- Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
- Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
- Resolution: 1080p/24 (23.976Hz)
- Audio Codec: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (48kHz/24-bit)
- Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
- Subtitles Color: White
- Region: A (Region-Locked)
- Rating: R
- Run Time: 91 Mins.
- Discs: 2 (1 x Blu-ray + 1 x DVD)
- Studio: Anchor Bay Entertainment
- Blu-ray Release Date: August 14, 2012
- List Price: $29.99
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Overall
[Rating:3.5/5]
The Film
[Rating:3.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:2/5]
Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures
(All TheaterByte screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG at 100% quality setting and are meant as a general representation of the content. They do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)
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The Film
[Rating:3.5/5]
I didn’t have confidence that I would enjoy this film when the disc first arrived in my mailbox from Anchor Bay, to be completely honest. Firstly, it shared a title with the Godard nouvelle vague classic. The opening title sequence didn’t help either, since it immediately evoked the opening theme sequence of Showtime’s Dexter, which is something writer/director Jesse Baget and producer Christine Holder admit to in the audio commentary, although Baget claims he’s never seen Dexter and it is merely a coincidence. I’ll have to take him at his word on that, but the similarity in the musical style and microphotography of a lady cooking up steak and eggs is still eerily similar to me. That being said, once you get past all of that, this 2012 film Breathless, is actually surprisingly enjoyable. A wickedly funny, blood-soaked crime-comedy with a top-notch cast, the story has so many unexpected twists it’s impossible to really explain it thoroughly without spoiling the whole thing. The story follows Texan housewife Lorna (Gina Gershon; LOL; TV’s How to Make it in America; Showgirls) whose ne’er-do-well husband Dale (Val Kilmer; Kill the Irishman; Wonderland; The Doors) has robbed a bank for $100,000. Lorna has knocked Dale out, tied him to a chair and, with the help of her best friend Tiny (Kelli Giddish; TV’s Law & Order: SVU; TV’s The Good Wife), is trying to find out where he hid the money, but she accidentally shoots him in the head. So Lorna and Tiny have to cover up the killing – an electric carving knife is utilized at one point. Their efforts to get rid of the body and find the money are hampered by a private investigator (Wayne Duvall) hired by Lorna to trail Dale and catch him cheating on her and the local sheriff (Ray Liotta; The Son of No One; Goodfellas) waiting outside Lorna’s trailer to question Dale about the bank robbery.
Video Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Breathless comes with a an excellent AVC/MPEG-4 encodement from Anchor Bay that has nicely nuanced details in the shadowy scenes, spot on flesh tones, a clean, artifact-free image, and strong, sharp details. Textures in clothing, on skin and other objects are excellent. The film’s overall palette, which is mainly in the midrange, with earthy tones and splashes of primary colors, particularly reds, is strong.
Audio Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (48kHz/24-bit) is a simple mix with subtle atmospherics in the surround channels, but the clean dialogue in the center channel works for the sort of dialogue-driven film this is rather well.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:2/5]
There isn’t much here, but the filmmaker commentary is a pleasant one. The “making of” is nothing outside of the ordinary, however.
- Audio commentary with writer/director Jesse Baget and producer Christine Holder
- Making of Breathless (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 00:15:16)
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:3.5/5]
Breathless is a surprisingly enjoyable, funny and gory, comedy crime-thriller that is really powered by excellent performances from Gina Gershon, Kelli Giddish, and Val Kilmer. Rent it if you don’t purchase it outright.
Additional Screen Captures
[amazon-product]B0085Z3AMM[/amazon-product]
Purchase Breathless on Blu-ray Combo Pack at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
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[amazon-product]B0085Z3AMM[/amazon-product]
Purchase Breathless on Blu-ray Combo Pack at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:3.5/5]
The Film
[Rating:3.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:2/5]
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