Rendition is an OK film shining light on a controversial practice but the drama is overwrought with over-the-top acting especially from Reese Witherspoon who seemed to have taken the role aiming for another Academy Award. But Meryl Streep and Alan Arkin are quite good in their limited roles.
Rendition (2007)
Genre(s): Drama, Suspense
Warner Bros. | R – 122 min. – $19.98 | June 11, 2013
MOVIE INFO:
Directed by: Gavin Hood
Writer(s): Kelley Sane (written by)
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Reese Witherspoon, Meryl Streep, Alan Arkin, Peter Sarsgaard, Omar Metwally, J.K. Simmons
Theatrical Release Date: October 19, 2007
DISC INFO:
Features: Commentary, Documentary, Featurette, Deleted Scenes, Theatrical Trailer
Number of Discs: 1
Audio: English (DTS-HD MA 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0)
Video: 1080p/Widescreen 2.35
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Disc Size: 35.7 GB
Codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Region(s): A, B, C
THE MOVIE
Plot Outline: When a man (OMAR METWALLY) vanishes from an overseas flight — by the CIA using the, to say the least, controversial and unethical rendition program — his disappearance sends shockwaves all the to the nation’s capitol. Desperate for the truth, his wife (REESE WITHERSPOON) begins a search using an old flame (PETER SARSGAARD) now aide to a United States Senator (ALAN ARKIN). It also leads a CIA unit head (MERYL STREEP) and a novice agent (JAKE GYELLHALL) into an international web of deceit, conspiracies and top-secret truths far more frightening than the lies that conceal them.
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2.5/5
Feature Commentary – Director Gavin Hood sits down for a commentary discussing the plot, working with the different actors and so forth. Nothing special but Hood is at least engaging.
Outlawed (27:42; SD) – This documentary covers the rendition policy and its impact.
Intersections: The Making of Rendition (30:08; SD) – This relatively expansive featurette shows the process of making the movie using behind-the-scenes footage and your typical sound bites with the cast and crew discussing the project.
Deleted/Alternate Scenes (18:28; SD) has five scenes, including an alternate ending, which were trimmed or cut. There’s an optional commentary by Hood.
Theatrical Trailer (2:34; HD)
VIDEO – 4.25/5
Warner Home Video releases Rendition onto Blu-ray presented in its original 2.35 widescreen aspect ratio and in a 1080p high-definition (MPEG-4 AVC codec) transfer. The picture may not be “wow” worthy but it does offer relatively decent clarity and the detail levels look pretty good. The transfer itself also seems pristine with no obvious artifacting or pixilation.
AUDIO – 3.75/5
The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track provided isn’t revolutionary but effective enough, I guess. Dialogue levels sound nice and clear and although this is a mostly talky film, there are a couple action scenes which give the lossless track some depth, albeit brief. The score, though, does shine through nicely.
OVERALL – 3.0/5
Overall, Rendition is an OK film shining light on a controversial practice but the drama is overwrought with over-the-top acting especially from Reese Witherspoon who seemed to have taken the role aiming for another Academy Award. But Meryl Streep and Alan Arkin are quite good in their limited roles. The Blu-ray here ports over all the features and the audio/video quality is well done if not unexceptional.
Published: 06/12/2013