BLU-RAY REVIEW

Swordfish

Featured In Issue 114, November 2006

Picture4.5
Sound4.5
WSR Score5
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):
Warner Home Video
(Catalog Number):
82849
(MPAA Rating):
R
(Rating Reason):
(Retail Price):
$28.99
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Single Layer (BD-25)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
No
(Running Time In Minutes):
99
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
(Theatrical Year):
2001
(Theatrical Release):
Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release):
No
(Disc Release Date):
09/26/06
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
No
(Director):
Dominic Sena
(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 Digital 5.1
(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):

The world's best computer hacker (Jackman) becomes entangled in a cyber-heist masterminded by a charismatic mystery man (Travolta). The daring theft of a government slush fund (code-named Swordfish) becomes a high-stakes game of life and death.

Like the HD DVD, the Blu-ray Disc includes audio commentary by director Dominic Sena, the 15-minute HBO First Look, an eight-minute Effects In Focus: The Flying Bus, and the 13-minute In Conversation cast and crew interviews, two alternate endings with optional commentary, a short Planet Rock audio reel, the theatrical trailer, and online info.

The VC-1-encoded 2.35:1 Blu-ray Disc picture looks nearly identical to the previously released HD DVD picture. Details are slightly softer with the Blu-ray Disc release, but that may be fully attributable to the unmodified Samsung BD-P1000 player (see our review of the player in Issue 112 for more information). (Danny Richelieu)

The Dolby® Digital 5.1-channel encoding sounds very similar to the Dolby Digital Plus encoding found on the HD DVD, although the HD DVD version does sound slightly more smooth and natural. (Danny Richelieu)