Why So Blu?

Officer Down (Blu-ray Review)

One year ago, dirty cop Detective Callahan (Stephen Dorff) was shot in a drug bust gone wrong, and saved by an anonymous stranger who gave him a second chance to clean up his life. But when the stranger finally comes forward, seeking revenge against the men responsible for a string of assaults on young women at a local strip club, Callahan must go rogue to find the attacker, in an effort to hide how his past played a part in these crimes. His desperation to find the attacker, and cover his tracks, takes him down a violent road of deception, cover-ups and fraud. Can he play the ”good cop” and track down the assailant, while still keeping his reputation clean?  Directed by Brian A. Miller and written by John Chase, Officer Down also stars Dominic Purcell, AnnaLynne McCord, David Boreanaz, Walton Goggins, Stephen Lang and James Woods.

Film 

As previously stated, Detective Callahan (Stephen Dorff) is a crooked cop, with a dash of alcoholic-junkie thrown into the mix. He was shot and nearly killed during a routine traffic stop and is now on the mend. He now has his superiors breathing down his neck, internal affairs trying to catch him slipping up, and his home life is in a fragile state. The person that saved his life has asked for a favor. That favor is that he has to “save” Zhanna Dronov (Annalynne McCord) from her shady surroundings at a strip club. The strip club is owned by Royce Walker (Dominic Purcell) who plays both sides of the same coin.

Not fooled by his antics is Callahan’s boss, Captain Verona, played by James Woods, who will make sure Callahan shapes up or ships out. Stephen Lang, David Boreanaz, and Walton Goggins round out the supporting cast. Callahan begins to build on the puzzle that is Dronov’s life in addition to getting his own house in order while navigating through the mean streets of his precinct.

Officer Down is a 12 million dollar flick that has great production values, great cast, and no cgi blood (squibs galore!) that I was able to detect. I’m thinking that’s why I was charmed by the content. It’s heart is in the right place. The film doesn’t try to outdo the typical police procedural/cop drama that has been done before. I appreciated that. Everyone involved did the best of their abilities. If there’s anything that’s really wrong with the film is that some of the editing early on lost me.

The film has 2-3 flashback chunks spread throughout the film. I somehow missed the first segue into that flashback and was lost for about 2-3 minutes. Yes, that’s what rewind buttons are for. Other than that, the color timing is an indicator of when a flashback is taking place.

I mention the stellar ensemble cast and they may be just window dressing but they’re fun window dressing and actually tend to share screen time with everyone else billed on the marquee. I’ve always given Dorff credit and tend to think that his DTV offerings are usually pretty good and Officer Down is no different.

Officer Down does have a few cool twists and turns here and there, so that should satisfy those that have some thriller inclinations. For the rest of us it’s a pretty neat cop-drama that should satisfy.

 Video  

Officer Down is presented in 1080p, 2.40:1 widescreen. Dorff’s character is an alcoholic slash junkie, so he gives off a pasty-like appearance that the Blu-ray handles with ease. Every one else looks natural and healthy. Colors are big and bold during the strip club scenes and gloomy and overcast during the exteriors. The Blu-ray handles the palette with ease. Crush is absent, contrast is only slightly boosted and that’s during the more stylish shot scenes that run few and far between. Officer Down is a pretty good looking Blu-ray.

Audio 

Officer Down is presented in Dolby TrueHD 5.1. Dialogue is front and center, with no hints of crackling, or echoing. Everyone is heard loud and clear. When the action heats up the rear surrounds handle the bullets flying by with precision. The LFE channel also handles the shotgun blasts with ease. There’s never any artificial rattling with regards to subwoofer performance. Again, like it’s counterpart, the audio presentation handles like a champ.

Extras 

I haven’t given out a goose egg in a long time! Congratulations Officer Down, you are the first to get one in 2013! There are no special features to speak of on this Blu-ray, not even trailers for other films.

Summary 

I wish I could give this Blu-ray a higher score. The fact that you’ve got a pretty eclectic ensemble cast alone would elevate the overall product by at least another star. It would have too, if there had been any special features to speak of. A commentary track, interviews with the fellas, etc., it would have been awesome to hear everyone talk about the project. Officer Down is an above average cop-tale, with solid video and audio specifications. Too bad it gets buried by the utter lack of any supplements whatsoever. Still, the price is right and it’s definitely worth a rental if you’re at all curious. With a cast like this you should be.

 

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