{"id":7425,"date":"2014-06-09T07:52:05","date_gmt":"2014-06-09T14:52:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/?p=7425"},"modified":"2022-01-01T11:10:08","modified_gmt":"2022-01-01T19:10:08","slug":"review-truedetective-s1-bd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/2014\/06\/review-truedetective-s1-bd\/","title":{"rendered":"True Detective: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"\u201cTrue Detective\u201d<\/strong> is one hell of a series propelled with sharp writing, enough of mystery plot to keep one\u2019s involvement and, most of all, incredible performances particularly from Matthew McConaughey who is yet again in top form and an amazing follow-up to his Oscar winning performance in Dallas Buyer\u2019s Club<\/em> and for this, he\u2019ll be in the race for an Emmy.<\/p>\n

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“True Detective”<\/span>
\n(2014)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Genre(s): <\/strong>Drama, Crime
\nWarner Home Video | \u2013 458 min. \u2013 $79.98 | June 10, 2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n <\/b>MOVIE INFO:<\/span>
\nDirected by: <\/strong>Cary Fukunaga
\nWriter(s): <\/strong>Nic Pizzolatto (created by) (written by)
\nCast: <\/strong>Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, Michelle MonaghanDISC INFO:<\/span>
\nFeatures: <\/strong>2 Episode Commentaries, Featurettes, Deleted Scenes
\nNumber of Discs: <\/strong>4Audio: <\/strong>English (DTS-HD MA 5.1), French (DTS 5.1), Spanish (DTS 2.0)
\nVideo: <\/strong>1080p\/Widescreen 1.78
\nSubtitles: <\/strong>English SDH, French, Spanish, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
\nDisc Size: <\/strong>Disc 1 \u2013 42.5 GB; Disc 2 \u2013 43.1 GB; Disc 3 \u2013 40.5 GB
\nCodec: <\/strong>MPEG-4 AVC
\nRegion(s): <\/strong>A, B, C<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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THE MOVIE<\/strong> \u2013 4.5\/5<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It\u2019s not often a series captures my attention from beginning to end, to go along with an intricate story, amazing character development and two actors perhaps at the pinnacle of their careers is only icing on the cake. \u201cTrue Detective\u201d<\/strong> is one heck of a series but let me say, it\u2019s not for everybody and is much more a (slow burn) character study than a murder mystery, though there are elements of that as well, especially in the last couple of episodes.<\/p>\n

The series follows Louisiana State Police CID (Criminal Investigations Division) homicide detectives Rust Cohle (MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY) and Marty Hart (WOODY HARRELSON) and takes place over the span of 17 years. In 2012 two detectives (MICHAEL POTTS and TORY KITTLES) separately interview Cohle and Hart who outline the events that began in 1995 with the discovery of a young woman in a burning field, crouched with hands tied in front of a tree, wearing a crown of deer horns and a symbol painted on her back. We quickly learn that Cohle isn\u2019t exactly a people person but is incredibly smart and intuitive while Hart is a bit more diplomatic. The two have only been partnered for a few months at this point and as smart as Cohle is, he\u2019s equally irritating in his world viewpoint.<\/p>\n

When the show isn\u2019t examining the dynamics between Cohle and Hart, and in turn Cohle and the rest of the CID and its captain (played by KEVIN DUNN) who aren\u2019t fond of Cohle\u2019s cold demeanor, we do get focus on the mystery elements with Cohle and Hart doing the oft grueling and unrewarding legwork, hunting down leads from other leads, uncooperative witnesses, shady individuals and even a highly suspicious evangelical preacher with statewide political connections.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrue Detective\u201d<\/strong> is an exercise in top notch acting, first and foremost Matthew McConaughey who is having quite the banner year between the Oscars and eventual Emmy nomination (going up against Bryan Cranston no less). In any case, here, McConaughey is almost unrecognizable even in his 1995\/2002 form where he looks more like Christian Bale than the slick fella in The Lincoln Lawyer<\/em> and he truly gets lost in the role and as a viewer, it\u2019s not hard to be mesmerized by it all. Woody Harrelson unfortunately is overshadowed and doesn\u2019t give as much of a nuanced performance but he plays off really well opposite McConaughey; Michelle Monaghan at first seemed to be the typical bitter cop\u2019s wife but by episode 6 or 7 (can\u2019t recall which at the moment), she develops some depth of her own that drives the story, and the characters, so well.<\/p>\n

Now the show isn\u2019t perfect with some bits that while I acknowledge were red herrings more than anything, deserved some sort of explanation (i.e. Hart\u2019s daughter\u2019s drawings) and it\u2019s never explained why this serial killer who has abducted, murdered and hid numerous women, went through the trouble of making one so exposed in a ritualistic way for authorities to find and investigate. Also, as strong as the first 7 episodes were, the finale was a bit of a letdown and does delve into clich\u00e9 territory with the takedown, that being said, the final 10-minutes is something of pure emotion and just about makes up for any shortcomings.<\/p>\n

