BLU-RAY REVIEW

Domino

Featured In Issue 139, March/April 2009

Picture4.5
Sound5+
WSR Score2
Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
(Studio/Distributor):
New Line Home Entertainment
(Catalog Number):
3000019446
(MPAA Rating):
R
(Rating Reason):
Strong violence, pervasive language, sexual content/nudity and drug use
(Retail Price):
$28.99
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Single Layer (BD-25)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
No
(Running Time In Minutes):
128
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
(Theatrical Year):
2005
(Theatrical Release):
Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release):
No
(Disc Release Date):
01/20/09
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
No
(Director):
Tony Scott
(Screenplay/Written By):
(Story):
(Music):
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer):
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor):
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers):
(Co-Producers):
(Producers):
(Academy Awards):
(Principal Photography):
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
(Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
(Disc Soundtrack):
Dolby TrueHD 5.1, Dolby Digital Surround EX
(Theatrical Sound):
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(DTS Bit Rate):
(Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
(Additional Languages):
(French Language):
(Spanish Language):
(Chinese Language):
(Subtitles):
(Cantonese Language):
(Mandarin Language):
(Japanese Language):
(Italian Language):
(German Language):
(Portuguese Language):

Rebellious and volatile, Domino Harvey (Knightley) abandons "normal" life to become a bounty hunter, joining the team of Ed Moseby (Rourke) and his partner Choco (Ramirez). The three become inseparable, and Domino becomes a bit of a legend as a female bounty hunter. When a reality TV producer (Walken) begins to document the lives of Domino and her partners, a job gone awry lands her in some trouble with the FBI and the mob. Based on the real-life bounty hunter Domino Harvey. (Suzanne Hodges)

Special features include commentary with Director Tony Scott and Screenwriter Richard Kelly, commentary on an alternate audio track''script notes/story development meetings with Scott and others, two featurettes: I Am A Bounty Hunter biopic on the real Domino Harvey's life with an alternate audio track (SD 20:31) and Bounty Hunting On Acid: Tony Scott's Visual Style (SD 10:36), seven deleted scenes with commentary by Scott (SD 07:53), a teaser trailer, the theatrical trailer, and a digital copy of the movie.

The 2.40:1 1080p VC-1 picture exhibits fantastically stylized imagery that is edgy and perfectly complementary to the storytelling. Colors are wildly saturated at times, while other times appear very natural, with accurate fleshtones, rich hues, and deep blacks. Director Tony Scott used high-speed film transferred at high speed to give a streaking effect as well as shooting some segments at 6 frames per second. The result is a mixture of imagery with forward and backward flashes. Colors are purposefully distorted and unnatural, with an affinity toward red. Reality is heightened with blacker blacks, whiter whites, and redder reds. The picture, though, can be exceptionally detailed, with the many close-up shots revealing of fine facial expressions and textures. The fast-paced editing and stylization are reminiscent of music videos (see the featurette Bounty Hunting On Acid for further insight on the visual style of the picture). The visuals project emotional distress expressed in picture and color distortions and are often blurred and smeared with visual trails. This is an exotic feast for the eyes. (Gary Reber)

As with both the Dolby® Digital 5.1 EX and DTS-ES® Discrete 6.1-channel encodings on the DVD previously reviewed, the DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack is even more impressive, with a broader front and rear stage, with good imaging, and pans across the sides to mesh the two fields. The LFE .1 channel is used frequently, for both music and effects, often extending to below 25 Hz at system-threatening levels. The soundtrack is mixed very interestingly, and the effects and narration are often stylized in a way that makes the soundtrack mesh very well with the video. Dialogue is often ADR-produced, with a disregard for spatial integration and extremely forward sounding. While the DVD edition presented a center surround channel (matrix with Dolby and discrete with DTS), phantom center surround imaging is still fully prevalent, and when combined with the imaging across the side walls, it makes this a very believable experience. The DTS-HD MA track sounds better overall, with improved fidelity, dynamics, and naturalness. This is exemplified in the loud music, which is spread to all channels, and is extremely dynamic, punchy, and packed with powerful bass. This is a very good stylized soundtrack that definitely keeps the room engaged holosonically with an aggressive directionalized soundfield. (Danny Richelieu/Gary Reber)