Bent isn’t a very good crime-thriller to be sure, but despite the clunky plot, I did enjoy aspects of it and having Karl Urban starring certainly helps along with Andy Garcia in a smaller role.
Bent
(2018)
Genre(s): Suspense/Thriller, Drama, Crime
Lionsgate | R – 97 min. – $21.99 | May 15, 2018
Date Published: 05/04/2018 | Author: The Movieman
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THE MOVIE — 2.75/5 |
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Bent – Primarily British slang for morally crooked or corrupt. Karl Urban plays Danny Gallagher, an ex-cop recently released from prison after a sting operation went upside down killing not only his partner but another undercover officer and the end result found Gallagher and his partner were on the take. Now out of prison, Gallagher sets out to clear his and his partner’s names, leading him on the path of a shady government official, Bill Pierce (JOE PACHERO), and his wife’s death from a car bomb. As Gallagher continues his investigation, he meets Rebecca (SOFIA VERGARA), an agent for some government agency not made known to the audience – assume NSA or CIA – who herself is Pierce’s case following the money for something or other. It doesn’t matter really. Helping him along the way is probably his one remaining true friend, Murtha (ANDY GARCIA), providing information. To fast forward, a variety of people are trying to kill Gallagher.
The movie in of itself isn’t bad by any stretch as Karl Urban, as Karl Urban usually does, delivers quality performance that often rises above the writing; adding to the mix is Andy Garcia in a smaller role but any screen time with Garcia is a plus; and then there’s Sofia Vergara, not a bad actress but she is saddled with a thinly developed character. Bent actually is based off of a series of novels featuring Gallagher as the central character and was spearheaded by director Bobby Moresco who also wrote the script. As I said, not bad but I kind of get the sense some shoddy editing at play, especially when there are no less than three editors credited. I also got that sense because the plot seemed haphazardly put together, with some clunky pacing at times and A/B plots that seemed like it could’ve been two separate movies and didn’t really merge very cleanly.
In any case, even though Bent does a poor job of trying to be a modern film noir, I can’t say I wasn’t entertained but mostly for Karl Urban who is a gem of an actor that sadly seems to be getting roped into the DTV market, his second following the equally uneven Hangman. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2.5/5 |
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This release comes with a glossy, title-embossed, slip cover. Inside contains a redemption code for the Digital HD copy. Behind the Scenes of Bent (10:35; HD) – This featurette is on the standard side with some behind-the-scenes footage along with on-set interviews with members of the cast and crew discussing the plot and characters. Cast and Crew Interviews (24:23; HD) – These are the uncut interview footage, some of which does show up in the BTS featurette.
Trailer (2:09; HD) Previews – Acts of Violence, The Show, First Kill, Cops and Robbers, Unlocked |
VIDEO – 4.0/5 |
| Lionsgate releases Bent on Blu-ray presented with a 2.40 widescreen aspect ratio and given a 1080p high-definition transfer (MPEG-4 AVC codec). As with most new movies, even STV ones, this does look pretty good with decently sharp detail throughout and natural looking skin tones and some colors, albeit muted in keeping with the darker story. I didn’t notice any signs of artifacting or aliasing, however, it perhaps is not the prettiest looking video you’ll find. |
AUDIO – 4.0/5 |
| The included DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track has crisp and clean dialogue levels as well as showing off some modest depth making usage of the front speakers for the few suspense-filled scenes while rears are chiefly relegated for ambient noises. |
OVERALL – 3.0/5 |
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Overall, Bent isn’t a very good crime-thriller to be sure, but despite the clunky plot, I did enjoy aspects of it and having Karl Urban starring certainly helps along with Andy Garcia in a smaller role. As for the Blu-ray, the release offers good video/audio transfers and a so-so selection of bonus features. |
Check out some more 1080p screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.