We Own the Night Blu-ray Review

Sony's Blu-ray presentation of "We Own the Night" offers an exemplary video quality with its 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 encode, delivering visuals at a high bitrate that enhances nearly every frame of the movie. Framed in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, the film keeps its cinematic integrity on home screens, displaying slight black bars on the top and bottom that indicate a proper screen calibration. The visual palette transitions smoothly from warm amber tones to cooler steely blues, reflecting the mood swings of the storyline and its '80s nightlife setting. Despite some moments where the vibrant color scheme feels slightly overpowered, it remains true to the movie's theatrical experience. The high contrast and detailed dark scenes are especially notable, showing off the capabilities of Blu-ray to handle varied lighting with finesse.

The color grading plays a crucial role in maintaining the atmospheric depth, balancing between warmth and coldness to assist in narrating the film's evolving story. Excellent black levels add dimension without compromising detail, helping to preserve the lush visual aesthetics. The transfer is clean overall, with no significant edge enhancement or artifacting issues. Detail remains sharp across most scenes, although there are occasional soft shots and moments of increased digital noise and grain, particularly in darker scenes. These minor shortcomings notably affect the clarity but do not detract from an overall impressive visual presentation.

However, the video transfer is not without its faults. Variability in clarity and sporadic instances of digital noise mar the otherwise stable picture quality. The moderate grain intended to enhance the filmic texture at times becomes obtrusive, momentarily breaking the visual immersion. Despite these issues, 'We Own the Night' benefits from an adeptly handled high-contrast range and shadow detail, which keeps its gritty aesthetic intact. This Blu-ray version does well in capturing the essential look and feel of the film, maintaining depth and detail that should satisfy most viewers, albeit with a few noticeable imperfections that marginally impact the overall viewing experience.

"We Own the Night" is delivered on Blu-ray with an impressive audio package, featuring three Dolby TrueHD tracks in English, French, and Spanish, showcasing Sony's commitment to high-quality, lossless audio support. This choice highlights the global appeal of the film, further evidenced by the inclusion of Hindi subtitles, an unusual but welcome addition for international audiences. The primary English audio track faithfully handles the film's dialogue-centric approach, ensuring clear and natural delivery of conversations, a critical aspect given the movie's narrative focus. The action sequences, though sparse, are engulfed in crisp dynamics and proficient LFE backing, bringing the film's few intense moments to life with precise sound effects and engaging soundtrack tunes.

However, the film's soundstage predominantly leans towards the front channels, reflecting its dialogue-heavy script. This allocation occasionally misses opportunities to expand the soundscape with more ambient city sounds, which could have added a layer of realism to the urban setting. The surround sound kicks in effectively during scenes of heightened action like car chases and shootouts, providing a solid sense of immersion. Despite these strengths, there is a slight hiccup with the audio presentation: some lines of dialogue come across as mumbled, potentially tied to Joaquin Phoenix's subdued performance style. Yet, this minor flaw does little to detract from the overall quality of the TrueHD track, maintaining clarity across both high treble and deep bass frequencies, even if it leaves a bit more to be desired in terms of fully immersive background noise and city ambiance.

The Blu-ray edition of "We Own the Night" offers a modest selection of special features. Presented in pristine 1080p video quality, the extras include intriguing yet not overly compelling insights from director James Gray, especially in an audio commentary that feels somewhat lacking without the dynamic of conversational engagement. The behind-the-scenes content provides a straightforward look into the creation of the film, covering everything from stunt work to the atmospheric recreation of late '80s Brooklyn. Despite the technical prowess displayed and the high-definition presentation, the overall package leans towards the standard fare. The featurettes, while technically detailed and well-edited, tread familiar ground without presenting groundbreaking behind-the-scenes revelations. Collectively, these bonuses offer fans a closer look at the film's production aspects, yet might leave those looking for deeper exploratory content a bit wanting.

Extras included in this disc:

• Audio Commentary: Director James Grey shares insights and experiences from making the film.
• Police Action: Creating Cops, Cars, and Chaos: Focuses on the technical aspects of stunt work in the movie.
• Tension: Creating We Own the Night: Explores the on-set atmosphere, script development, and actor responses.
• A Moment in Crime: Creating Late '80s Brooklyn: Delves into the sets, costumes, and overall setting to recreate Brooklyn.
• Trailers: Includes trailers for '30 Days of Night', 'Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story', and more Sony Blu-ray titles.

"We Own the Night," despite boasting a constellation of stellar performances led by Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg, and Robert Duvall, ultimately stumbles under the weight of its own ambitions. Set against the gritty backdrop of late '80s New York, the film charts the turbulent lives of two brothers entrenched on opposite sides of the law, a premise ripe with potential. Phoenix's portrayal of nightclub manager Bobby Green (Robert) offers a nuanced glimpse into the psyche of a man caught between familial loyalty and underworld associations. Wahlberg and Duvall deliver commendable performances as the righteous brother and stern police chief father, respectively. However, these performances cannot mask the film's narrative shortcomings.

The film's initial promise is diluted by erratic pacing and a script that feels derivative of crime genre staples without forging its own identity. The first act drags, relying heavily on period-appropriate set dressing and an engaging soundtrack, but fails to capitalize on these elements to propel the narrative forward. While the second act amasses a semblance of traction, building tension towards what could have been a memorable climax, the finale fizzles out, leaving a sense of missed opportunity. The script's failure to fully flesh out its characters' motivations and the predictable third act further detract from the film's impact.

Notwithstanding these criticisms, "We Own the Night" is not devoid of merits. Its atmospheric rendering of '80s nightlife and meticulous attention to period detail underscore director James Gray's commitment to authenticity. The performances, particularly Phoenix's, elevate the material, hinting at the greater film that could have been had the script undergone further refinement. While the film navigates through clichés of sibling rivalry and familial conflicts with varying degrees of success, it unfortunately falls short of the crime classic it aspires to be.

"We Own the Night" embarks on a journey filled with a promise of compelling narratives, superb acting, and an engaging musical backdrop. However, the film grapples with sustaining its initially promising plot, stumbling into an uneven pace that might leave viewers wanting more coherence. Despite its narrative pitfalls, the Blu-ray presentation of the film is notably impressive, boasting a gritty and authentic video transfer that enhances the atmospheric tension of its urban setting. The film's audio presentation, though mixed in reception, generally delivers with clarity and depth, ensuring that its multi-lingual audience remains engaged through various viewings. The special features, although somewhat scant and deemed filler by some, contain interesting tidbits that aficionados of the film might appreciate.

The release's technical achievements on Blu-ray are indeed commendable, with a strong video quality that faithfully represents the film's intended visual tone. However, opinions diverge regarding the audio track, specifically the TrueHD track, which some found to be lacking in comparison to the visual transfer's excellence. This discrepancy highlights a critical aspect of the Blu-ray edition, where visual splendor does not entirely compensate for auditory shortcomings. Additionally, the limited range of supplements included with this release has been a point of contention, underscoring a desire for more substantial behind-the-scenes content that could have enriched the viewing experience.

In conclusion, while "We Own the Night" shines in its transition to Blu-ray with a commendable video transfer and adequate audio presentation, it falls short of delivering a fully satisfying home-viewing experience due to its narrative inconsistencies and underwhelming supplementary content. The performances within are undoubtedly a highlight and warrant attention, yet potential buyers should temper their expectations regarding both the film's storytelling prowess and the Blu-ray's special features. This release, despite its flaws, could still find a place amongst enthusiasts who value quality performances and technical excellence in their collection.