Killing Of A Sacred Deer, The

"The Killing Of A Sacred Deer" is a thriller about the sacrifices one man has to make in order to protect his family. D. Steven Murphy (Farrell) is a renowned cardiovascular surgeon presiding over a spotless household with his ophthalmologist wife (Kidman), and their two exemplary children, 12-year-old Bob (Suljic) and 14-year-old Kim (Cassidy). Lurking at the margins of Steven's idyllic suburban existence is Martin (Keoghan), a fatherless teen he has covertly taken under his wing. As Martin begins insinuating himself into the family's life in ever-more unsettling displays, the full scope of his intent becomes menacingly clear when he confronts Steven with a long-forgotten transgression that will shatter the Murphy family's domestic bliss. (Gary Reber)

Special features include the featurette "An Impossible Conundrum" (HD 22:51), trailers, upfront previews, and an UltraViolet digital copy.

The 1.85:1 1080p AVC picture, reviewed on a Sony Bravia Z9D 4K Ultra HD HDR display, upconverted to 2160p with greater resolution and luminance, was photographed on Kodak Vision3 film stock with the Arricam LT camera system in Super 35 and sourced from a 2K master Digital Intermediate format. While filmic in appearance, film grain is not a distracting element of the picture quality. Still, the nature of the imagery is a bit gritty. The color palette is saturated yet natural. At times colors pop with strong hues. Fleshtones retain naturalness generally throughout. Contrast is quite good with deep blacks and shadows that reveal depth. The production design casts a haunting sense of imagery. Resolution is excellent, with fine detail apparent throughout, especially in facial features, skin pores, hair, beards, clothing and object texture, especially during close-ups. This is an uneasy palette of images that effectively conveys a chilling sense of terror. (Gary Reber)

The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack is just as haunting and eerie as the picture. The music score is eerie throughout, with a varying strength and dynamic that moves from frontal soundstage to aggressive surround. Some score elements are electronic and even more eerie. Dialogue is often in a vacuum with virtually no supporting atmospherics. Atmospherics, when in play, are at times strong and panned. Sound effects are supportive but generally limited. Dialogue is intelligible throughout but quite forward in presence. This is a good soundtrack with a haunting presence. (Gary Reber)