Haven isn’t one of the top notch amongst the interconnected ensemble dramas and really doesn’t have a whole lot to say, though thankfully not as heavy-handed but I generally thought the performances were alright at least.
Haven
(2004)
Genre(s): Drama, Crime
MVD Visual | R – 115 min. – $19.95 | April 14, 2020
Date Published: 08/05/2020 | Author: The Movieman
|
|
|||||||||||
MVD Visual provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
THE MOVIE — 3.0/5 |
|
Plot Synopsis: On the idyllic shores of the Cayman Islands, Shy (ORLANDO BLOOM) and Andrea (ZOE SALDANA) share a secret her parents can never know… they are in love. But a night of passion leads to their discovery and a devastating act of vengeance by Andrea’s brother (ANTHONY MACKIE). Meanwhile, a shady American businessman (BILL PAXTON) has fled with his daughter (AGNES BRUCKNER) to avoid federal prosecution, only to be drawn into a dangerous web of deceit. As lives intersect and truths are revealed, a chain reaction of violence is set in motion that will determine whether love can survive the fall of paradise. Quick Hit Review: Haven is an interconnected ensemble dramas, along the lines of Crash (the two have producer Bob Yari in common) and although it’s not the most compelling film and the connective tissues within the storylines aren’t entirely put together all that well, still found it to be just entertaining enough to get to me care until the very end. The performances from this ensemble, two of which now more famous today, were fine, nobody especially noteworthy outside of another reminder, even in a smaller role, how much of a talent Bill Paxton was. Outside of him, Orlando Bloom, who pretty much is the central character (and served as a producer), was fine; Zoe Saldana has a few nice scenes with Bloom; and Anthony Mackie, now known for The Falcon in the MCU, plays the overprotective brother well enough. Everybody else, like Agnes Bruckner, were serviceable but not much else. Haven was written and directed by Frank E. Flowers, a native to the Cayman Islands where the film was shot. This was his first and only film as director and only has one other writing credit to his name, a 2013 crime-drama called Metro Manilla, and was an associate producer on A Warrior’s Way starring Nic Cage. Otherwise, nothing of note in this biography since. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 1.5/5 |
|
Only material included was an older Making of (3:26) featurette and the Theatrical Trailer (2:23). |
VIDEO – 4.25/5 |
| Given MVD took the transfer for First Snow from an Italian source, decided to do some brief research and it would appear this is the first time Haven has been released in 1080p high-definition. As such, the picture here looks pretty good, detail on close-up shots were sharp losing some for the more distant ones, while colors are a bit on the darker side but some splashes of color pop up considering the tropical locale. |
AUDIO – 4.0/5 |
| The movie includes a standard DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that’s serviceable for a straight-up drama with the bulk of the action taking place through the center channel with some minor usage of the front and rears, with only some minor ambient noises alongside the soundtrack and score. |
OVERALL – 3.0/5 |
|
Haven isn’t one of the top notch amongst the interconnected ensemble dramas and really doesn’t have a whole lot to say, though thankfully not as heavy-handed or on-the-nose compared to a movie like Crash, but I generally thought the performances were alright at least. |