny Cash song; the music enjoys strong clarity and spacing across the front,
and while the lyrics seem a bit sharp, they play with that signature Cash cadence that's captured wonderfully in this
uncompressed track. Additional instrumental music plays decently enough, never really lacking in any area but never
impressing beyond expected format norms, either. Ambience often sounds muffled and indistinct; a party scene in
chapter four delivers the basics and
nothing but the basics, and even then there's a distinct absence of superior clarity that results in a failure to draw the
listener into the environment. Fortunately, dialogue is consistently focused and infinitely discernible; no problems along
the picture's primary element. Solitary Man's soundtrack isn't one built to dazzle the senses by its very nature,
but it could
certainly stand a bit more refinement, anyway.
Solitary Man is accompanied by two extras of note. First up is an audio commentary track with Writer/Director
Brian Koppelman, Director David Levien, and Actor Douglas McGrath that sees the participants discussing the picture's
themes and pivotal moments, shooting locales and the corresponding authenticity they lend to the picture, working
around a shoestring budget,
the picture's sound design, assembling the cast and the main players' performances, working with legends Michael
Douglas and Danny DeVito, and much more. This is a well-spoken, informative, and worthwhile commentary; fans will
want to give it a listen. 'Solitary Man:' Alone in a Crowd (480p, 11:46) features cast and crew talking up the
picture's story, themes, and the quality of work that plays out both in front of and behind the camera. Also included is
the
Solitary Man theatrical trailer (1080p, 2:30) and additional 1080p trailers for After.Life, City Island, Beyond a Reasonable
Doubt, and Abandoned.
Solitary Man is an extraordinary little gem of a picture that looks at the life of a man who's seen his fame,
fortune, and family reduced to almost nothing, but who still can't let go of his ways and vices that have taken away
everything he once cherished. Directors Brian Koppelman and David Levien have crafted one of the better character
studies in recent memory, and it's made all the better by a wonderfully gripping performance by Michael Douglas and
supported by several strong efforts that round the movie into award-worthy form. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release of
Solitary Man doesn't deliver the same top-flight video and audio transfers fans have become accustomed to, but
neither truly disappoints. The supplements are of a good quality but come up lacking in quantity. Nevertheless, the
strength of the film earns Solitary Man's Blu-ray release a recommendation.
Anchor Bay Home Entertainment has announced Solitary Man for Blu-ray release on September 7. This drama starring Michael Douglas (along with Mary-Louise Parker and Jenna Fisher, with Susan Sarandon and Danny DeVito) got a 81% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes ...
