Deja Vu (Blu-ray)
APPROX. 126 MINS. - PROD. YEAR: 2006 - MPA RATING: PG-13
" Washington earns all that money he's paid. He's so into his role that he almost has us believing. Almost.
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Surrounded by capable actors like Val Kilmer, James Caviezel, and Adam Goldberg, and playing opposite Patton when he goes back in time, Washington is at the top of his game. He offers a solid performance that makes you think he's really believing all of this, and so, we're willing to overlook a few things--like how basic the plot really is. Can Doug and the other agents use the wormhole in time to change the course of history?
Video:
Ahh, there's nothing like a good explosion in Blu-ray, which is probably why so many of Jerry Bruckheimer's films are already available on the new medium. When you see cars flying off the ferry and plunging into the water along with bodies, all sharp and precise, it's helps to explain why people who should turn away from disasters are nonetheless drawn to them. There's something riveting about fireballs and metal-twisting bombs going off, especially in Hi-Def. Which is to say that the 1080p picture looks great, presented in a 2.40:1 aspect ratio that's wide enough to showcase the panoramic mayhem. Colors are also vivid and pleasingly saturated, and in those high-tech computer satellite shots of New Orleans the black levels are strong enough to hold the detail in murky light.
Audio:
PCM has seemed the strongest soundtrack option thus far on Blu-ray, but I have to admit that the uncompressed English 5.1 delivered a surprisingly wide sound across the speakers, with good resonance and timbre. Additional options are the standard Dolby Digital 5.1 in English, French, and Spanish, with subtitle options in English SDH, French, and Spanish. The rear-speakers really get a workout during the explosion, but much of the rest of the film is dialogue, and so don't look to be equally entertained throughout.
Extras:
As with the standard DVD release, included here is "Surveillance Window" which combines filmmaker's commentary with behind-the-scenes features on the ferry explosion, developing Washington's character, make-up and special effects, the surveillance window, camera-work, the split-time car chase, filming in New Orleans, the actors, and the stunts. It's all pretty entertaining, though there's nothing said that makes you go "Ohhh, I get it." Rounding out the extras are five very short deleted scenes and three extended scenes, playable with or without commentary. Of these, you learn more from the extended scenes, which include Claire being held captive, a close scene with Doug and Claire, and further shots of the ferry aftermath.
Bottom Line:
At a time when it's almost become a cliché to have the good guys turn out to be the bad guys, it was refreshing that the writers and director Tony Scott ("Man on Fire," "Enemy of the State") avoided that pitfall. And that grand explosion certainly makes "Déjà vu" memorable. The intrigue and high-tech concept gets a little far-fetched, but that's exactly when Washington earns all that money he's paid. He's so into his role that he almost has us believing. Almost.
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