• Aspect Ratio: 2:35:1
• Video Codec: AVC MPEG-4
• Resolution: 1080p/24 (23.976Hz)
• Audio Codec: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English Surround Sound 2.0
• Subtitles: English
• Subtitles Color: Yellow
• Region: ABC (Region-Free)
• Rating: R
• Run Time: 97 Mins
• Discs: 1 (1 x Blu-ray)
• Digital Copies: N/A
• Studio: Well Go USA Entertainment
• Blu-ray Release Date: October 9th, 2012
• List Price: $29.98

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Overall
[Rating:2.5/5]
The Film
[Rating:1.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:1.5/5]

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:1.5/5]

The Courier tells the story of a man simply known as “The Courier” (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), the kind of person you hire when you need something done. Due to his reputation around the town, he’s hired to deliver a briefcase containing sensitive information to a local hitman. What does he get if he completes this? A hundred thousand dollars. Sounds like anyone might take this offer, but the catch is if he fails, his friend’s family will be killed. With the lives of his friend’s family hanging in the balance, Courier will now have to figure out exactly who he can trust in hopes of accomplishing this daunting task. What results is a decent run-of-the-mill thriller with very few surprises.

The initial plot of The Courier sounds awfully familiar. The whole ‘man for hire’, essentially borrows its plot from The Transporter films (which also borrowed bits and pieces from prior films). With that said, where the Transporter films had a likeable lead in Jason Statham, The Courier tries the same with Jeffrey Dean Morgan. But, where Statham was charming, funny, and knew how to handle the key action sequences, Morgan felt flat throughout. He lacked any real direction, failing to provide us with the kind of character we want to care about. I do suppose this one has a few entertaining bits, however, unless you need to see every action/thriller made, skip this one.

Video Quality

[Rating:4/5]

The Courier debuts on Blu-ray with a 2:35:1 framed, AVC MPEG-4 encoded transfer. Even though this film was shot digitally using the Red One, I found a few problems that typically Red One productions just don’t have. Colors seem to lack a real punch to them. Wide, exterior shots felt flat and out of place, as are a majority of the characters’ flesh tones. Outside of these two problems, the rest of the transfer maintains the typical qualities we expect from both Red One shoots as well as Well Go transfers. Most notably, grain is absent (expected) and contrast levels are accurate. Also, clarity is top notch. All in all, this isn’t a perfect transfer, but still is a solid effort.

Audio Quality

[Rating:3.5/5]

Featuring an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix, I was mostly pleased with what Well Go USA put together here. Dialogue is well reproduced via the center channel with no real noticeable drop out. A majority of the film’s action sequences envelop the room with an impressive sense of atmosphere. Bullets zip by us, explosions add in deep low end and little discrete effects ring through the rears. Akin to that of the video presentation, this isn’t the best effort from Well Go USA, but is one that suits the film well.

Supplemental Materials

[Rating:1.5/5]

The included supplements are featured in High Definition:

• Behind the Scenes – This runs 22:33 and offers up a few glances into the film’s making via clips and other footage.
• Extended/Deleted Scenes – Roughly 17:54 worth of mostly forgettable deleted scenes are shown.
• Trailer – The film’s trailer (1:54) is shown.

The Definitive Word

Overall:

[Rating:2.5/5]

The Courier just isn’t anything that has an impacting feeling; however, it does make for a slightly entertaining movie when you have nothing else to watch. Well Go USA’s Blu-ray for the film arrives with a solid V/A presentation. Worth a rental if you’ve run out of films to watch.

Additional Screen Captures

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Purchase The Courier on Blu-ray  at CD Universe

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[amazon-product]B008OTTUDC[/amazon-product]

Purchase The Courier on Blu-ray  at CD Universe

Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com

Overall
[Rating:2.5/5]
The Film
[Rating:1.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:1.5/5]

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