A Private War – Blu-ray Movie Review

Synopsis

This is the true story of Marie Colvin (Rosamund Pike) who was one of the most celebrated war correspondents of our time. She was known for her bravery in reporting from the front lines of numerous military conflicts throughout the world. She actually lost an eye to a grenade strike in Sri Lanka which left her with an eye patch for the rest of her days. She displayed a nearly constant focus on direct reporting of real time military conflicts which led to personal conflict in her own life. Her team, which included the renowned photographer Paul Conroy (Jamie Dornan) eventually covered the civil war conflict in Homs, Syria where Colvin paid the ultimate sacrifice.

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Specifications

Universal Studios
2018, Color, Rated R, 1 Hr 51 mins
1080P, 2.35:1 Aspect Ratio
English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Starring: Rosamund Pike, Jamie Dornan, Tom Hollander, and Stanley Tucci
Directed by: Matthew Heineman

Rating

Entertainment:

Video:

Audio:

Extras:

Violence: Yes
Sex: Mild
Language: Yes

Commentary

This movie was quite introspective on Ms. Colvin and how the work she was doing impacted her personal life and relationships. It was also a strong rebuke of war and the ensuing horrors. The tone of the film was very grim and slow-paced. It was almost dreamlike in many scenes. Though this movie has won awards for the soundtrack and has also garnered some important award nominations, I was personally not impressed. Though I agree with the themes and the message, the whole movie lost me in the way these messages were being portrayed. I wasn’t drawn in and my mind was wandering. I wish the production team had found a way to make the movie, not just the story, into something that would better engage viewers.

Technical

The movie was shot digitally and as a result, the skin tones and color clarity were very good. The director elected to present this movie with muted colors which promotes the grim, sad tone of the movie. Dark scenes fared well but with noticeable noise in the darkest recesses.

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The soundtrack dispenses its duties in a workmanlike manner with good voice intelligibility throughout. The audio expands appropriately during the scenes of war. Gunfire sounded authentic with excellent ambience from the surrounds and exploding bombs delivered very strong bass.

Extras

This package contains just one the Blu-ray disc. The case also includes a digital code inside. There are three on-disc extras:

Becoming Marie Colvin, Women in the World Summit Q&A, and Requiem for A Private War.

Jim Clements

Jim Clements has been an audio nut since childhood where you could find him underfoot at his local high end store on most weekends. (This particular shop was within walking distance of Jim's home, much to the chagrin of the owner and his staff.) Jim's audio journey started early because he loved great music of all kinds. And he still does. Like most audiophiles, Jim was not particularly inspired by a vast majority of the audio systems he encountered. So his quest grew through his efforts to recreate a live listening experience in the home. This has proven to be a never ending quest. One major offshoot of all this is that Jim has become something of a cinema enthusiast as well. So now he's working on the video and surround sound conundrums too. Since perfect recreation of sound and video is a goal to be pursued but never attained, Jim derives his pleasure from the journey itself. He wants to help our readers on their own personal quests by reviewing products thoroughly and objectively. On a personal note, Jim is a Professional Engineer, licensed in California and Texas. He currently has his own engineering practice in San Antonio, Texas. Jim is also part owner of a small chain of craft beer growler stations in South Texas.