BLU-RAY
REVIEW: CONTRABAND
4/22/12

OVERVIEW: A legendary smuggler who long ago abandoned his life of crime to become a law-abiding family man is dragged back into the cutthroat, underground world of international crime in the suspenseful thriller Contraband, coming to Blu-ray™ Combo Pack with UltraViolet™, as well as DVD, Digital Download and On Demand on April 24, 2012 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. Academy Award®-nominee Mark Wahlberg (The Fighter, The Departed) stars in a tense, supercharged action adventure about a man struggling to stay out of the world he worked so hard to leave behind but will do anything to protect his family.
Also starring Kate Beckinsale (Underworld series, The Aviator), Giovanni Ribisi (Avatar, Public Enemies) and Ben Foster (30 Days of Night, 3:10 to Yuma), Contraband has been hailed as “an intense, adrenalinepumping thriller,” by Shawn Edwards of FOX-TV. The Contraband Blu-ray™ Combo Pack delivers the film in perfect hi-def picture and perfect hi-def sound and features more than an hour of bonus content including deleted scenes, a “making of” segment and feature commentary by Director Baltasar Kormákur and Producer Evan Hayes.
The Contraband Blu-ray™ Combo Pack also includes UltraViolet™, a DVD, and a Digital Copy of the film – so consumers can truly enjoy the movie anytime, anywhere, on the device of their choice! UltraViolet™ is the revolutionary new way for consumers to collect movies and TV shows and put them in the cloud. From there, they can download and stream instantly to computers, tablets and smartphones. In addition, consumers can redeem a Digital Copy of the film from a variety of retail partners, who offer many viewing options including iTunes®, iPad®, iPhone®, iPod™ touch, Android, connected televisions, Blu-ray player apps, and more!
SYNOPSIS:
Mark Wahlberg leads the cast of Contraband, a fast-paced thriller about a man trying to stay out of a world he worked so hard to leave behind and the family he’ll do anything to protect. Set in New Orleans, the film explores the cutthroat underground world of international smuggling—full of desperate criminals and corrupt officials, high-stakes and big payoffs—where loyalty rarely exists and death is one wrong turn away.
Chris Farraday (Wahlberg) long ago abandoned his life of crime, but after his brother-in-law, Andy (Caleb Landry Jones), botches a drug deal for his ruthless boss, Tim Briggs (Giovanni
Ribisi), Chris is forced back into doing what he does best—running contraband—to settle Andy’s debt. Chris is a legendary smuggler and quickly assembles a crew with the help of his best friend, Sebastian (Ben Foster), to head to Panama and return with millions in counterfeit bills.
Things quickly fall apart and with only hours to reach the cash, Chris must use his rusty skills to successfully navigate a treacherous criminal network of brutal drug lords, cops and hit men before his wife, Kate (Kate
Beckinsale), and sons become their target.
BLU-RAY:
The film is
presented in 1080P widescreen in a 2.35:1 aspect ration
preserving its theatrical format. The picture is just
flawless. Not only the picture looks great in
this release, also the sound it is good, a 5.1 DTS-HD Master
Audio (48kHz/24bit) in English that provides a
good complement to the picture. It also includes English,
French and Spanish subtitles.
VIDEO:
2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen 1080P
AUDIO:
English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1/DVS Dolby Digital 2.02, French DTS-HD Master
Audio 5.1 (Canadian) and Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Subtitles - English SDH, French, Spanish
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Deleted Scenes
Under The Radar – The Making of Contraband: Take a comprehensive guided tour through the making of the modern action thriller Contraband.
Reality Factor – The Stunts and Action of Contraband: From an explosive, complicated armored car heist in Panama to brutal, realistic fistfights and gunplay in the back alleys of New Orleans, see how the stunt and SFX teams worked together to make sure Contraband delivered raw and real action to the film.
Feature Commentary: Director/Producer Baltasar Kormákur and Producer Evan Hayes participate.
UltraViolet™: The revolutionary new way for consumers to collect movies and TV shows, store them in the cloud, and download and stream instantly to computers, tablets and smartphones. Currently available in the United States only.
Digital Copy: Viewers can redeem a digital version of the full-length movie from a choice of retail partners to watch on an array of electronic and portable devices.
U-Control:
o Picture-in-Picture – featuring pre-visualization and storyboard comparisons of some the film’s most exciting scenes.
pocket BLU™ App: The popular free pocket BLU™ app for smartphones is now even better with newly updated versions for iPad®, Android™ tablets, PC and Macintosh computers, with features made especially to take advantage of the devices’ larger screens and high resolution displays.
o Advanced Remote Control: A sleek, elegant new way to operate your Blu-ray™ player. Users can navigate through menus, playback and BD-Live™ functions with ease.
o Video Timeline: Users can easily bring up the video timeline, allowing them to instantly access any point in the film.
o Mobile-To-Go: Users can unlock a selection of bonus content with their Blu-ray™ discs to save to their device or to stream from anywhere there is a Wi-Fi network, enabling them to enjoy content on the go, anytime, anywhere.
o Browse Titles: Users will have access to a complete list of pocket BLU™-enabled titles available and coming to Blu-ray™. They can view free previews and see what additional content is available to unlock on their device.
o Keyboard: Entering data is fast and easy with your device’s intuitive keyboard.
BD-LIVE™ - Access the BD-Live™ Center through your Internet-connected player to access the latest trailers, exclusive content and more!
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