Pursuit Blu-ray Review

"Pursuit" on Blu-ray, as presented by Lionsgate Films, is encoded in AVC 1080p with a 2.40:1 aspect ratio and delivers a visually sharp and appealing experience. The film's digital finish, presumably at a 2K DI, showcases excellent detail levels, particularly in facial features such as Manley's intensely blue eyes, and offers a well-suffused color palette. Outdoor shots are brightly lit, enhancing color vibrancy and providing expansive vistas with impressive depth of field. Despite the occasional inconsistency in detail mainly due to stylistic choices, like onscreen text messages or shots of computer monitors, the overall production maintains clarity and sharpness.

While the Blu-ray does exhibit some moderate banding due to Lionsgate's modest AVC encode, the contrast and black levels remain solid, significantly contributing to the polished look of this indie crime thriller. The clean cinematography throughout the 2.40:1 presentation ensures the visual quality stays robust, though minor deficiencies are noted in shadow definition during some interior scenes, such as those involving intricate hacking sequences.

Despite being a DTV production available in UHD on streaming services, "Pursuit" provides above-average picture quality on standard Blu-ray. Although the UHD version might offer slight enhancements, the difference in visual experience is not expected to be substantial. Overall, the Blu-ray offers a crisp and well-defined visual presentation that effectively supports its narrative without the viewers separating elements for critique.

The audio presentation of the Blu-ray release for "Pursuit" comes with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that delivers a surprisingly effective and immersive experience for a production of its kind. Despite its apparent low budget, the mix offers pronounced low-frequency effects, especially during high-octane sequences like the hotel shootout, which is enriched with zinging sound effects across the side and rear channels. Ambient outdoor scenes are complemented by realistically designed environmental audio, enhancing the overall experience without overshadowing the primary auditory elements.

This audio track excels in providing an actively discrete soundtrack, filled with both explosions and subtle nuances. Quite effectively, it maintains balanced channel activity which ensures engaging auditory engagement across various scenes, from intense gunfire exchanges to more subdued moments. Dialogue reproduction is sharp and clear, fitting the expectations of modern film audio standards. Despite the action-heavy content, vocal elements are never compromised, consistently rendered in clean and intelligible quality across the board.

Optional subtitles are available in English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese, presented in a white font outside the scope presentation, accommodating diverse audience needs. Overall, the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track on the "Pursuit" Blu-ray succeeds in providing an impressively enveloping audio experience, even amidst chaotic scenes, thus making it a valuable feature in this release.

The Blu-ray extras for "Pursuit" offer a standard selection of supplementary content that adds a modest layer of insight into the movie's production. The "Behind the Scenes of Pursuit" featurette provides typical electronic press kit material, capturing interviews with producer Andrew Stevens and showcasing candid moments from the set. This segment reflects on director Brian Skiba's expertise in orchestrating action sequences, revealing his enthusiasm for the film-making process. The package also surprises with a high-quality slipcover and includes a digital copy, enhancing the disc's overall value.

Extras included in this disc:

• Behind the Scenes of Pursuit: Standard EPK material featuring interviews and candid footage.
• Trailer: Official promotional trailer for the film.

Pursuit" presents itself as a crime thriller that strives to emulate the gritty style of films like "John Wick" but ultimately falls short in both narrative cohesion and engaging action sequences. John Cusack and Emile Hirsch headline this misfire, though their performances are overshadowed by a weak script devoid of any substantive character development or compelling plot. The story navigates through a convoluted plot involving Ricky Calloway, a notorious hacker played by Hirsch, whose family is abducted by a drug cartel. His quest for revenge is interspersed with ineptly staged shootouts, diluting any potential dramatic tension. Cusack appears briefly as Calloway’s father, a crime boss, though his involvement feels merely superficial amidst the disarray of the plot.

Director Brian Skiba attempts to cover up the script’s deficiencies with excessive violence and a rapid pace that only highlights its chaotic and hollow nature. The visual palette draws from "John Wick" with bold reds and purples, yet lacks both thematic depth and expertise in choreography that characterize the Keanu Reeves franchise. The film introduces viewers to Detective Mike Breslin (Jake Manley), whose pursuit of Calloway quickly gets mired in poorly executed action set pieces that verge on parody rather than thrill. Characters are introduced without adequate context, creating an impenetrable web of relations and motivations that audiences may find perplexing rather than engaging.

"With a runtime of 97 minutes, "Pursuit" exemplifies the pitfalls of direct-to-video filmmaking with its focus on star appearances and spectacle over storytelling. Cusack’s and Hirsch’s talents feel squandered in roles that demand little beyond their presence, as yet another attempt at replicating profitable action narratives ends up being as lifeless as it is noisy. Despite a promising setup, the film delivers a lackluster experience where bullets fly indiscriminately, yet leave viewers unperturbed, longing for the closing credits.

"Pursuit" on Blu-ray presents a puzzling conundrum of conflicting elements, oscillating between chaotic storytelling and sporadic bursts of action. The narrative is convoluted to the point of near incomprehensibility, lacking coherence and directorial finesse. Despite this, the film occasionally manages to inject some energy through its action sequences. However, these fleeting moments are overshadowed by an overall uninspired and lackluster execution that fails to captivate or engage viewers consistently.

Technically, the Blu-ray release surprisingly excels, showcasing commendable visual and audio quality that belies the film's low-budget appearance. The high-definition presentation highlights the action scenes crisply, and the sound mix adequately envelops the viewer, providing an experience that audiophiles may appreciate despite the film's narrative shortcomings. This strong technical showing might tempt Blu-ray collectors or those interested in evaluating physical media performance, although it struggles to justify purchase purely from a content perspective.

In summary, "Pursuit" struggles with weak plot development and direction, resulting in a film that feels inconsequential amidst its ambitious action efforts. Despite some notable technical strengths in its Blu-ray release, these aspects can't compensate for the film's lack of substance and coherence. The film is unlikely to resonate with audiences seeking compelling storytelling. Overall, "Pursuit" offers little beyond its superficially polished presentation—an unfortunate waste of potential that may best be bypassed in favor of more cohesive action fare.