Stop-Loss Blu-ray Review

Stop-Loss is a well made war-drama featuring several fine performances from Ryan Phillippe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Channing Tatum. I wasn’t floored by the film and it doesn’t even compete with the best war movies and it doesn’t possess much replay value, but it might be worth a watch.

 

 

 

Stop-Loss (2008)

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Genre(s): Drama
Warner Bros. | R – 112 min. – $19.98 | February 4, 2014

MOVIE INFO:
Directed by: Kimberly Peirce
Writer(s): Mark Richard & Kimberly Peirce (written by)
Cast: Ryan Phillippe, Abbie Cornish, Channing Tatum, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ciaran Hinds, Timothy Olymphant, Victor Rasuk, Rob Brown

Theatrical Release Date: March 28, 2008

DISC INFO:
Features: Commentary, Featurettes, Deleted Scenes
Number of Discs: 1

Audio: English (DTS-HD MA 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Video: 1080p/Widescreen 1.78
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Disc Size: 26.7 GB
Codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Region(s): A, B, C

THE MOVIE

Plot Outline: After completing his tour of duty, Brandon King (RYAN PHILLIPPE) faces an unexpected new challenge – being “Stop-Lossed” and sent back into combat in Iraq – that will put him at odds with former soldiers and test the bonds with old friends. When King returns home to his small Texas town, he reconnects with his parents (CIARAN HINDS, LINDA EMOND) while best friend, and fellow Marine, Steve (CHANNING TATUM), deals with post-traumatic stress disorder resulting in getting drunk, striking fiancée Michelle (ABBIE CORNISH) and other issues. Also having troubles re-adjusting is Tommy Burgess (JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT) where, while in battle, is saved by a fellow soldier who losy his right arm and leg and burns on his face after an RPG attack.

SPECIAL FEATURES – 2.75/5

All the features from the DVD have been ported over.

Audio Commentary with Co-Writer/Director Kimberly Pierce and Co-Writer Mark Richard; it’s a decent enough track, straight-forward and informative going through each aspect of making the movie.

The Making of Stop-Loss (20:59; HD) provides a behind-the-scenes look at how the movie was made and features interviews with the cast and crew as they talk about the challenges, about the characters, etc. It’s nothing extraordinary but well put together.

A Day in Boot Camp (10:03; HD) looks at the actors going through training in preparation for their roles.

Deleted Scenes (18:43; SD) contains 11 scenes that were cut or excised completely. There’s nothing here that I would miss from the final film but there is some good acting. There’s an optional director’s commentary if you’d like to know why they were removed.

VIDEO – 4.5/5

Stop-Loss arrives on Blu-ray from Warner Home Video via Paramount, presented with a 1.78 widescreen aspect ratio (originally shown in 1.85) and in 1080p high-definition. The picture actually looks pretty good with sharp detail levels and a good balance in colors with darker undertones. Black levels also are decent showing no signs of artifacts or pixilation.

AUDIO – 4.25/5

The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track provided isn’t amazing but more than serviceable. The bulk of the audio is dialogue driven which comes through the center channel clearly while the front and rear speakers are relegated for the dramatic score, ambient noises or action elements in the beginning through the fighting in the war zone.

OVERALL – 3.25/5

Overall, Stop-Loss is a well made war-drama featuring several fine performances from Ryan Phillippe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Channing Tatum. I wasn’t floored by the film and it doesn’t even compete with the best war movies and it doesn’t possess much replay value, but it might be worth a watch. The Blu-ray does port over all the bonus material from Paramount’s DVD release while getting an upgrade in the video and audio departments.

 

Published: 02/10/2014