Swordfish Blu-ray delivers great video and solid audio in this fan-pleasing Blu-ray release
When the DEA shut down its dummy corporation operation codenamed Swordfish in 1986, they
had generated $400 million which they let sit around; fifteen years of compound interest has
swelled it to $9.5 billion. A covert counter-terrorist unit called Black Cell, headed by the
duplicitious and suave Gabriel Shear, wants the money to help finance their raise-the-stakes
vengeance war against international terrorism, but it's all locked away behind super-encryption.
He brings in convicted hacker Stanley Jobson, who only wants to see his daughter Holly again
but can't afford the legal fees, to slice into the government mainframes and get the money.
If you told me that I had the option of watching a generic action movie I've seen a dozen times
before with one or two mystery "name" actors
versus a film that I knew next-to-nothing about going in except that it starred the likes of John
Travolta (Hairspray), Hugh
Jackman (The
Presitige), Halle Berry (X-Men: The Last Stand), Don Cheadle (Reign Over Me), Sam Shepard (Black Hawk Down), and Vinnie Jones (The Condemned), I'd
choose the latter every single time in search of something new and fresh, not to mention seeing
what this conglomerate can do together. One film actually does star this sextet of some of
Hollywood's
finest, and that film is 2001's Swordfish, directed by Dominic Sena (Gone In 60
Seconds).
Like First Knight,
this is a film I'd screened before but my recollection was virtually nil; that the film starred
Travolta and involved some kind of bank robbery were the only memories I could recall as I sat
down to again watch the film, this time in glorious Blu-ray high definition (well, the video
anyway).
I like totally ripped this device off from Dennis Hopper's character in 'Speed.'
Computer hacker extraordinaire Stanley Jobson (Jackman) has recently been released form a
prison sentence received for his on-line crimes. Living in isolation in Texas, he is approached by
the seductive Ginger Knowles (Berry) and offered $100,000 to listen to a proposal for his
employment, a hacking job he knows he can accomplish but cannot commit for fear of a return
trip to the slammer. Nevertheless, the sweet smell of cash lures him in, and the cunning,
resourceful, and creepy Gabriel Sheer (Travolta) tests his ability at gunpoint. Passing by the seat
of his pants, he is let in on the plan: Gabriel wants to steal several billion dollars from the
government and he needs Jobson to write the computer virus that will accomplish that task.
Jobson enters into a world he can't imagine, where nobody is as they seem, and he must
ultimately choose with whom and on what side of the law he'll wind up.
Swordfish certainly comes out of the gate swinging for the fences, but like many a
Pittsburgh Pirate batters, completely fails to even make contact. As the film opens, Gabriel
invokes the name of the great Al Pacino classic Dog Day Afternoon. Specifically, he
discusses how such a film could be improved upon, making it a more violent, take-no-prisoners
film, and the ball is practically placed on a tee here, just waiting to be smacked out of the park.
Gabriel thoroughly convinces us of his idea, and we're led to believe that Swordfish's
story will be that which he passed along to us. In a way, it is, but the execution is miserable.
Invoking
the name if Dog Day Afternoon in Swordfish would be like Creature
invoking the name of Alien or Platoon Leader invoking the name of
Platoon. Granted, none of these fine actors are of Pacino-caliber, and we should never
expect them to be, at least in a film like this (Travolta can definitely pull off an inspired
performance if given the right material; see Pulp Fiction). They are all fine, for the most
part, doing all they can to bring credibility and star power to the project which fails not because of
the actors, but because of the bland characters they portray, characters inhabiting a film filled to
the brim with decent ideas but ultimately careless execution.
Swordfish honorably attempts to be different here and there, a difficult task to pull off for
the filmmakers in the midst of the film's numerous clichéd and tired sequences and characters,
and perhaps even more difficult for an apathetic audience to recognize, an audience fed up with
the same old, same old coming out of Hollywood. At least Swordfish isn't afraid to spell
out its plot, intentions, and even finale for all to hear and digest throughout the movie, though
the first time through we may not recognize that we're being told the story, and discernment
comes only after the final frames of the movie thankfully roll on by. To be sure, like so many
movies these days, there is a solid concept here, one that is definitely lost in a sea of contrivance
and banality. The characters are completely flat, one-dimensional snores who try their darndest
to be hip, original, and interesting. The screen is graced for 99 minutes by the intelligent yet
shady and ultimately psychotic bad guy, the once-evil ex-con who only wants to live out the
remainder of his days in peace and away from trouble, the attractive girl who cannot be in frame
without wearing tight or revealing clothing (and she may or may not be who she seems!), and
even the corrupt politician. There are also several action and stunt sequences that oh-so-badly
want to be trend-setting and "cool" but wind up dismal and uninteresting. By the time the
"surprise" ending rolls around, it's hard to care that we see something I cannot recall ever seeing
before, and in this case, the major special effect signifies the movie is coming to an end, a definite
cause for celebration. Swordfish even features the "let's get artistic" visual style that is
noticeable but really adds little dramatic effect to the proceedings. Unfortunately, we can count
Swordfish as yet another valiant effort that ultimately falls apart, a film with a story that
gets so bogged down in
contrivance and convention that, even despite the film's clearly stated intent to be different, fails
to become anything more than another yawner and a wholly forgettable experience. In fact, the
best moment of the film is the aforementioned opening monologue by Travolta, telling
us exactly why this movie just might be (and very well could have been) different than all the
other
indistinguishable action vehicles coming out of Hollywood today.
