Traded Blu-ray Review

"Traded" is presented on Blu-ray by Cinedigm with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio. The visual presentation closely captures the burnt sienna and brownish ambiance of the American West, delivering natural, albeit subdued, color tones without any signs of image instability or compression issues. Director Timothy Woodward Jr. and cinematographer Pablo Diez utilize backlighting techniques, which at times can impact fine details, but the overall result is visually pleasing, particularly in close-ups. The palette remains natural throughout the film, providing a consistent and immersive viewing experience.

The 2.40:1 1080p digitally shot transfer impresses with stable detail levels that highlight the film's costuming, makeup, and production design. Establishing shots are particularly noteworthy, capturing the characteristic yellow desert hues of the Old West. Colors are well balanced, maintaining a warm, sunny yellow and gold palette that ensures primary colors and flesh tones look healthy. While black levels are decent, the film lacks scenes with deep shadows to fully showcase them. There is some minor softness at times, and a slight video vibe, but these are not significant issues. Overall, the transfer effectively translates the film's visual aesthetic to Blu-ray, making it a very good-looking presentation for home viewing.

The audio presentation of "Traded" features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that generally provides a solid auditory experience. Elements such as shootouts and galloping horses benefit from robust surround activity, ensuring an immersive atmosphere. The musical score by Samuel Joseph Smythe is well-integrated into the surround channels, enhancing key sequences with appreciable support. Dialogue is consistently clean and prioritized effectively, ensuring clarity without any troublesome inconsistencies.

Although the sound effects and ambient noises are executed decently, they occasionally appear somewhat restrained and front-loaded, not fully utilizing the available channel space. This can result in a slightly stereo-centric mix. However, the audio does receive a noticeable boost during action scenes, providing an engaging auditory experience without the need for manual adjustments. Despite these minor drawbacks, the mix is free from any significant anomalies, making it a reliable and competent audio track.

The extras on the Blu-ray of "Traded" provide a succinct yet insightful exploration of the film's production and additional scenes. The featurette "Five Minutes to Dodge: The Making of Traded" delves into the casting decisions, scripting process, and on-set experiences with director Timothy Woodward Jr., making it an engaging watch despite being typical EPK material. The deleted scenes, available with optional commentary, include some noteworthy character sequences that arguably could have enhanced the narrative if they had been retained in the final cut.

Extras included in this disc:

• Five Minutes to Dodge: The Making of Traded: Insights from the director on casting, scripting, and on-set challenges.
• Deleted Scenes With Optional Commentary: Additional character-focused sequences that offer depth to the story.

"Traded," directed by Timothy Woodward Jr., attempts to meld the classic Western revenge trope with a gritty, 19th-century backdrop, seeking inspiration from films like "Hardcore" and "Taken." The story pivots around Clay Travis (Michael Paré), a retired gunslinger who is thrust back into violence when his daughter Lily (Brittany Elizabeth Williams) is kidnapped and forced into prostitution. The film showcases a solid foundation with actors like Kris Kristofferson, Trace Adkins, and Tom Sizemore making notable appearances, though their roles are more cameo than central. Particularly notable is the dusty ambiance that frames the film’s setting effectively, punctuated by bouts of graphic violence reminiscent of Peckinpah's style.

Despite its intriguing premise and initial buildup, "Traded" struggles with a lurching pace and clichéd narrative elements. The characters appear more as genre stereotypes—the surly bartender, the hooker with a heart of gold, and the abusive father—serving to advance plot points rather than enriching the story. The setup of Clay's idyllic family life is efficiently laid out, yet once the main quest begins, the film devolves into formulaic storytelling. The editing exacerbates the issue, bogging down the narrative with superfluous scenes that add to its already prolonged runtime without enhancing tension or character development.

Michael Paré delivers a commendable performance as Clay Travis, embodying the transition from peaceful rancher to relentless avenger convincingly. However, his efforts are hindered by the surrounding narrative inconsistencies and underutilized supporting cast. Notably, despite being top-billed, Kristofferson and Adkins have disappointingly brief screen time, possibly leading to unmet viewer expectations based on promotional material. With tighter editing and more original writing, "Traded" might have emerged as a standout within its genre; as it stands, it remains a potentially gripping story that falls short of its ambitions.

"Traded" is a Blu-ray release with both strengths and weaknesses, particularly appealing to genre enthusiasts. The film features notable performances by Michael Paré as a gunslinger and Kris Kristofferson in a gripping Old West setting. However, despite their presence, the movie struggles to rise above its scripted and edited predictability. The narrative feels too conventional and subdued to fully engage, but fans of westerns may still find enough merit in the authentic atmosphere and competent, if not stellar, storyline.

Cinedigm’s Blu-ray presentation of “Traded” stands out with commendable audio and visual quality that enhances the viewing experience. Though the extras included are minimal, they add some value for those who appreciate the film. The overall A/V performance is robust, delivering on clarity and depth which lends the film a richer, more immersive feel. Despite its technical competence, the movie's inherent flaws make it more suitable for a rental rather than an outright purchase.

In conclusion, "Traded" offers enough to satisfy dedicated Western aficionados but falls short of being a memorable entry in the genre. Its strong technical merits and solid performances can't fully compensate for the uninspired script and editing. The Blu-ray edition elevates the viewing experience with high-quality A/V, but given the film's limitations, it’s best approached as a rental.