- 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), Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
- Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
- Region: A (Region-Locked)
- Rating: R
- Discs: 1 (1 x Blu-ray)
- Run time: 94 Mins.
- Studio: Anchor Bay Entertainment
- Blu-ray Release Date: February 21, 2012
- List Price: $29.99
[amazon-product]B006GVN1FS[/amazon-product]
BestBuy.com:
Purchase Son of No One on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:3.5/5]
The Film
[Rating:3/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:1/5]
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]
With the strong lineup of A-list stars credited in this ensemble crime thriller from writer/director Dito Montiel, one might expect an outstanding result. One thing I have come to expect over the years, however, and that is, more times than not, a superb ensemble yields mediocre results and such is the case with The Son of No One.
Another in a long line of “cops with a troubled past” films, No One is set in post-9/11era New York City, where thirty-year-old rookie cop Jonathan “milk” White (Channing Tatum), from Staten Island has just been transferred to the 118th precinct near the Queens housing project where he grew up. This new change in his job stirs up bad memories from Jonathan’s childhood, and through flashbacks we find out just what they are. Jonathan has been keeping a terrible secret for years – when he was a kid in 1986 he killed two people – one with a gun and another he pushed down the stairwell in his building. Both could be seen as self-defense, but he, along with the help of childhood friend Vincent (Tracy Morgan as an adult/Brian Gilbert as a child) covered them up. Now, all these years later, in 2002, someone knows what he did and, it seems, is threatening to expose him. He must fight to protect himself, his wife (Katie Holmes) and his young daughter.
Al Pacino (Scarface) plays Detective Charles Stanford, the detective in 1986 assigned to investigate the killings while Juliette Binoche (Certified Copy, Summer Hours, Chocolat, The English Patient, Three Colors – Blue) plays a reporter from the Queens Gazette in 2002 New York City pushing to get the city to reopen the cases of the unsolved killings.
While The Son of No One seems at the outset like a reasonably interesting premise, it is hindered by a sluggish pace, misuse of its actors, and one-dimensional dialogue. The most egregious error in judgement is the filmmakers tipping their hand on who it is that knows about Jonathan’s secret quite early on, which makes the rest of the film a bit of a pointless exorcise. From then on, it just becomes a voyeuristic look at how far a man will be willing to go to cover up his past mistakes.
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
The Super 35mm (3-perf) source for The Son of No One hits Blu-ray with a pretty good amount of clarity and a medium to strong extension of detail from foreground to background. Shadow delineation is nicely nuanced while grain structure does waver a bit from time to time. Blacks are solid and flesh tones look rather good.
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio is a good and relatively atmospheric Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (48kHz/24-bit) soundtrack that has clean dialogue and a full mid range with subtly extended lows. It’s a dialogue-driven film, so most of the action remains in the front, which isn’t a big surprise for this sort of material.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:1/5]
The audio commentary is the meatiest supplement here, with everything else included on the disc not worth the effort at all.
The supplements:
- Audio commentary with writer/producer/director Dito Montiel and executive producer/editor Jake Pushinksy – An obligatory audio commentary from the filmmakers.
- Extended Scenes (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 00;06:27) – These “extended” scenes seem almost random and add nothing at all to the film.
- Trailer (2.351; 1080p/24) – The original theatrical trailer.
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:3.5/5]
The Son of No One is full of missed opportunity. The built up drama is just a bit poorly executed, though it is nicely filmed, with a rather glossy production that adds a moody and intense feel. Sadly, the heavyweight cast feel like they are all miscast, particularly Binocche and Pacino. I’d say save this one as a last minute rental.
Additional Screen Captures
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[amazon-product]B006GVN1FS[/amazon-product]
BestBuy.com:
Purchase Son of No One on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:3.5/5]
The Film
[Rating:3/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:1/5]
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