• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
  
• Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
• Resolution: 1080p/24 (23.976Hz)
  
• Audio Codec: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz/24 -bit), LPCM 2.0 (48kHz/24-bit)
  
• Subtitles: N/A
  
• Subtitles Color: N/A
  
• Region: ABC (Region-Free)
• Certification: 15
  
• Run Time: 102 Mins.
  
• Discs: 1 (1 x Blu-ray)
• Studio: Cine-Britannia/Showbox Home Entertainment
  
• Blu-ray Release Date: October 1, 2012
• RRP: £24.99

–

Overall
[Rating:3.5/5]
The Film
[Rating:3.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:2.5/5]

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)

–

The Film

[Rating:3.5/5]

From the BAFTA winning writer Paul Abbott (Shameless; State of Play) comes Twenty8k, a new 2012 crime thriller from directors David Kew and Neil Thompson. Slickly captured, tightly woven, intense, and high strung, the story follows Deeva (Parminder Nagra; TV’s Alcatraz), a top fashion executive living in Paris who is forced to return home to England when her brother Vipon (Sebastian Nanena) is accused of killing a young man in East London. Fighting to clear her brother’s name, Deeva connects with her old flame, the ex-gang member turned community youth organizer Clint (Jonas Armstrong; TV’s Robin Hood), but the two soon find themselves up against the powerful and elite of the UK, including DCI Stone (Stephen Dillane; The Hours). As Deeva’s investigation continues, so does the complexity of the case against her brother, as he is also charged with the shooting and murder of a pregnant woman, and Deeva discovers that there is more to the circumstances that meet the eye. Beneath the surface, there is world of police corruption, drugs, prostitution, and blackmail, all conspiring to make her brother a scapegoat.

Twenty8k is hardly perfect, but there are more than enough twists and turns in this plot to keep one interested along the way. Abbott’s and Jimmy Dowdall’s screenplay, in typical British fashion, relies on a slow burning psycho-drama more than it does violence and action, like a Hollywood film of this nature might have done. While the film involves drugs and prostitution, these things never sink to a gratuitous level. They are mere stepping stones to the next twist or plot point. Only at the denouement does Twenty8k break down and finally become a little disappointing with a not wholly unexpected ending and wrap up of the mysteries that feels to tidy and rushed.

Where the biggest strengths of the film are, however, are in the wonderfully contemporary look and feel of it. It is gritty, but in a 2012 way, effectively using the pre-Olympic London backdrop for enticing cinematography backed up by pulsating R&B and Hip Hop dance rhythms featuring RoxXxan and Ghetts, among others.

Video Quality

[Rating:3.5/5]

I couldn’t track down any technical information or get a confirmation on how Twenty8k was shot, but judging by the looks of this AVC/MPEG-4 encodement from Showbox, I would say that it is an original high definition production. There are plenty of telltale signs, as in the lack of film grain and plenty of digital artifacts, such as heavy banding in many of the darker scenes and some slight posterization that looks to be native to the source. Otherwise, there is good contrast, but not great. The shadow details are nicely nuanced. Close-ups reveal a lot of textural information and detail extends rather far into the backgrounds.

Audio Quality

[Rating:4.5/5]

The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz/24-bit) soundtrack fares a bit better than the image quality, offering a robust amount of low frequencies that bolster the numerous club scenes’ dance music sequences nicely. The mix also offers a balanced amount of atmospherics, from street noise and ringing cellular phones that pan across the front or to the rear. Dialogue is punchy and lacks any sort of clipping.

Supplemental Materials

[Rating:2.5/5]

There are some throwaway supplements offered up on here consisting mainly of brief interview segments in standard definition (PAL) of the cast members discussing their characters and what it was like to play the role. An underwhelming cast and crew featurette, also in standard definition, is included as well.

The supplements:

• Original Trailer (2.35:1; 1080p/24)
• Interview Gallery (PAL):
  • Parminder Nagra – Deeva Jani (00:01:19)
  • Sebastian Nanena – Vipon Jani (00:01:09)
  • Michael Socha – Tony Marchetto (00:01:13)
  • Kierston Wareing – Francesa Maretto (00:01:06)
  • Gregg Chillin – Ricky Shah (00:01:05)
  • Jonas Armstrong – Clint O’Connor (00:01:02)
  • Kaya Scodelario – Sally Weaver (00:01:14)
  • Nichola Burley – Andrea Patterson (00:01:13)
• Cast and Crew Featurette (PAL; 00:04:37)
• Music Videos:
  • Ascension Music Video (PAL; 00:04:15)
  • Bang Goes the Beat (PAL; 00:02:42)

The Definitive Word

Overall:

[Rating:3.5/5]

Twenty8k‘s strong cast of young who’s who British actors, solid script, and slick production make it an effective crime thriller for the modern era. Rather than leaning too heavily on violence or gratuitous sex, the film uses the central crime mystery to draw viewers in effectively. While there are some critical moments that stretch the ability to suspend belief, the overall effect is a satisfying piece of work that is at least worthy of a rental.

Additional Screen Captures

[amazon-product region=”uk” tracking_id=”bluraydefinit-21″]B008S8T8GS[/amazon-product]

Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.co.uk

–

[amazon-product region=”uk” tracking_id=”bluraydefinit-21″]B008S8T8GS[/amazon-product]

Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.co.uk

Overall
[Rating:3.5/5]
The Film
[Rating:3.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:2.5/5]

–