Manhattan
Night
(2015/Lionsgate Premiere Blu-ray)
Picture:
B+ Sound: B+ Extras: B Film: C
A
modern day film noir with femme fatale and all, the thriller
Manhattan
Night
(2015) stars Adrian Brody and the gorgeous Yvonne Strahovski (TV's
Dexter)
in a game of cat and mouse directed by newcomer Brian DeCubellis.
Beautifully
shot in New York, the film deals with a news reporter (Brody) who
gets entangled with a widow (Strahovski) whose filmmaker husband
recently died under mysterious circumstances. The two have an
affair, which quickly leads to bad news for Brody and he is soon
blackmailed and on the run as his personal and professional life
begins to unravel.
Manhattan
Night
also stars Jennifer Beals, Adrien Brody, Steven Berkoff, and Campbell
Scott.
While
the film is fine on a technical level and isn't without some good
performances, it ultimately feels like a tread on the film noir genre
with familiar beats and predictable plot points that took me out of
it. The contemporary setting aside, this film could have easily been
made in the 1940s and had similar story beats.
Presented
in 1080p high definition with a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.40:1 and
a lossless, crisp sounding DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 track, the
film looks and sounds extraordinary on Blu-ray disc. Also included
is an UltraViolet copy of the film.
Special
Features include:
Audio
Commentary with Director/Producer/Screenwriter Brian DeCubellis,
Actor/Co-Producer Campbell Scott, and Cinematographer David Tumblety
Behind
the Scenes with Cast & Crew
"The
Watcher" Featurette
Deleted/Extended
Scenes
Director's
Notebook and Storyboards
Not
terrible but more average, I would suggest Manhattan
Night
if you're a fan of the stars or are looking for a contemporary Film
Noir.
-
James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
