Unthinkable
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
US DVD Release Date: June 15, 2010
Theatrical Release Year: 2009
Rated: R (for strong bloody violence, torture, and language), Unrated Extended Cut
Running Time: 95 minutes (Theatrical Cut), 97 minutres (Extended Cut)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 widescreen
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (English)
Subtitles: English, English (SDH)
Movie: 2.5 out of 5
A terrorist has planted three nuclear bombs in three separate locations across the United States, set to detonate in three days, and has allowed himself to be captured by the counter-terrorism division before lettiing his demands be known. A contracted interrogator is brought in, along with an FBI task force, to locate the bombs before they detonate. If any of this sounds vaguely familiar, its because the plot of Unthinkable is almost identical to the second half of season three of the hit television series 24.
Samuel L. Jackson plays “H,” the interrogator-for-hire, who seems to enjoy his job a bit too much. Not so much an interrogator but a specialist in torture techniques, Jackson portrays “H” as a sadist. For close to 90 minutes, the audience is subjected to watching terrorist Youssef Younger (the chameleon-like Michael Sheen) be tortured to the brink of death several times by “H,” much to the dismay of FBI Agent Helen Brody (Carrie-Ann Moss). Unthinkable tries to be a morality tale on torture and terrorism, but director Gregor Jordan (The Informers) often glamorizes the torture sequences, defeating the screenplay's moral compass.
On paper, Unthinkable has a very talented cast. Jackson, Sheen, Moss, along with co-stars Gil Bellows, Brandon Routh, and Stephen Root have been in better films, but they often appear as if they aren't sure what their agents signed them up for in this film.
Unthinkable could have been a compelling drama. Instead, its 97 minutes of torture.
Video: 3.5 out of 5
Sony brings Unthinkable to Blu-ray in an acceptable 1080p transfer using the AVC codec, approximating the film's intended aspect ratio by filling the entire 16:9 frame. Black levels are adequate, but overall the image appeared soft, with slightly muted colors. This may be attributed to the director's vision and/or the film's low budget, and not a problem with the video presentation.
Audio: 3.5 out of 5
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack is front-heavy, befitting of what is mostly a dialogue-driven film. Surrounds are used for ambient effects and added presence of Graeme Revell's score. Dialogue is intelligible and contained mostly to the center channel.
Special Features: 3 out of 5
Extended Cut with Alternate Ending: Running an additional two minutes, consisting entirely of the alternate (but unnecessary) ending, the extended cut is available via seamless branching.
Audio Commentary with Director Gregor Jordan: Jordan starts off discussing what attracted him to the film, envisioning it as something similar to Se7en or Silence of the Lambs. He then spends the rest of the commentary discussing how the film was made, including the FBI's contributions as advisors.
MovieIQ+sync: Watch the movie and, through a series of pop-up menus, look up facts and filmographies on cast, crew, etc. on BD-Live connected players.
BD-Live: A connection to Sony's BD-Live portal, featuring trailers of current and upcoming titles.
Overall: 3 out of 5
Unthinkable is a low-budget, derivative thriller that tries to be a morality tale, but glamorizes the topic it tries to demonize. Audio and video are about what one would expect on Blu-ray, and the extras, although slim, are sure to please fans of the film.
