Closer Blu-ray Review

Sony's release of "Closer" on Blu-ray presents a visual treat that both preserves and enhances the film's deliberately bleak and subdued aesthetic. The AVC transfer showcases the film's muted color palette, faithfully reflecting London's grey landscape and the somber mood of the narrative. Despite its intentionally grainy presentation, the transfer maintains a high level of detail, allowing the film's character-driven story to shine without succumbing to the overly glossy finish that plagues many modern transfers. Particularly notable is how well the scenes with vibrant color, such as the memorable moment in the strip club, stand out without compromising the film's overall visual integrity. The lack of edge enhancement, banding, or any distracting artifacts further attests to Sony's commitment to providing a top-notch cinematic experience.

Building on the success of its Superbit DVD release, this Blu-ray edition continues to impress with its simple yet effective transfer that emphasizes naturalism over artificial enhancement. Colors are richly saturated, bringing life to various scenes without causing blurriness or smearing, and the image boasts remarkable clarity and depth thanks to outstanding detail and sharpness levels. While there's an appropriate amount of film grain, it enhances rather than detracts from the viewing experience, ensuring that the film's realistic presentation is maintained. The contrast also hits the right note, adding pop without unwanted blooming effects.

However, a minor criticism concerns a slight edginess noticed in some scenes, most apparently in the initial scene featuring Julia Roberts' character. Thin halos around objects occasionally disrupt the film's otherwise seamless digital presentation. While this issue doesn't significantly detract from the overall quality of the transfer, it stands out as a rare oversight in what is an exemplary example of how to handle a film with as nuanced and delicate a visual style as "Closer". This Blu-ray edition represents a faithful reproduction that successfully balances the director's original vision with the enhanced capabilities of modern home cinema technology.

The audio presentation on the Blu-ray of "Closer" possesses a number of commendable traits, primarily courtesy of its uncompressed PCM 5.1 surround track, which operates at 48kHz/16-bit/4.6mbps. Highlighting the film's dialogue-intensive nature, this audio track ensures that every word spoken by the cast is delivered with utmost clarity and precision. This is indispensable for a movie like "Closer," where the strength of human interaction and conversation drives the narrative forward. The inclusion of this high-quality PCM track addresses a common pitfall found in many Dolby Digital and DTS tracks, where nuances of speech can sometimes appear muddy or less distinct.

On the downside, despite the technical excellence of the audio track and its ability to perfectly present dialogue and the memorable musical score, including standout tracks like Damien Rice's emotion-laden song and vibrant tunes from The Smiths and Prodigy, the sound design demonstrates a notable lack of atmospheric engagement. The mix tends to be front-heavy, with limited use of the surround channels even during scenes that could have benefited from a more immersive soundstage. This results in a missed opportunity to elevate the film's auditory experience further by adding depth and ambiance to key moments, whether it be the bustling streets of London or the tension-filled exchanges in a strip club.

Sony’s decision to allocate "Closer" to a BD-50 dual-layer disc, providing myriad soundtrack and subtitle options, though commendable for inclusivity, does not mask the overall sonic limitations imparted by its front-loaded mix. Therefore, while the audio presentation shines in delivering crystal-clear dialogue and a beautifully presented musical score, it falls short of creating an enveloping auditory experience that could have complemented the film’s powerful narrative and performances with a more dynamic and engaging soundscape.

The Blu-ray presentation of "Closer" is disappointingly sparse in its extra features, offering a mere singular music video for Damien Rice's "The Blower's Daughter," which is a poignant accompaniment to the film's intricate emotional landscape. The decision to include only this, alongside a vast array of subtitle options, underlines a missed opportunity to delve deeper into the movie's complexities through additional content like director commentaries or documentaries. Moreover, the music video's presentation is suboptimal, confined to a 480i resolution and windowboxed within a 4:3 frame, detracting from the overall viewing experience. The absence of a theatrical trailer for "Closer" itself, juxtaposed with the presence of a promo for an unrelated upcoming film, further accentuates the lack of dedicated supplemental material for this thought-provoking film. This bare-bones approach does little justice to the movie's nuanced narrative and its potential for richer exploration through supplementary insights.

Extras included in this disc:

• Music Video – The Blower's Daughter: Damien Rice's haunting ballad presented in a windowboxed 4:3 frame at 480i resolution.

"Closer," directed by Mike Nichols and based on the play written by Patrick Marber, explores the tumultuous and intricate relationships among four deeply flawed individuals against the urban backdrop of London. The film is an unflinching examination of love, betrayal, and the raw human emotions that accompany them. Featuring a cast comprising Julia Roberts, Clive Owen, Jude Law, and Natalie Portman, each character delivers a performance that is nothing short of arresting, with Owen's portrayal earning particular acclaim for its intensity. The narrative delves into their interconnected lives over a span of years, showcasing their struggles with fidelity, self-worth, and the pursuit of happiness.

Marber's adaptation of his own stage play to the screen under Nichols' direction results in a film that refuses to adhere to conventional romantic drama tropes. Instead, it presents its story through a series of vignettes that capture moments of intense emotional upheaval, without offering respite through scenes of affection or reconciliation. This approach may distance the audience from the characters, making them hard to empathize with. Yet, it's this very storytelling technique that imbues the film with a relentless pace and a palpable intensity, highlighting the characters' darkest actions and impulses. The dialogue is sharp and often startlingly vulgar, pushing the boundaries of mainstream cinema with its candid exploration of adult themes.

Despite or perhaps because of its glaring look at the ugliness of human relationships, "Closer" exerts a bizarre fascination. It's a film that demands attention not for its likability but for its boldness in presenting unvarnished truths. The performances are compelling, especially Portman's portrayal of Alice, who emerges as the narrative's emotional center. Nichols' direction ensures that the film never veers into melodrama, maintaining a balance between the visceral and the intellectual. "Closer" is a cinematic experience that stays with the viewer long after the credits roll, a testament to Nichols’ and Marber’s skillful depiction of the complexities of human interaction and intimacy.

"Closer," directed by the renowned Mike Nichols, presents an intense exploration of the complexities and emotional turmoil inherent in immature and disrespectful relationships. This film, far from a lighthearted romantic journey, delves into the scathing hurts inflicted by such interactions, offering an experience that is both discomforting and profoundly impactful. The Blu-ray edition of "Closer" by Sony excels in technical presentation. Both the audio and video quality are top-notch, ensuring that viewers are fully immersed in the film's stirring narrative and outstanding performances. While the supplemental material is sparse, the primary allure of this release lies in its ability to showcase the powerful acting and the daring nature of the storyline, which stands out even in a landscape filled with A-list actors and high production values.

The Blu-ray release effectively mirrors the film's unsettling but captivating essence with its superior picture quality and adequate audio. Despite the technical proficiency, the lack of extensive extras on the Blu-ray edition is noted as a missed opportunity for deeper engagement with the film's unique qualities and background. The film, an adaptation of a sharply provocative stage play, stands as an unconventional choice in Hollywood's landscape, featuring top-tier talents engaging in a narrative far removed from mainstream romantic narratives.

In conclusion, the Blu-ray presentation of "Closer" is a commendable release that admirably captures the essence and emotional intensity of the film. While it falls somewhat short in delivering a comprehensive set of extras that could have enriched the viewing experience, it excels in audiovisual quality, making it a worthwhile addition for those seeking to experience or re-experience the raw, unfiltered exploration of complex relationships portrayed in this compelling movie.