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| Starring: Harrison Ford, Paul Bettany, Virginia Madsen Directed by: Richard Loncraine |
Theatrical Release: 2006
DVD Release: 2006
Released by: Warner Bros. PicturesDolby
Digital 5.1
Widescreen |
Have you ever seen a bad movie with Harrison
Ford in it? Ok, maybe Sabrina was a bad movie, but from my point of view, his
presence is almost a blockbuster guarantee. Firewall is an action-thriller that has
more thrill than action, and that’s why I liked it. The plot revolves around Jack
Stanfield, a security executive for a relatively small bank in Seattle. Because of his
job, he is specifically targeted by a group of thieves, who kidnap his identity as well as
his family in order to blackmail their way into $100 million. But the villains make one
fatal mistake: you can’t strong-arm Han Solo!
Another Action Star You Can Count On Bruce Willis and Harrison Ford are
movie stars cut from the same cloth. Willis stars in The Fifth Element, Sin City,
and the Die Hard movies (the fourth Die Hard is in pre-production).
In each film he plays a veteran cop, weathered by a lifetime of violence, who struggles to
defeat his own demons and who rises to save the day. If this formula over-simplifies his
career, it is not far off. It doesn’t matter; he makes good action movies, and
chances are we will all stand in line next time he appears on the big screen.
The latest Bruce Willis movie, 16 Blocks (***1/2), has the same formula. Veteran
cop Jack Mosley isn’t the cop he used to be. His career as a detective on the streets
of New York has left him a troubled man. He turns to drinking and becomes the laughing
stock of the precinct. One morning Jack is given the simple task of transporting a witness
to a courtroom only 16 blocks away, but his destructive ways compel him to stop for a
drink. Trouble starts. From that moment on, the old Jack Mosley reappears, and the hero we
all expected to see rises to the occasion. First-rate audio and video combined with an
edge-of-your-seat pace make this film a great experience for the home theater.
...Randall Smith
randalls@hometheatersound.com |
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My enjoyment of this film in the theater and my hearing
that it will soon be released in the HD DVD format had me eagerly awaiting the arrival of
the DVD. I was expecting a stunning, near high-definition video transfer, but I was
disappointed. It wasn’t bad; it just wasn’t great. No glaring problems, but I
expected more detail in the faces of the actors, for example. The quality of the video was
only slightly better than average.
The soundtrack and the accompanying sound effects were
above average. The rhythmic bass-line present during the opening credits was deep and
dynamic, whetting my appetite for the tension to come. The gunshots and explosions, while
not overpowering, created excitement and provided good use of the surround channels.
Dialogue was even in level throughout each scene, and the use of sound pans in normal
scenes spread the sound out across the front soundstage. The film itself may have more
thrill than action, but when called for, the audio has plenty of both.
The DVD does not offer many extras. There is a 15-minute
conversation between Ford and the director that provided a look into the development of
the film. Details from the infancy of the project and the struggle to bring the film into
production are explained. What I learned most from the feature was that Ford can be hard
to work with. We get to see how he used his star status to craft every aspect of the story
in order to make Firewall a character-driven film and not just another
action thriller.
The DVD version of Firewall provided 104 minutes of
excitement. Although I was not thrilled with the quality of the video, I may have fallen
victim to my own high expectations. Nevertheless, the soundtrack was explosive and the
acting was impressive -- an enjoyable DVD for your home theater. |
