BLU-RAY REVIEW

Good Kill

Featured In Issue 202, December 2015

Picture5
Sound4
WSR Score4
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):
Paramount Home Entertainment
(Catalog Number):
2046599
(MPAA Rating):
R
(Rating Reason):
Violent content including a rape, language and some sexuality.
(Retail Price):
$39.99
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Dual Layer (BD-50)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
(Running Time In Minutes):
102
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
A
(Theatrical Year):
(Theatrical Release):
Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release):
(Disc Release Date):
9/1/2015
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
(Director):
Andrew Niccol
(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):
DTS HD High Resolution 5.1
(Theatrical Sound):
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(DTS Bit Rate):
(Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
(Additional Languages):
(Subtitles):

In Good Kill, veteran Air Force Pilot Tom Egan (Hawke) yearns to get back into the cockpit of a plane, but now he launches drone strikes from an air-conditioned box in the Las Vegas desert. When he starts taking orders directly from the CIA, the stakes are raised and Egan's nerves––and his relationship with his wife (Jones), begin to unravel. (Gary Reber)

Special features include a behind-the-scenes featurette (HD 15:06) and an UltraViolet digital copy.

The 2.39:1 1080p AVC picture is terrific, with an exceptionally natural and well-balanced color palette, with rich and warm hues. Hues are dynamically rendered between bright daylight scenes of the Las Vegas strip and surrounds, the cubical interior, and the Middle Eastern cityscapes and landscapes where the drone strikes take place. Fleshtones are perfectly natural throughout. Contrast is excellent, with deep blacks and revealing shadow delineation. Resolution is also excellent, with fine detail exhibited throughout in facial features, hair, clothing, and object texture. This is a strikingly good-looking picture that is reference quality. (Gary Reber)

The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack is quite reserved, even though the visuals are extensively deadly yet remotely viewed through a video screen thousands and thousands of miles away from the actual target. Thus, the focus is on dialogue, which is nicely integrated spatially. On occasion, the music score is present, which provides decent surround envelopment. Atmospherics and sound effects also occasionally interject a degree of spatial dimensionality. Bass extension is limited to the more energetic segments of jets and missile target hits but remain reserved. Overall, the sound elements support the psychological dramatization that builds with the storytelling. (Gary Reber)