Inside Man

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"Inside Man" (2006). Directed by Spike Lee and starring Denzel Washington, Clive Owen & Jodie Foster, this title is released by Universal Studios in Australia.



My review

"Inside Man" represents Denzel Washington's and Spike Lee's fourth collaboration together and in this case it's their best yet. The film succeeds on many levels by offering interesting characters, smartly written dialogue, a solid story and exceptional production values. The film is excellent in it's use of revealing twists whilst also incorporating shorter non-linear elements in a style not dissimilar to that used by Christopher Nolan in "Memento" for example. The film's pace varies at times with scenes of intense action populating the opening which then give way to the mystery, psychological and thriller elements. The film then successfully resolves by drawing all these elements into a satisfying revelation. 4.5/5

Video
The quality of "Inside Man" on Blu-ray is extremely impressive. Colours are nice and vibrant, detail is exceptional and blacks are strong. The whole film is fairly natural however this doesn't detract from the wonderful production design and photography. Many of the establishing shots feature Lee's penchant for sweeping vistas which successfully set the scene. Lee also readily makes use of hand held camera work so this can have a slight effect on the clarity of some shots but within context they are exceptionally well-rendered and Lee's method of shooting only serves to further develop the very natural feeling of the film and to draw the viewer in. The afore-mentioned non-linear moments feature highly stylised visuals with overblown contrast, colour desaturation and a green push. All in all this film is an extremely enjoyable viewing experience. 4.5/5

Audio
"Inside Man" features a spectacular soundtrack. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track features some of the best clarity I've heard in a mix. Even at it's most bustling moments the mix is still well defined and the various effects and dialogue have clear separation. All dialogue and effects also have a great natural quality to them. The score takes an interesting approach by blending a modern thriller score with motifs and instrumentation harking back to noir scores. It's a great score and like the rest of the mix it's well incorporated. Surround use is very well done with plenty of moments that offer exceptional directionality which is both accurate and natural. The score also makes effective use of the surrounds with certain instrumentation either occupying or panning to the rear channels at times for a more immersive experience. The LFE content is quite potent with the song accompanying the opening credits featuring some solid low end. The subwoofer also gets are workout throughout the film when supporting weapons fire and the like. The engineering on this mix is extremely impressive in every way. 5/5

Extras
Universal brings a few special features to the table with the release of "Inside Man". First up is an audio commentary with Spike Lee. For the most part it's informing and entertaining. Lee has a listenable quality and imparts some relevant information along the way. Next up is about 20 minutes or so of deleted scenes. Some are nice, but most play out as quite unnecessary and all the cuts seem to have been wise decisions and the film functions well without their inclusion. Lastly there are two brief features both lasting approximately 10 minutes. The first is a standard making of which has some substance which elevates it above standard EPK fare whilst the second is a conversation with Denzel Washington and Lee where they discuss their collaborations. You can clearly see the camaraderie between the two and why they continue to work on films together. 3.5/5

Overall
"Inside Man" is a taught thriller representing Spike Lee's best work. All the actors are at the top of their game and they deliver the smartly written script with expertise and ease. Production values are extremely high and the disc replicates the intended look and sound expertly. Very highly recommended. 4.5/5

Please note: Title is region free.

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Screenshots: click spoiler tag to reveal.

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Disclaimer: These screenshots have been taken directly from the disc with no post processing other than the placement of a watermark. They are PNG format so the file size is larger however this retains the original image quality. They are of course only intended as an indication of the quality of the title. As always, a motion picture should be viewed in motion.

[gettodamoofies]

BDInfo Scan:

                                                                                                                Total   Video                                             
Title                                                           Codec   Length  Movie Size      Disc Size       Bitrate Bitrate Main Audio Track                          Secondary Audio Track
-----                                                           ------  ------- --------------  --------------  ------- ------- ------------------                        ---------------------
00000.MPLS                                                      VC-1    2:08:43 41,773,694,976  44,854,302,924  43.27   30.83   DTS-HD Master 5.1 4124Kbps (48kHz/24-bit)

DISC INFO:

Disc Title:     INSIDE_MAN
Disc Size:      44,854,302,924 bytes
Protection:     AACS
BD-Java:        Yes
BDInfo:         0.5.6

PLAYLIST REPORT:

Name:                   00000.MPLS
Length:                 2:08:43 (h:m:s)
Size:                   41,773,694,976 bytes
Total Bitrate:          43.27 Mbps

VIDEO:

Codec                   Bitrate             Description     
-----                   -------             -----------     
VC-1 Video              30826 kbps          1080p / 23.976 fps / 16:9 / Advanced Profile 3

