BLU-RAY REVIEW

Hard Target 2

Featured In Issue 210, October 2016

Picture4.5
Sound5
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):
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
(Catalog Number):
63175725
(MPAA Rating):
R
(Rating Reason):
Violence and language.
(Retail Price):
$$22.98
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Dual Layer (BD-50)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
(Running Time In Minutes):
104
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
A
(Theatrical Year):
(Theatrical Release):
No
(Direct-To-Video Release):
(Disc Release Date):
9/6/2016
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
(Director):
Roel Reiné
(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 Lossless 5.1
(Theatrical Sound):
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(DTS Bit Rate):
(Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
(Additional Languages):
(Subtitles):

In Hard Target 2 retired mixed martial artist Wes “The Jailor” Baylor (Adkins) can't refuse a million-dollar purse he's offered for one final bout in Myanmar. But when he arrives for the fight, he learns he's been tricked into becoming the target of a human hunt. Carrying only water and a ruby-filled money belt for the last person standing, Wes must outsmart the heavily armed group that has paid to kill him. As he fights for his life in the treacherous jungle terrain, the hunters become the hunted. (Gary Reber)

Special features include commentary with Director Roel Reiné and Stars Scott Adkins and Robert Knepper; six deleted scenes (HD 09:47); a deleted shots montage (HD 01:59); four featurettes: Hard Target 2: Through The Lens (HD 02:43), Into The Jungle: On Location (HD 02:25), A Fighting Chance (HD 05:13), and Thrill Of The Hunt (HD 03:13); upfront previews; and an UltraViolet digital copy. (Gary Reber)

The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack is quite dynamic and at times intense, driven by an almost constant orchestral score that aggressively envelops the soundfield. The music is well recorded and is dimensionally wide. As such, there is a nice sense of holosonic® soundfield dimensionality. Atmospherics are convincing and realistic, and sound effects—as in fight scenes, combat, explosions, and gunfire—are often intense and directionalized. The sonic effects depend largely on atmospherics and they do deliver, effectively enhancing the action. Deep .1 LFE bass is extended to sub-25 Hz frequencies and is often intense, but always natural sounding. Dialogue is consistently intelligible and decently integrated spatially at times, but at other times integration is wanting. This is an exciting and well-crafted soundtrack that effectively heightens the almost non-stop action. (Gary Reber)