Warner Bros./Roadshow Entertainment .
R4 . COLOR . 95 mins .
MA15+ . PAL
Feature
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It's rude to point
In the early '80s, the DEA set up a network of dummy corporations as a government front to launder drug money and gather evidence about crime at the time. The problem is, this company started to make A LOT of money. In 1986 the operation was terminated, and the account had accumulated $400,000,000. The account just sat there, untouched, and years later is now worth $9,500,000,000. That operation was Operation: Swordfish.
Gabriel Shear (John Travolta) wants in on this money and will do anything to get to it, but the account is protected by a 512bit encryption system - so he needs a hacker to do so. Enter stage left Stanley Jobson (Hugh Jackman), one of the best hackers in the world who is down on his luck, has no money, just spent two years in prison, lost custody of his daughter to his wife who makes porno with her new director hubby and who, if he comes into contact with a keyboard of any sort, will find himself back in jail quicker than you can say “Press ANY KEY to continue”. Heck, Gabriel is willing to pay Stanley $10,000,000 to hack into the account and who is Stanley to pass up the amount of Kerry Packer's tax bill?
Action aplenty, a Matrix-esque opening effects shot, a beautiful looking style of film making, some very decent performances from all cast including Halle Berry’s “assets”, which received a $4,000,000 pay check.
Video
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Don't make fun of my ring tones...
Excuse me while I stand back and applaud another effort from Village Roadshow that lifts the bar of what DVD can do to new heights. Sorry for sounding like I'm blowing their trumpet, but I've got to give praise where praise is due. This is such a beautiful transfer. That feeling you got when you first saw DVD and thought "Wow, look at that" just happened again when watching this transfer. Absolutely magnificent.
Director Dominic Sena seems to have a certain 'look' to his recent efforts. If you've had a chance to check out the remake of Gone in 60 Seconds with Nicolas Cage then you'll know what I'm talking about. That rustic look, with a slightly distorted hue is employed here emphasising the blues and greens throughout, particularly the hypercolour paint job on the TVR (Travolta's car).
Audio
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Sysadmin heaven
This soundtrack may seem a little plain for an action movie in the early noughties, but that’s expectation for you. Those of you who appreciate a good soundtrack for the way it supports the video rather than taking it over and distracting you, this is it. From the opening 360 degree pan with ball bearings flying in all manner of directions, the 5.1 speaker system is called upon to full effect. The chase sequence with various forms of firearms being unloaded also provides another shining example of the detail put into making this soundtrack the killer that it is.
Dialogue is always on par with the action aplenty. It is never drowned out by the barrage of imaging and directionality and even works with the musical score quite well providing for a balanced level of sonic pleasure all around you. Mr Sub Woof sits away in the corner and provides a booming voice when prodded. Reports from the US state the surrounds are somewhat subdued, but it didn’t feel so on this release. A DTS soundtrack would have been a nice inclusion on this DVD as opposed to something like 15 Minutes, which was a much tamer movie aurally.
Extras
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That multi-million dollar t*t shot.
Let’s begin this analysis with a look at the Audio Commentary by director Sena, who provides an excellent insight into the making of the movie more than anything. A collection of two deleted scenes are merely two alternate endings that were scripted and shot but opted out of. No spoilers here thanks.
There are two featurettes here; a look at the Effects in Focus is a 7-minute feature that mainly focuses on the bus scene from external footage to sound stage blue screening. The second feature is the Making of Swordfish, which is a pretty decent look at what the movie is about, with a collection of snippets, b-roll footage, interviews with cast and crew and some funny outtakes. The rest of the field is made up of a theatrical trailer and cast/crew biographies. Whilst there is DVD-ROM listed, the actual features are linked directly to the Swordfish website so you’ll need both a DVD-ROM and Internet access.
Live on Rove.
Finally, the extra that we have over the Yanks is the actual interview from Rove Live when Hugh Jackman and John Travolta appeared. The footage comes from the widescreen 16x9 enhanced standard definition video feed and runs for somewhere near 25 minutes, commercials excluded of course.
Overall
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Swordfish plays its role well when it comes to action and suspense, but there is still no real representation of true hacking and the interfaces that are used by hackers around the world. Then again, a true look at this breed of superbrains would be a right bore for Hollywood and those that flock to these movies.
Take it with a grain of salt, enjoy the ride and marvel at just how great this DVD looks and sounds.
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