Presented in 1080p high definition and framed at 2.40:1, Swordfish is certainly a nice
film to look at from a visual perspective. Despite the somewhat artistic look and feel (just about
every scene is bathed in unnatural light, giving off either a golden or greenish tint), the image
retains a very high level of depth and detail sure to satisfy fans of the film looking for a mostly
sharp and clear image, one that is definitely a boost in quality over previous home video versions
of the film. The distinct
sepia-tone look of the film boasts strong color reproduction of a mostly grain-free image. The look
of the film gives us not necessarily a theatrical appearance but rather a "lived-in" look that, save
for the awkward use of artistic license with the tint, appears natural and deep. Several shots do
appear to be overly soft, but these occurrences don't appear very often, and they provide the
most glaring flaw in the transfer. Black levels are spot-on, deep and pure, and detail in darker
scenes stands out wonderfully. Detail is impressively high throughout, no matter the lighting
scheme. Check out a scene in chapter 13 where Stanley is wearing a corduroy sports coat; every
line, seam, and stitch is plainly visible, especially in close-up, static shots. I was impressed by the
detail evident in backgrounds as well. A few early shots in the film where we see some pavement
with wet patches here and there looked marvelously real, and you almost feel as if you could get
off the couch, walk into the television, and jump in the puddles. Even the sheen and polish of
several of the automobiles in the movie is evident and clear. This is a very good image, and
although the quality has been far surpassed over the last year and a half since this film's initial
release on Blu-ray, it looks excellent for a catalogue title.
If any of the early Warner Brothers' titles that lacks a high-definition lossless audio option
screams
to have one, this is it. The sound design for the film is robust, active, and engaging, but the
limits of the Dolby Digital mix become apparent in several scenes. The first thing I noted,
beginning with the dialogue and then about the track as a whole, was a slightly lower volume
level than I
am used to. I had to crank my receiver up a notch or two to feel like I was getting the entire
impact of the proceedings right from the get-go. Even some up-tempo music heard throughout
the film, at times, sounded reserved, a bit shy, seemingly afraid to come out of hiding and shine.
Later on, at the same location, the music seems to have undergone some metamorphosis
because all of a sudden, it's as loud, clear, and boisterous as if you were in the middle of that
club. The ubiquitous car chase sequence, found in chapter 18, about an hour into the movie,
proves to be first real action piece since the beginning, and the best sonic experience of the film,
surpassing even the ending. This sequence features more hip, up-tempo music that works the
subwoofer hard. Ear-shattering effects, loads of gunfire, and the incessant squealing of tires
creates a
cornucopia of action bliss, the impact of the bullets slicing through the sheet metal of several
vehicles probably my favorite effect of the sequence. The rat-a-tat reverberations of the M249
SAW fired by Gabriel is also a highlight; while not as defined and frightening as some machine
gun fire I've heard, held back a bit by the lossy nature of the mix, it proved to be a fun
experience nevertheless. For a Dolby Digital mix, this is a very good one. As usual, I must
reduce the score by a full point for failing to provide a high-definition sound option on a high-
definition medium.
Swordfish hits Blu-ray with a very average set of supplements. Think of the most basic
"special edition" you've ever seen hit home video, and Swordfish probably contains that
same serving of supplements. Leading things off is a commentary track with director Dominic
Sena.
He's definitely chatty, and I found it rather funny that his first noticeable pause for other than a
breath occurs just when Gabriel says something about "short-sighted directing." Sena is nothing
if not detailed,
recounting
numerous stories from the set and providing a plethora of anecdotes detailing almost every
process
of the creation of the film. It's hard sitting through a commentary track for a dull movie, but
Sena
makes the task tolerable, listening to him proving to be a bit more engaging than the movie
itself.
HBO First Look: 'Swordfish' (480p, 15:01) screams "generic," a prototypical
behind-the-scenes piece designed to make audiences want to see this film, an extended preview
of sorts that
intercuts interviews with the cast and crew with clips from the movie. Effects In Focus: 'The
Flying Bus' (480p, 8:13) takes audiences behind-the-scenes for the making of this crucial
sequence. Swordfish: In Conversation (480p, 12:46) features clips of actors Hugh
Jackman, John Travolta, Halle Berry, Don Cheadle, Sam Shepard, director Dominic Sena, and
producer Joel Silver discussing various aspects of the film. Two alternate endings with optional
commentary by director Dominic Sena (480p, 3:47 and 2:07), a music video by Paul Oakenfold
entitled Planet Rock Club Reel (480p, 4:10), and the theatrical trailer for
Swordfish (480p, 2:11) conclude the extra materials.
Swordfish may very well appeal to a wide array of movie fans, and probably rightfully so.
The film features several A-list stars, a rocking soundtrack, action, and an intriguing, if somewhat
badly executed, story line. Unfortunately, the end product doesn't quite manage to come together
to create a unique, fascinating action thriller, but rather a forgettable, dull, and lifeless film,
one that has all the elements thrown into the grinder and whatever is churned out seems to be
what appears in the final cut of the film. This Blu-ray edition of Swordfish is mostly
tasty -- it sports fine video quality, a "good enough" last-generation Dolby Digital soundtrack, and
an
average set of extras. However, even fans of the film may be hard-pressed to add this to their
collection if they already own the DVD version, as the only real improvement is in the 1080p video,
and with all of the great Blu-ray titles out there, putting Swordfish on the top of your "to
buy" list only makes sense if the movie is offered at a heavy discount. Definitely a Blu-ray to take a
pass on for everyone but the most dedicated fans of the movie or the Blu-ray format.
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