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HTF Sony/Columbia Reviewer
Location: Fishkill, N.Y.
Join Date: Dec 2001
Local Time: 09:25 AM
Local Date: 08-30-2008
Posts: 518
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HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: The Company
The Company
Studio: Sony/TNT
Year: 2007
Rated: Not Rated
Program Length: 286 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 1080p widescreen
Languages: English PCM 5.1, English Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English, English (closed captioned for the hearing-impaired), French
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The Program
Based upon a 2002 novel by Robert Littell, the TNT mini-series The Company, which was aired in August, depicts significant events in the history of the Central Intelligence Agency over a span of several decades. The primary characters are Jack McAuliffe (Chris O’Donnell), an idealistic young agent who is recruited into the CIA upon his graduation from Yale; James Angleton (Michael Keaton), who was director of counter-terrorism for the CIA for twenty years; and Harvey Torriti (Alfred Molina), a hard-drinking career spy who becomes McAuliffe’s mentor. Other significant characters include Leo Kritzky (Alessandro Nivola) and Yevgeny Tsipin (Rory Cochrane), classmates of McAuliffe at Yale who follow divergent paths into the field of espionage. Kritzky joins the CIA with McAuliffe and marries the daughter of a prominent Washington politician, whereas Tsipin, a Russian who was educated in the United States, is persuaded by the Soviet Union to become an agent for the KGB.
The suspenseful action begins in Berlin in 1954, where McAuliffe is posted by the CIA to work with Torriti (whose code name is “The Sorcerer”). When a defector is arrested by the KGB in East Berlin before he can be whisked to the West, “The Sorcerer” comes to the realization that there must to be a mole (i.e., a Soviet counter-spy) in the highest levels of the CIA. When counter-terrorism chief Angleton learns that the mole is none other than his friend, Adrian “Kim” Philby, he becomes suspicious of everyone in the agency -- particularly when it becomes apparent that Philby is not the only mole.
As befits a Cold War spy story, there are many twists and turns and oftentimes it is unclear whether people are telling truths, half-truths or untruths. McAuliffe falls in love with a German woman while simultaneously breaking into her apartment and eavesdropping on her conversations. When “The Sorcerer” swears on his mother’s grave that he had nothing to do with exposing a source’s identity, the viewer has no idea whether to believe him, because it is obvious that he would have no compunction about perjuring himself on his mother’s grave. It is a shadowy world where no one – not even a lover or a best friend – can be completely trusted.
The story follows McAuliffe and his associates through many of the most important events of the Cold War. McAuliffe is in Budapest, Hungary during the ill-fated revolt in 1956; he helps train anti-Castro Cubans and finds himself at the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961; in the 80s he helps to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan. “The Sorcerer” recruits the Mafia to assassinate Fidel Castro, there is intrigue involving Israel and the war criminal Klaus Barbie, and the story ultimately concludes with the fall of the Soviet Union.
There is one glaring historical error – during a 1960 meeting where the plans to assassinate Castro are developed, there is a reference to Attorney General Bobby Kennedy, who did not become Attorney General until 1961. The Company suggests that a Soviet mole code-named “Sasha” tipped off Castro about the assassination attempt and the Bay of Pigs invasion, but it is more likely that Castro’s intelligence agents learned of the plans through more conventional means.
Those problems notwithstanding, I found The Company to be involving and entertaining. Directed by Mikael Salomon and co-produced by Ridley Scott and Tony Scott, the mini-series has excellent production values. There are some gorgeous scenes filmed on location in Hungary and the Cuba scenes were filmed to excellent effect in Puerto Rico. The battle scenes are very realistic and exciting. Chris O’Donnell, while not the most charismatic actor around, is reasonably effective as McAuliffe. Alfred Molina brings his usual zest to the role of “The Sorcerer.” Michael Keaton is excellent in an understated performance as the brilliant but somewhat paranoid counter-intelligence chief, James Angleton.
Some critics found the going to be a bit slow and aficionados of the novel complained that some of their favorite parts were left out (the novel is 892 pages!). I have not read the novel, so I cannot comment on the complaints of its readers, but I found the mini-series to be quite fascinating. Viewers may be interested in comparing it with last year’s theatrical release about the CIA, The Good Shepherd.
I also was impressed by the fact that it was not obvious to me where the commercial breaks were placed when the mini-series was shown on TNT. The scene changes are handled seamlessly.
The Video
The 1080p Blu-ray widescreen transfer is spectacular. Much of the action takes place at night and in dark locations, so there is a lot of black. Shadow detail in those scenes is excellent and I never found myself guessing at what was taking place. Colorful shots of Budapest and Russia (the Russia scenes were actually filmed in Canada) are postcard-perfect and breathtaking. In those scenes the colors are stable and vivid. The scenes of the revolt in Hungary are chillingly realistic. It has been reported that the mini-series was filmed with High-Def in mind, and it shows. Sony has wisely chosen to spread out the program over two discs, and I detected no compression artifacts.
The Audio
The viewer has the choice of listening to the mini-series in Dolby Digital 5.1 or uncompressed PCM 5.1 surround. I watched the first chapter in Dolby Digital and the rest of the min-series in PCM, and I found the PCM to be more satisfying. The Dolby Digital soundtrack is harsher and the surround channels seemed to be a bit intrusive. The PCM soundtrack is more realistic and the surround channels are more effective. The sound effects are comparable to what one would expect from a theatrical release, which is not surprising given the involvement of the Scott brothers. Dialogue is always clear, even when the characters are speaking in hushed tones, and the subwoofer gets a workout during explosions and while tanks are rumbling. Dimensionality is very good in scenes where shots are being fired and planes are flying overhead.
The Supplements
There is not much in the way of supplemental material, just two featurettes about the making of the mini-series. The first, called Declassified: The Origins of The Company, includes interview footage with some of the cast and crew. The second, The Hidden Hand: The Making of The Company, focuses on the production process – how locations were chosen, how they “aged” the characters over several decades, etc. I would have appreciated seeing some biographical sketches of the real people who are portrayed in the film, such as James Angleton, Kim Philby and CIA Director Allen Dulles.
Other Features
The first two parts are on Disc One, while the third part and the supplemental materials are on Disc Two. The menu includes the ability to select individual scenes from each part.
The Packaging
The two discs come in a standard Blu-ray keepcase.
The Final Analysis
I am a sucker for spy stories, and this one is filled with enough intrigue to satisfy me. Your appreciation of it may depend upon how much interest you have in the machinations of the Cold War. Regardless, Sony deserves kudos for an excellent presentation of this mini-series. If the subject matter is appealing to you, I fell certain that you will not regret the investment of time and money.
Equipment used for this review:
Panasonic DMP-BD10A Blu-ray DVD Player
Sharp LC-42D62U LCD display
Yamaha HTR-5890 THX Surround Receiver
BIC Acoustech speakers
Interconnects: Monster Cable
Release Date: October 23, 2007
Rich Gallagher
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