Blu-ray Review: Con Air

THE MOVIE: 4 out of 5 stars

Originally released in 1997 and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, Con Air stars Nicolas Cage as Cameron Poe, a ex-Army Ranger who is sent to prison after he kills a man while defending himself and the honor of his wife in a fight outside a bar. He is sent to prison for 7 years and misses the birth of his daughter. As luck has it, he is paroled and is being transported home on a special jet which is being used to transport a group of very dangerous prisoners to another prison. Needless to say, this group of prisoners takes control of the plane and try to use it to escape out of the country. Poe, seeing what is happening plays along and gets clues to the authorities so that the plot can be thwarted. The film co-stars John Cusack as agent Vince Larkin, John Malkovich as Cyrus “The Virus” Grissom and Ving Rhames as Diamond Dog Jones. There is plenty of action in this film as one would expect from Jerry Bruckheimer. Recommended.

THE VIDEO: 4 1/4 stars out of 5

While there is nothing wrong with the video presentation of this film per se, I must say that I was somewhat disappointed with the video quality of Con Air. As this film was released way back in 1997, I can’t really recall how the film looked in the theater to make a comparison with this release. However, I was expecting better. My main complaint lies with the very muted colors in the film and the below average black levels. This film looks rather dull in comparison to the best looking transfers out there. The film lacks the pop and three dimensionality of the best looking transfers. Detail is good as is shadow detail but the lack of strong contrast between black and bright areas gives the film more of a washed out and flat looking picture. In this regard, it looked identical to the zoomed in version of the film shown over the weekend on TNT HD. This just may be the way this film is supposed to look. If so, it stands in contrast with the other Bruckheimer films which do not suffer from the same issues.

THE AUDIO: 4 7/8 out of 5

I have no reservations whatsoever with the audio on this disc which is outstanding. Presented with an uncompressed PCM track at 48 kHz/24 bit, this film rocks. The sound is smooth and open and very dynamic with excellent bass. Dialogue is well recorded and well placed in the mix as are the various sound effects. The roar of the jet engines is faithfully reproduced as well as the plane crash and the action on board ship. When the security gates shut and lock in the plane, it sounds like you are there behind bars, hearing the slam of metal on metal as well as the subtle echoes of that sound in the plane. The sound field presented here is totally immersive. Gunshots are faithfully produced as well with a full, powerful and convincing sound. All in all, this is an excellent audio track and greatly adds to your enjoyment of the film.

IN CONCLUSION

While I had some issues with the video on this release, I have no problems recommending your taking in this film. It is a great action flick with some great action and wonderful audio. Give it a look. Recommended.

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