You can’t like every film you see and Derailed is easily one of those that I did not like.
Video:
Genius Products has typically used the AVC MPEG-4 codec and "Derailed" is no exception. The 2.35:1 widescreen film is a less than average thriller, but nicely falls into the upper part of the average range when it comes to picture quality. With a good level of detail and very natural coloring, "Derailed" is a good transfer that shows that MPEG-4 is a perfectly suitable choice for HD-DVD compression. The opening scenes in the film and a few other moments during "Derailed," the cinematography choices made resulted in a palette of washed out hues with a harsh amount of whiteness to the picture. This was a stylistic choice and not a result of the film´s video presentation. The film is slightly riddled with film grain that is quite commonplace. It is at a level that never distracts the viewer from the film and after a while it is easy to ignore, but the film grain is definitely there throughout the picture.
Audio:
"Derailed" would have greatly benefited in both story and the sound department if a train actually derailed. This is because the film mostly takes place in conversation over telephones and in offices. The early rape scene, RZA exit and the moment when Charles enacts his revenge are nicely done scenes that populate the rear surrounds. A scene between Charles and Lucinda in the rain is one of the few examples of environmental effects. It wasn´t enveloping, but the rain effects were present. Being mostly dialogue driven, "Derailed" does do a rather commendable job with the spoken word and everything from the phone conversations to the heated exchanges between Charles and LaRoche are crystal clear. With little sound coming from the rear surrounds and little in the way of deep and booming bass, "Derailed" is a contained Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 soundtrack. Not every thriller can sound like "Training Day," and I wasn´t expecting anything spectacular in the sound department. It is technically sound, just unimpressive.
Extras:
"Derailed" arrives as an Unrated Version on HD-DVD. Having not seen the theatrical release, I honestly have no clue as to what was added for this unrated version. I would expect that a little additional blood and guts was added, though the film never gets overly gory. Perhaps an extra frame was added to the rape scene. There is no nudity, but maybe the MPAA had a problem with the original cut. A number of Deleted Scenes are included. These run for roughly ten minutes and flesh out and answer questions regarding the Schine family. You learn about the eventual surgery for daughter Amy and the outcome of the conversation between Charles and Deanna. I thought these were nice deleted scenes and this supplement was far nicer than the shorter The Making of Derailed Documentary. That was typical EPK fluff. The Theatrical Trailer finishes off the thin list of supplements.
Closing Comments:
It was interesting to see Jennifer Aniston in a role that was a definite departure from her usual characters. Unfortunately, by the time her true role in the film is revealed, the story is about over and you don´t see much in the way of this departure. The film itself is overly predictable and offers neither nothing new or anything exciting. It is a pedestrian thriller that has a decent cast in Clive Owen and Jennifer Aniston, but they are underutilized and the film ultimately fails in trying too hard to hide its horrible secret that can be guessed within the first third of the film. The HD-DVD is a technically sound title, but the subject matter of the film doesn´t provide any truly wondrous visuals or sound to help save the film from the doldrums. The deleted scenes were quite good and provided a lot of depth into the film. The rest of the supplements were limited and forgettable. You can´t like every film you see and "Derailed" is easily one of those that I did not like.
Genius Products has typically used the AVC MPEG-4 codec and "Derailed" is no exception. The 2.35:1 widescreen film is a less than average thriller, but nicely falls into the upper part of the average range when it comes to picture quality. With a good level of detail and very natural coloring, "Derailed" is a good transfer that shows that MPEG-4 is a perfectly suitable choice for HD-DVD compression. The opening scenes in the film and a few other moments during "Derailed," the cinematography choices made resulted in a palette of washed out hues with a harsh amount of whiteness to the picture. This was a stylistic choice and not a result of the film´s video presentation. The film is slightly riddled with film grain that is quite commonplace. It is at a level that never distracts the viewer from the film and after a while it is easy to ignore, but the film grain is definitely there throughout the picture.
Audio:
"Derailed" would have greatly benefited in both story and the sound department if a train actually derailed. This is because the film mostly takes place in conversation over telephones and in offices. The early rape scene, RZA exit and the moment when Charles enacts his revenge are nicely done scenes that populate the rear surrounds. A scene between Charles and Lucinda in the rain is one of the few examples of environmental effects. It wasn´t enveloping, but the rain effects were present. Being mostly dialogue driven, "Derailed" does do a rather commendable job with the spoken word and everything from the phone conversations to the heated exchanges between Charles and LaRoche are crystal clear. With little sound coming from the rear surrounds and little in the way of deep and booming bass, "Derailed" is a contained Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 soundtrack. Not every thriller can sound like "Training Day," and I wasn´t expecting anything spectacular in the sound department. It is technically sound, just unimpressive.
Extras:
"Derailed" arrives as an Unrated Version on HD-DVD. Having not seen the theatrical release, I honestly have no clue as to what was added for this unrated version. I would expect that a little additional blood and guts was added, though the film never gets overly gory. Perhaps an extra frame was added to the rape scene. There is no nudity, but maybe the MPAA had a problem with the original cut. A number of Deleted Scenes are included. These run for roughly ten minutes and flesh out and answer questions regarding the Schine family. You learn about the eventual surgery for daughter Amy and the outcome of the conversation between Charles and Deanna. I thought these were nice deleted scenes and this supplement was far nicer than the shorter The Making of Derailed Documentary. That was typical EPK fluff. The Theatrical Trailer finishes off the thin list of supplements.
Closing Comments:
It was interesting to see Jennifer Aniston in a role that was a definite departure from her usual characters. Unfortunately, by the time her true role in the film is revealed, the story is about over and you don´t see much in the way of this departure. The film itself is overly predictable and offers neither nothing new or anything exciting. It is a pedestrian thriller that has a decent cast in Clive Owen and Jennifer Aniston, but they are underutilized and the film ultimately fails in trying too hard to hide its horrible secret that can be guessed within the first third of the film. The HD-DVD is a technically sound title, but the subject matter of the film doesn´t provide any truly wondrous visuals or sound to help save the film from the doldrums. The deleted scenes were quite good and provided a lot of depth into the film. The rest of the supplements were limited and forgettable. You can´t like every film you see and "Derailed" is easily one of those that I did not like.
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[release]20894[/release]