The Angriest Man in Brooklyn Blu-ray Review

The Blu-ray presentation of "The Angriest Man in Brooklyn," distributed by Lionsgate Films, features an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio. The film boasts strong clarity and crispness, delivering an engaging visual experience throughout. Cinematographer John Bailey captures the film’s location work in Manhattan and Brooklyn astutely, with outdoor scenes showcasing impressive depth of field and spatial awareness. Midrange shots and close-ups exhibit excellent detail, rendering flesh tones with high accuracy. The film maintains accurate and well-saturated colors, while the sepia-tinged flashback sequences present a softer and grainier picture, intentional by design. The image remains steady with negligible compression artifacts.

Though the film's visuals aren't the most strikingly sharp available, they hold significant appeal through their consistent texture and depth. High contrast occasionally results in blooming whites, aligning with the director’s artistic choices, and black levels are commendably deep and stable. The color palette leans toward subtlety rather than vibrancy; however, exterior scenes provide pops of brightness and vibrancy, particularly in city settings where individual elements, such as taxis' yellows and trees' greens, stand out effectively. Brief instances of aliasing and static grain do not detract meaningfully from the overall image quality.

Overall, "The Angriest Man in Brooklyn" Blu-ray offers a stable and predominantly artifact-free transfer. Noise is virtually non-existent, allowing for an immersive viewing experience that faithfully preserves the film's aesthetic and emotional tones. The subtle yet effective color grading and meticulous attention to detail highlight the filmmakers’ intentions while providing a viewing experience that feels authentic to the urban landscape of Brooklyn. This Blu-ray presentation serves as a solid representation of the film's visual intent, making it a worthwhile addition for viewers appreciating finely executed cinematography.

The Blu-ray of "The Angriest Man in Brooklyn" features an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix that offers a solid and immersive audio experience given the film’s dialogue-driven nature. Ambient environmental sounds are proficiently placed throughout the surround channels, adding significant realism to the busy urban cityscape which is an essential backdrop of the narrative. Fidelity is commendable, maintaining clarity and cleanliness predominantly throughout the film’s runtime, although there are sporadic moments of faint hissing behind speech.

The track provides a robust sense of atmosphere and mood, adeptly spreading typical New York sound effects around the room with natural imaging and directionality. Scenes set in quieter locations like hospital waiting rooms benefit from this surround experience, convincingly placing the audience in the protagonist's turbulent environment. Dialogue reproduction is crystal clear, particularly crucial given the copious amount of shouting present in the film.

This audio mix, while not bass-heavy, shows good use of low frequencies in specific musical cues and select intense scenes such as speeding taxi cabs. The sound design does an impressive job of both complementing and juxtaposing Henry’s angry disposition. Despite its lack of action-heavy sequences, the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1’s dynamics are noteworthy, presenting a sound presentation that is good but not overwhelmingly powerful. Overall, it combines dialogue clarity, effective ambiance, and spatial realism into a fairly enveloping and effective mix for the genre.

The extras on the Blu-ray of "The Angriest Man in Brooklyn" are limited but offer some insight into the film. "The Making of The Angriest Man in Brooklyn" is a brief, 1080p behind-the-scenes featurette that includes interviews with the cast and crew. The participants discuss the film's Israeli origins, praise the American adaptation, and touch on the blend of pain and humor within the characters and themes; however, it doesn't delve too deeply. The "Gag Reel" also in 1080p, features a series of flubbed lines and outtakes. While not exceptionally funny, it showcases some amusing moments, particularly featuring Robin Williams and Melissa Leo handling on-set challenges. These extras, while short, provide a basic yet enjoyable look behind the scenes.

Extras included in this disc:

• The Making of The Angriest Man in Brooklyn: A brief behind-the-scenes featurette with cast & crew interviews.
• Gag Reel: A collection of flubbed lines and outtakes.

"The Angriest Man in Brooklyn" offers an intriguing premise with a promising setup featuring a stellar cast including Robin Williams, Mila Kunis, Melissa Leo, and James Earl Jones. However, the film ultimately falls short in capitalizing on its potential, delivering a vexingly inconsistent narrative. Directed by Phil Alden Robinson, the story follows Henry Altmann (Williams), whose irascible nature is challenged when a young doctor (Kunis) mistakenly tells him he has 90 minutes to live. This scenario lays the ground for what should be a blend of black comedy and heartfelt drama, but Daniel Taplitz’s screenplay doesn’t commit fully to either tone, resulting in muddled execution.

The film oscillates between moments of misguided humor and heavy-handed sentimentality. Williams forces his performance through the uneven script, only to hit sporadic comedic marks. Kunis, while charming, flounders in defining her character early on but finds some footing as the plot advances. Supporting cast members like Peter Dinklage and Melissa Leo provide solid, albeit underutilized performances, buried beneath thin characterizations. The humor largely derives from Altmann's outbursts and Kunis’ frantic attempts to manage the chaos; yet these moments fail to create any lasting comedic or emotional impact.

Despite its shortcomings, "The Angriest Man in Brooklyn" sporadically shines through its creative devices such as third-person narrations that offer fleeting insights into the characters. The thematic exploration of grief, family, and anger is present but remains surface-level and predictably sappy. Technical flaws also plague the film; particularly a supposedly climactic moment featuring ineffective green screen work. In essence, while the movie boasts moments of charm and capable performances, it fails to coalesce into an engaging or coherent whole, leaving viewers with a sense of wasted potential rather than a fulfilling cinematic experience.

"The Angriest Man in Brooklyn" is a film that struggles to find its footing amidst an array of tonal shifts and narrative missteps. Directed by Phil Alden Robinson, the film oscillates wildly between melodrama and comedy, which leaves the viewers feeling perplexed and often disconnected from the characters and their plights. Robin Williams delivers a performance packed with his trademark intensity and humor, yet despite his efforts, the script fails to make the most of his talents. The movie feels uneven and riddled with clichés, ultimately wasting the potential of its notable cast.

On a technical level, "The Angriest Man in Brooklyn" offers commendable Blu-ray quality. The video transfer is crisp and clean, capturing the visual aesthetics with clarity. Similarly, the audio mix is well-executed, ensuring that dialogue and soundscapes are delivered with precision. However, the supplementary materials are sparse and lack depth, providing little beyond the main feature. These technical merits are perhaps the saving grace of what is otherwise a lackluster film.

In conclusion, "The Angriest Man in Brooklyn" may attract interest due to its star-studded cast and intriguing premise, but it fails to deliver a cohesive and engaging story. For those considering a purchase, the solid technical presentation might make it worth a rental at best. Yet, for most viewers, keeping expectations low is advisable. The film’s inability to balance its conflicting tones and truly leverage its talented cast results in a forgettable viewing experience.