Friday, October 28, 2011

BD impressions: The American

12:22 PM / BD Impressions / Comments6 Comments

BD Impressions
Blu-ray

The film: THE AMERICAN is described as a "sexy suspense thriller" on the back cover, but I'd be lying if I said I found it particularly suspenseful or particularly thrilling. The "sexy" component is provided by a variety of glamorous women, led by the fascinatingly-named Violante Placido... and if they don't float your boat there's George Clooney, I guess.

A slow-burner in every sense, it deals with a gunmaker (Clooney) who hides out in a remote town in the Italian countryside after his previous cover is blown. While there, he accepts one last assignment from steely-eyed Thekla Reuten (most recently seen playing a similar role in the BBC1 serial HIDDEN), while at the same time starting a relationship with a local prostitute (the aforementioned Placido). And that's basically it. Not a whole lot happens in its 1 hour 45 minute running time, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't get sucked in. Admittedly, I'm not convinced there's enough material to justify the running time, but there's something nice about a film that seems to be in no hurry to reach the finish line and doesn't feel the need to provide a gunfight every 15 minutes (though that's not to say we don't get any action). The director, Dutch filmmaker Anton Corbjin (whose previous film, CONTROL, I haven't seen), milks the setting for all it's worth, delivering some stunning vistas and aerial shots. It's not exactly riveting viewing, and it certainly didn't set my world on fire, but it's a nicely low key, reflective piece and a perfectly pleasant way to spend 105 minutes. 7/10

Image quality: It's been ages since I did a BD Impressions piece - and it looks like I chose a good one to kick off with. However much we might gripe about Universal's treatment of their catalogue titles (and with good reason), when they get their hands on a pristine DI they're more than capable of hitting it out of the park. Detail is absolutely stunning on this disc, just as much in the long shots as in the close-ups. The encoding (the first VC-1 encode I've seen in absolutely ages) can't be faulted either. This is just an all-round excellent presentation that I can't in any way criticise. 10/10

The American
label: Universal; disc country: UK; region code: ABC;
codec: VC-1; aspect ratio: 2.39:1

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6 Comments

1. antnield said:

Watched the Blu of this myself the other day and my thoughts are much the same as your's Michael. Undoubtedly lovely to look at and, like you say, low-key. I've a feeling I'll be revisiting fairly soon as I think this one could be a grower. Either way, glad I watched (and purchased), and another fine choice from Clooney.

(Posted on Friday, October 28, 2011 at 6:40 PM)

2. MCP said:

Watching the trailer, locations (Gran Sasso mountain range) and atmosphere reminded me of a lesser known italian movie, "L'orizzonte degli eventi" (the event horizon), 2005, by Daniele Vicari.

It's about a physicist from laboratories located in Gran Sasso park who gets "lost" after having altered the results of one important particle experiment. After a car crash, he is rescued by a clandestine shepherd and decides to stay with him in the mountains. The two are involved in a sort of existential thriller.

While its non-linear storytelling and plot are someway convoluted, and the pacing a tad bit too slow, cinematography and sound effects are high standard; the same goes with Mastrandrea performance in the main role. On top of that, the movie offers a stylish but harsh look to some of the lesser known (but not less true) aspects of day-dy-day scientific research: envies, pressure for results, rivalries, coldness in human relationships.

(Posted on Friday, October 28, 2011 at 8:38 PM)

3. Paku said:

Agree with much of what's been said. Nice visuals, nice change of pace, and Clooney is always watchable. I enjoyed it and immediately upon watching it I would probably also have rated it 7/10. However with a bit of distance to it I must say the story really was fairly weak, and the atmosphere wasn't that amazing, so I think my final rating would be closer to 6/10, though I do not regret purchasing it (not at £8 anyway.)

SPOILERS AHEAD!

I also had some issues with a few of the plot points. For example through his contacts he can mail order a specialised, high-precision, automatic rifle, but not a suppressor? And when he has to make his own, the priest he has befriended just happens to have a son who owns a garage with everything he needs? If the the story had been more complicated or fleshed out they could probably have hidden details like that, but since not a whole lot happens in the movie, everything becomes noticeable, adding up to a fairly contrived and railroaded plot.

(Posted on Saturday, October 29, 2011 at 3:10 AM)

4. Paku said:

To add to my previous comment, the straightforward story also undermines other events in the movie. In terms of moving the plot from beginning to end, the priest serves no other purpose than to have a son, who in turn serves no other purpose than to have a garage. This cheapens the other encounters with these characters, making it feel less like they have any importance or substance, and more like filler just to hide the blatancy of the plot. At least that was my impression.

(Posted on Saturday, October 29, 2011 at 4:01 AM)

5. Dirk Diggler said:

Started well, but had bored the tits off of me by the end.

(Posted on Saturday, October 29, 2011 at 9:19 PM)

6. Toecutter said:

If those tits bore you, I don't know what to do Mr. Brock Landers! :)

(Posted on Saturday, October 29, 2011 at 11:56 PM)

 
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