- Aspect Ratio: 2:39:1
- Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
- Resolution: 1080p/24 (23.976Hz)
- Audio Codec: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1, Spanish Mono
- Subtitles: English Subtitles for Deaf & Hearing Impaired, Spanish Subtitles
- Region: A (Region-Locked)
- Rating: R
- Run Time: 113 Mins.
- Discs: 1 (1 x Blu-ray)
- Studio: Anchor Bay Films
- Blu-ray Release Date: November 29th, 2011
- List Price: $29.99
[amazon-product]B005J4TLP2[/amazon-product]
BestBuy.com:
Purchase 5 Days of War on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:3/5]
The Film
[Rating:2/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:1.5/5]
Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures
(Screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG thus are meant as a general representation of the content and do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)
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The Film
[Rating:2/5]
5 Days of War (known as 5 Days of August elsewhere) is about the 2008 Russo-Georgian War. Even though the war took place during 2008, the events that caused the altercation stemmed from the early 90s. It was during this time that South Ossetia was under a Russian led government. It wasn’t until 2008 that the Georgians decided to take control back after it was discovered that Russian troops were moving into the area in order to harass Georgian soldiers. The end result was, as the title dictates, 5 days of fighting.
Hollywood actioner Renny Harlin decided to helm the film surrounding these events lead by a cast that includes Val Kilmer, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Heather Graham, Rupert Friend and Andy Garcia. Adding to the mix, we have the backdrop conflict of a reporter (Richard Coyle) discovering evidence of heinous crimes involving the Russians. With the aid of a teacher (Chriqui) and an American journalist (Friend), the three work together in hopes of exposing the horrors of this war. The end result is while the cast may be top notch, Harlin ultimately fails at drawing out our emotions with his filmmaking.
It’s clear to see that Harlin had to throw a wide range of excellent acting talent into his film all in hopes of tricking the audience into thinking he’s made a good film. Well it didn’t work Mr. Harlin. The main problem lies with us just not caring about what he’s presenting. I’m not saying that I don’t care about the physical conflict told within (the actual events), just I don’t believe and feel the drama Harlin creates around his characters. Yes, the action sequences are great, the acting fine, but everything else just felt like I’ve seen it before, just only in far better films (Syrianna is a prime example of a well made political movie). It’s a shame too, as this looked interesting. I guess chalk it up to another example of Hollywood thinking they can fool an audience into the product being good.
Video Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Framed at 2:39:1 with an AVC MPEG-4 encode, 5 Days of War offers up a solid transfer. The film’s color palette features mostly muted colors, grays and sky blues, all of which capture the elements of war and terror. Detail is quite strong, whether facial close ups or wider aerial shots. Flesh tones are accurate as are contrast levels. There’s a light layer of film grain, nothing overly troublesome. The film’s print is also in good condition. For a low budget film, I was surprised at the quality of the transfer here. Quite the fine effort from Anchor Bay.
Audio Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
The film arrives with a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track. Dialogue is well reproduced with no instance of drop out via the center channel. Atmosphere is key in a film like this, especially with all the random explosions and gunfire. I’m happy to report that directionality between fronts and rears is clean. Pans between left and right rears were invisible, all helping to create a truly effective 360-degree sound field. Speaking of effective, LFE is deep offering up a few key moments of impressive bass. All in all, the TrueHD track completes a rock solid V/A presentation.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:1.5/5]
The supplements are brief. They are provided in full HD.
- Audio Commentary by Producer/Director Renny Harlin – Harlin offers up a decent commentary, one which clearly shows the heart he had going into the product.
- Deleted Scenes – I can clearly see why these were deleted as the provided scenes are worth a watch, but don’t really add any substance.
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:3/5]
While the action sequences and acting are solid, the plot and direction by Harlin just doesn’t work. Anchor Bay has brought the film to Blu-ray with a fine V/A presentation. I do suppose if you’re a fan, it may be worth a look. I just feel they’re better politic films out there that warrant attention (George Clooney’s The Ides of March rings a bell).
Additional Screen Captures
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[amazon-product]B005J4TLP2[/amazon-product]
BestBuy.com:
Purchase 5 Days of War on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:3/5]
The Film
[Rating:2/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:1.5/5]
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