- Aspect Ratio: 1:85:1
- Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
- Resolution: 1080p/24 (23.976Hz)
- Audio Codec: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, PCM 2.0
- Subtitles: English SDH
- Region: A (Region-Locked)
- Rating: R
- Run Time: 121 Mins.
- Discs: 1 (1 x Blu-ray)
- Studio: MPI Home Video
- Blu-ray Release Date: October 11th, 2011
- List Price: $34.99
[amazon-product]B005E7SEMK[/amazon-product]
BestBuy.com:
Purchase Mr. Nice on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:3.5/5]
The Film
[Rating:4/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:1/5]
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:4/5]
Mr. Nice stars Rhys Ifans as Howard Marks, one of Britain’s biggest marijuana smugglers. At one point in his life, Marks wasn’t the drug dealer who, at one point, controlled 10% of the world’s hashish distribution. Eager to make something of himself, Marks initially entered Oxford University. It was here that he soon discovered the worlds of drugs. Out of the varying drugs including LSD, marijuana seemed to interest Marks the most; however, outside of recreational use Marks never thought much of expanding. Soon Marks found himself working with James McCann, a top IRA agent who helped him get the drug through customs. It’s here that his wild run begins all of which includes women, money and international attention.
While I’ll fully admit that I had never even heard of Marks before receiving this title in, I still found his story intriguing. Like another great film that tells of a rising drug dealer and everything surrounding him (American Gangster), the reason Mr. Nice works. Due to part story telling and part acting by Ifans, Mr. Nice doesn’t paint Marks as a ‘nice’ (pun intended) guy. He’s a criminal and a low life, but we still feel for him. Trust me though, Ifans gives a performance that is one for the ages. He captures the true essence of Marks, from his ultra highs to his extreme lows. We know Marks is a horrible person, yet I was drawn in and wanted to keep watching. That is the definition of excellent acting on nearly all cylinders.
Video Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Mr. Nice arrives with an AVC/MPEG-4 transfer that compliments the film. The strongest aspect easily has to be the film’s color palette, featuring greys, whites, blues, reds and blacks. All of these hold excellent detail whether the fine closeups or the backgrounds. Clarity is top notch while contrast levels and flesh tones are accurate. Fine textures result in being able to see little fabrics on coats. Grain is kept in check, nothing really all that noticeable while the film’s print seems to be in fine condition (I didn’t notice any noise). All in all this is a fine effort from MPI.
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Dialogue is well reproduced via the center channel. Atmosphere is key here as we travel to different locales. Whether it be interior or exterior sequences, the provided DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track handles everything quite well. There are a few moments where you do need to raise the volume due to a quiet moment. Dynamics, especially the score, all add to the atmosphere creating something truly fine.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:1/5]
Unlike the Region 2 release, MPI has only brought over one very brief feature.
- Making Of – This runs roughly 13 minutes in length and shows a bit of behind-the-scenes shooting in Spain and Wales.
- Trailer
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:3.5/5]
While it would’ve been nice to see more of the Region 2 features here, MPI has still brought a fine film to the United States. Riding on a powerful performance by Rhys Ifans, this one comes recommended.
Additional Screen Captures
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[amazon-product]B005E7SEMK[/amazon-product]
BestBuy.com:
Purchase Mr. Nice on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:3.5/5]
The Film
[Rating:4/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:1/5]
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