AUDIO:

Codec                           Language        Bitrate         Description     
-----                           --------        -------         -----------     
DTS-HD Master Audio             English         4124 kbps       5.1 / 48 kHz / 4124 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
DTS Audio                       French          768 kbps        5.1 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit
DTS Audio                       German          768 kbps        5.1 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit
DTS Audio                       Italian         768 kbps        5.1 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit
DTS Audio                       Japanese        768 kbps        5.1 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit
DTS Audio                       Spanish         768 kbps        5.1 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit
DTS Audio                       Spanish         768 kbps        5.1 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit
Dolby Digital Audio             English         192 kbps        2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB / Dolby Surround

SUBTITLES:

Codec                           Language        Bitrate         Description     
-----                           --------        -------         -----------     
Presentation Graphics           English         52.334 kbps                     
Presentation Graphics           English         58.942 kbps                     
Presentation Graphics           Chinese         31.217 kbps                     
Presentation Graphics           Danish          39.967 kbps                     
Presentation Graphics           Dutch           35.959 kbps                     
Presentation Graphics           Finnish         38.505 kbps                     
Presentation Graphics           French          40.639 kbps                     
Presentation Graphics           French          51.755 kbps                     
Presentation Graphics           French          0.337 kbps                      
Presentation Graphics           German          53.939 kbps                     
Presentation Graphics           German          61.329 kbps                     
Presentation Graphics           German          0.380 kbps                      
Presentation Graphics           Greek           43.869 kbps                     
Presentation Graphics           Italian         45.253 kbps                     
Presentation Graphics           Italian         54.067 kbps                     
Presentation Graphics           Italian         0.340 kbps                      
Presentation Graphics           Japanese        27.150 kbps                     
Presentation Graphics           Japanese        20.653 kbps                     
Presentation Graphics           Japanese        0.181 kbps                      
Presentation Graphics           Korean          22.202 kbps                     
Presentation Graphics           Norwegian       40.460 kbps                     
Presentation Graphics           Portuguese      45.320 kbps                     
Presentation Graphics           Spanish         48.254 kbps                     
Presentation Graphics           Spanish         41.666 kbps                     
Presentation Graphics           Spanish         52.174 kbps                     
Presentation Graphics           Spanish         0.448 kbps                      
Presentation Graphics           Spanish         0.396 kbps                      
Presentation Graphics           Swedish         40.702 kbps                     

FILES:

Name            Time In         Length          Size            Total Bitrate   
----            -------         ------          ----            -------------   
00009.M2TS      0:00:00.000     2:08:36.583     41,759,895,552  43,294          
00123.M2TS      2:08:36.583     0:00:06.589     13,799,424      16,752

[gettodamoofies]

Full disc specs added to the database.

[Rusty100]

I don't get it. This disc was released in Aus in 2009

Nevermind, I see what you're doing

Don't. It's pointless and is essentially spamming up the forum with useless information.

Keep it all to the one thread, making a thread for every blu-ray you buy is incredibly dumb. Not to thwart your efforts, it's just that they're somewhat misguided.

[gettodamoofies]

Originally Posted by Rusty100

I don't get it. This disc was released in Aus in 2009

It doesn't matter when it was released. It could have been released in 2006. If it hasn't be reviewed, hasn't been fully spec'd and screenshots aren't available then it's relevant. I bought this a month and a bit ago. It sure would have been nice to have something like this before buying to help inform me! Because there wasn't I had to blind buy it.

Nevermind, I see what you're doing

Lovely.

Don't. It's pointless and is essentially spamming up the forum with useless information.

Oh, OK. Not lovely.

It's not pointless: it informs people of the specs of a disc and provides them with some screenshots to help illustrate it. Some people are interested in these things. Because you choose not to be does not make them pointless, it makes them pointless to you. Fortunately, this message board is for everybody and therefore other people with other opinions may find relevance in this.

It's not spam: spam is a post which has no relevance to a particular topic or to the site in general. These posts have both as I've illustrated.

Keep it all to the one thread, making a thread for every blu-ray you buy is incredibly dumb.

With all due respect, I'll make the decisions as to where I post these. It most certainly is not dumb. A thread is posted for one topic to be discussed (a movie title in this case). Each of the titles I've done this for have not had a thread created previously, therefore it's relevant to create one. If there were a thread created already, then these details would be posted in that thread.

Not to thwart your efforts, it's just that they're somewhat misguided.

In your opinion. I've shown I'm providing relevant information which has never been provided before. That may not be of value for you, but others may find immense value in it. Fortunately it's not for you to decide what is and what is not of value for others. They can make their own decision on the matter.