Directed by: Steve McQueen
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan, James Badge Dale, Lucy Walters, Mari-Ange Ramirez
MPAA Rating: NC-17
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: April 17, 2012
Running Time: 101 minutes
Film: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Michael Fassbender deserved to win an award for this role, his performance in this film is honestly nothing short of amazing. It is haunting and also very powerful. “Shame” tells the story of Brandon, who is a New York businessman that is completely obsessed with sex. His life is turned upside-down when his sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan) arrives and brings his past current in his life. Carey is also stunning in the film and really nails the role as well. The film was rated NC-17, since it is a pretty graphic, warning to the kiddies, but overall is packed with an amazing very intense and engaging story. Definitely one of the best of 2011.
The Blu-ray presentation is notable and and looks sharp in its 2.35:1 widescreen 1080p transfer. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is subtle but kills with the film’s music and score. I loved this film’s score and thought it drove the movie so well, kudos to Harry Escott. This release also comes with a DVD copy of the film and a digital copy (which expires on August 31, 2012). I wish Fox would get on the bandwagon and start including the streaming Ultraviolet digital copies.
The special features on the release are not as impressive as the film is though. There are four three-minute featurettes including “Focus On Michael Fassbender”, “Director Steve McQueen”, “The Story Of Shame” and “A Shared Vision”. They are short and a little bit of a let down overall. There is also an interview included with Fassbender called “Fox Movie Channel Presents: In Character With Michael Fassbender”. Lastly there is the the original theatrical trailer included.