The Firm is a well made crime-drama based on a very popular TV movie that starred Gary Oldman. Paul Anderson and Calum MacNab both give great performances and the story, albeit doesn’t quite resonate as an American, is still engaging enough.
The Firm
(2009)
Genre(s): Drama, Crime
Twilight Time | NR – 90 min. – $24.95 | May 13, 2014
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MOVIE INFO: Directed by: Nick Love Writer(s): Al Hunter Ashton (television play); Nick Love (written by) Cast: Paul Anderson, Calum MacNab, Daniel Mays, Doug AllenDISC INFO: Features: Commentary, Featurettes, Deleted Scenes, Theatrical Trailer Number of Discs: 1Audio: English (DTS-HD MA 5.1) Video: 1080p/Widescreen 2.35 Subtitles: English SDH Disc Size: 29.2 GB Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Region(s): A, B, C |
PLOT SUMMARY
The Firm (2009), writer-director Nick Love’s remake of Alan Clarke’s celebrated TV film, gives us an aimless young teen, Dom (CALUM MACNAB), who becomes obsessed with charismatic football hooligan Bex (PAUL ANDERSON). Beset by hero worship, Dom finds himself involved in the violent activities of a football “firm”: a gang that finds its only passionate outlet in increasingly dangerous battles with other groups of sociopathically inclined fans.
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2.75/5
Included is a 6-page essay booklet.
Audio Commentary – Writer/Director Nick Love, Actor Paul Anderson and Technical Consultant Lee Jackson provides an energetic track but also informative though they are brawlers so their accents can be a bit tough to get past.
The Making of The Firm (23:15) – This is a surprisingly expansive behind-the-scenes featurette with on-set interviews with members of the cast and crew.
Deleted and Alternate Scenes (6:07) contains several scenes that were trimmed or cut mostly, from what I saw, for pacing reasons as they don’t really add to the story.
Anatomy of the Fights (6:36) breaks down how the fight scenes were choreographed and filmed.
Theatrical Trailer (1:55)
VIDEO – 4.75/5
Twilight Time releases The Firm onto Blu-ray presented with a 2.35 widescreen aspect ratio and a 1080p/MPEG-4 AVC transfer. I was pleasantly surprised with the sharp detail levels, bright colors showcasing the locale (the good and the bad) and showing no major flaws, though to be expected for a film released in 2009.
AUDIO – 4.5/5
The disc boasts a strong 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track which takes full advantage of the 80s music from the beginning of the opening credits (including a cool neon colored Warner logo) and crisp and clear dialogue throughout. There’s not a whole lot to really judge outside of those, but there are some fight scenes which help provide some depth through the rear channels.
OVERALL – 3.5/5
Overall, The Firm is a well made crime-drama based on a very popular TV movie that starred Gary Oldman. Paul Anderson and Calum MacNab both give great performances and the story, albeit doesn’t quite resonate as an American, is still engaging enough. The Blu-ray released by Twilight Time has great video/audio transfers and the bonus material is well made.
Published: 05/14/2014