Episodes:
\n<\/strong>1. The Long Bright Dark
\n2. Seeing Things
\n3. The Locked Room
\n4. Who Goes There
\n5. The Secret Fate of All Life
\n6. Haunted Houses
\n7. After You\u2019re Gone
\n8. Form and Void<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

SPECIAL FEATURES \u2013 3.25\/5<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The 3-disc set comes housed in a foldout digipak which is housed in a thick cardboard slip case. Inside there is a Digital Copy<\/strong> redemption code good for iTunes and\/or UltraViolet.<\/p>\n

Inside the Episode (TRT 36:01 HD)<\/strong><\/span> is available for each one where Executive Producer\/Creator Nic Pizzolatto and Director Cary Fukunaga explore various elements of the episode from story to characters.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

DISC ONE:
\nDeleted Scene (6:17; HD)<\/span><\/strong> on Episode 3, \u2018The Locked Room\u2019<\/p>\n

DISC TWO:
\nAudio Commentaries<\/span><\/strong> \u2013 The only two tracks are for \u2018Who Goes There\u2019 with Series Creator\/Executive Producer\/Writer Nic Pizzolatto and Composer T Bone Burnett and \u2018The Secret Fate of All Life\u2019 with Series Creator\/Executive Producer\/Writer Nic Pizzolatto, Composer T Bone Burnett and Executive Producer Scott Stephens.<\/p>\n

DISC THREE:
\nMaking \u201cTrue Detective\u201d (15:02; HD)<\/span><\/strong> is a basic but interesting behind-the-scenes featurette with on-set cast\/crew interviews as they chat up on the characters and story.<\/p>\n

Deleted Scene (3:40; HD)<\/strong><\/span> on Episode 8, \u2018Form and Void\u2019<\/p>\n

Up Close with Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson (8:03; HD)<\/strong><\/span> has the stars together breaking down four key scenes from the season.<\/p>\n

A Conversation with Nic Pizzolatto and Composer T Bone Burnett (14:25; HD)<\/strong><\/span> finds the two chatting up on the music and score.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

VIDEO \u2013 4.5\/5<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cTrue Detective\u201d: Season 1<\/strong> arrives on Blu-ray presented with a 1.78 widescreen transfer and in 1080p high-definition (AVC codec). The picture looks brilliant with excellent detail levels, a nice pop even through the bleak material and blacks are stark and show no obvious signs of artifacts, pixilation or compression. Having not seen this in its original airing, I can\u2019t make any comparisons, but I\u2019d say it\u2019s on par if not a tad better looking.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

AUDIO \u2013 4.75\/5<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track might not initially wow anyone yet through much of the series you come to appreciate the breadth and depth of this lossless track. Dialogue sounds nicely crisp and clear while the front and rear channels are mostly used for T Bone Burnett\u2019s haunting score, the various choice music as well as some ambient noises.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

OVERALL \u2013 4.5\/5<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Overall, \u201cTrue Detective\u201d<\/strong> is one hell of a series propelled with sharp writing, enough of mystery plot to keep one\u2019s involvement and, most of all, incredible performances particularly from Matthew McConaughey who is yet again in top form and an amazing follow-up to his Oscar winning performance in Dallas Buyer\u2019s Club<\/em> and for this, he\u2019ll be in the race for an Emmy. Beyond that, at only 8 episodes, it is a breeze to get through so long as you don\u2019t mind some of the slow burn pace as this is far more a character study than a plot you\u2019d see any given week on \u201cCriminal Minds\u201d, so with that it\u2019s not for everybody.<\/p>\n

The Blu-ray released by Warner\/HBO offers excellent video and audio transfers and the special features, while not entirely special, has enough to give a glimpse into the process but little else (kind of wished for more than two commentaries and with various members of the cast and\/or crew). As it is, it\u2019s a fine set and should be available fairly cheap soon.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Movieman
\n<\/em>Published: <\/strong>06\/09\/2014<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cTrue Detective\u201d is one hell of a series propelled with sharp writing, enough of mystery plot to keep one\u2019s involvement and, most of all, incredible performances particularly from Matthew McConaughey who is yet again in top form and an amazing follow-up to his Oscar winning performance in Dallas Buyer\u2019s Club and for this, he\u2019ll be … Continue reading “True Detective: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Review”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[1315,68,685,2955,850],"class_list":["post-7425","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blurayreviews","tag-kevin-dunn","tag-matthew-mcconaughey","tag-michelle-monaghan","tag-true-detective","tag-woody-harrelson"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7425","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7425"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7425\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27836,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7425\/revisions\/27836"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7425"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7425"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7425"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}