The Jackal (Combo Blu-ray and Standard DVD) [Blu-ray]

The Jackal (Combo Blu-ray and Standard DVD) [Blu-ray] Review

The Jackal is one of my favorite movies of all time. This review is not of the movie, but some technical aspects. As far as the picture, the 1080p is a stunning improvement over dvd. Content is one double sided flipper disc: one side the BD, the other the dvd. You can't play both at the same time, but fortunately I have my old single dvd copy which I'm keeping. You may be wondering why? Because Universals put the director audio commentary, as well as extras (the making of), on the dvd, not the BD side! Very frustrating. Fortunately I have 2 BD players to run both if I ever need the 2nd audio channel while watching the BD. However, the BD side does include 2 features which aren't a big deal: BD-live ticker (pop up facts), which you'll need online connection to. And scene access, by using the 4 colored buttons on your remote.

The Jackal (Combo Blu-ray and Standard DVD) [Blu-ray] Overview

Bruce Willis is a ruthless assassin, known only as The Jackal, who has been hired to eliminate someone at the very top of the U.S. government. In order to track down this cold-blooded killer and prevent the hit, the FBI’s Deputy Director (Sidney Poitier) and a Russian intelligence officer (Diane Venora) enlist the aid of an imprisoned Irish terrorist (Richard Gere). These unlikely allies enter a global race against the clock to stop the mysterious mercenary before he can complete his deadly assignment.

The Jackal (Combo Blu-ray and Standard DVD) [Blu-ray] Specifications

The best way to enjoy this 1997 thriller is to forget the much better film that inspired it (1973's The Day of the Jackal) and get whatever kicks you can from this heavy-metal remake. It's not bad as hokey thrillers go, but all of the original film's suspenseful finesse has been traded in (not traded up) for bigger, bolder action and nonsensical plotting. It's as if Hollywood had forgotten to create excitement without resorting to overblown action and heavy hardware, but there's ample compensation in the casting of Bruce Willis and Richard Gere. Willis is the elusive assassin known only as the Jackal, whose latest target (he uses a cannon-sized gun that's anything but inconspicuous) may be the first lady of the United States. Gere plays a former IRA terrorist who is recruited by the deputy head of the FBI (Sidney Poitier) to trace the Jackal's maneuvers, and Diane Venora offers some gutsy support as a Russian-born agent who assists Gere on his mission. The movie has fun turning Willis into a master of disguise, and Gere adds much-needed gravity to counter the plot's escalating absurdity, but this is the kind of film that falls apart if you think about it too much. --Jeff Shannon

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Jul 31, 2010 05:16:16

Recommend : Cool Cell Phones Store Save! Game Controllers Store. LOWER Prices Handheld Devices