Untraceable (Blu-ray)

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Video:
"Untraceable" has a nice glossy look to it, though not necessarily the 3-dimensionality that we sometimes see with Blu-ray. It's transferred to 50GB disc using AVC/MPEG-4 technology and presented in 2.40:1 aspect ratio. In a number of scenes, the colors seem to have been manipulated to convey a certain mood rather than going with a natural look, and the black levels also seem deliberately lower so as to create a kind of low-contrast look for some of the scenes. The most vibrant sequences are those shot in the FBI work center. Once we get off into killer-land, the colors and contrast start to become duller. The result, though deliberate, is a film that has plenty of detail but not a look that you'd want to pop in to show off your new HD TV or Blu-ray player.

Audio:
The English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 featured soundtrack is better. Like some of the other TrueHD soundtracks I've listened to in the past few weeks, this one has a nice spread across the front speakers and it has no trouble filling the room with dynamic sound. It makes good use of the rear effects speakers, with volumes high enough to where they too seem to blend into the audio mix swirling around in the center of the room, rather than sounding like isolated effects. It handles the music by Christopher Young really well too, rendering those low notes with bone-chilling clarity.

Extras:
I'll confess right now that I didn't have the stomach to sit through the entire audio commentary by Hoblit, production designer Paul Eads, and one of the producers, Hawk Koch. For one thing, I didn't want to see this film all over again. But for another, it didn't really address the disturbing issues that the film presented. Instead, we got the usual primer on how this shot was accomplished or what location they used in order to blah-blah-blah. After a while, I tuned it out . . . then I tuned it off.

Roughly an hour of bonus featurettes is included, with four extras on "Tracking Untraceable," "The Personnel Files," "The Blueprint of Murder," and "The Anatomy of Murder." All are pretty standard, but better than the commentary. From the cast and filmmakers we mostly get takes on their characters and scenes, rather than a discussion of the issues at hand, while the technical bonus features cover the usual ground in explaining costume and production design decisions.

Also included is "Beyond the Cyber Bureau," a Blu-ray exclusive feature that requires a Profile 1.1 player to view the separate streaming picture-in-picture that incorporates some of the same bonus materials but also, according to the studio, includes additional material.

Bottom Line:
"Untraceable" is better than any of the "Hostel" or "Saw" films, and the investigative elements add considerable interest. But in the end (and because of the end) it only ends up being another glorification of gore. And I'm being much kinder than Jason P. Vargo was in his theatrical review.

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