FIREWALL
Studio: Warner Brothers
Year: 2006
Rated: PG-13
Film Length: 105 Minutes
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Enhanced Widescreen
Audio: DD 5.1
Color/B&W: Color
Languages: English
Subtitles: English, French & Spanish
Genre: Crime/Drama/Thriller
MSRP: $28.98
Package: Single disc/Keepcase
The Feature:
We’ve seen this many times before. There's nothing particularly original about Richard Loncraine's film, but it maintains a consistent level of tension throughout the film.
Firewall incorportates several common elements including the protagonist being forced to commit a bank robbery to save his family.
Jack Stanfield (played by Harrison Ford), who is the head of security for a bank that's about to merge with another. Jack is dedicated but sees things differently than his new boss (played by Robert Patrick). Bill Cox (played by Paul Bettany), a businessman who has a meeting with Jack then abducts him putting the plan in motion. Bill transforms Jack's mansion into a home base for Jack and his kidknapped family; his wife, Beth (played by Virginia Madsen), daughter Sarah (played by Carly Schroeder), and son Andrew (played by Jimmy Bennett). Jack has to trunsfer funds electronically in the amount of $100 million from his bank to an off-shore account. He relies on his close friend (played by Robert Forster) and his loyal secretary, Janet (played by Mary Lynn Rajskub).
The film threatens to go beyond where the average viewer can suspend disbelief. Director Richard Loncraine directs with a steady hand and he creates enough suspense to keep viewers involved.
Firewall is flawed, but that didn't prevent this reviewer from enjoying it for what it is, nor will that prevent me from recommending it to those who enjoy a thriller with enough of the right ingredients to provide a couple hours of mindless escapism.
The Feature: 3/5
Video:
Presented in it's original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, this transfer, which is enhanced for widescreen is a fine effort. Colors are bright and vivid and the level of saturation is perfect. Blacks were deep while whites were contrasted nicely always showing clean and stark. There is a reasonable amount of image detail. Some wider and longer shots aren't quite as sharp.
Film grain was all but non-existent however, there is a gorgeous level of dimensionality and texture present here - very nice indeed. The film is immaculate and basically free of any dirt or other annoying blemishes - no surprise there considering this was a recent release. Authoring seems to have been handled very well as compression errors were virtually non-existent. A hint of edge enhancement was noticeable infrequently but was never intrusive or bothersome.
A nice job all around.
Video: 4/5
Audio:
The audio soundtrack is a DD 5.1 encoded track and it approaches the slightly aggressive side of things. Most importantly, dialogue was always bold and intelligible. There is a little bit of heft and punch to the track as we hear automatic gunfire and a rather interesting car explosion. The soundstage is satisfactorily wide.
While the track is 5.1, the surrounds are limited to only a couple of scenes which add ambiance (like some rain scenes). LFE kicks in occasionally. The track is clean and free of any hiss or other noisy distractions and the overall fidelity of the track is natural.
Audio: 3.5/5
Special Features:
The disc is a little light on special features, starting with:
Firweall Decoded: A Conversation with Harrison Ford and Richard Loncraine is a short featurette which explains the thought behind the plot outline and the discussions in obtaining the right balance of technology and audience understanding. They also discuss how each approaches their craft. Duration: 15:26 minutes.
Next up is Firewall: Writing A Thriller which is a brief - very brief discussion with Joe Forte on how he approached the writing of this movie and his thought process behind it. Duration: 03:15 minutes.
And finally, the Theatrical Trailer is included and is in perfect shape. Duration: 02:15 minutes.
Special Features: 2.5/5
**Special Features rated for the quality of supplements, not the quantity**
Final Thoughts:
Although this is an entertaining enough movie, one can't help but feel that it is simply a rehash of the film Swordfish minus Halle Berry as the femme fatale. The movie pretty much follows the same basic plot lines and is highly predictable. If you're looking to kill a couple hours you could do worse but don't expect to be kept on the edge of your seat. The disc is afforded a fine A/V presentation, however, the special features are somewhat lacking.
Overall Rating: 3.5/5 (not an average)
Release Date: June 6th, 2006
