Blu-ray Review “Cosmopolis”

Actors: Robert Pattinson, Juliette Binoche, Sarah Gadon, Mathieu Amalric, Jay Baruchel, Kevin Durand
Directors: David Cronenberg
Rated: R (Restricted)
Studio: Entertainment One
DVD Release Date: January 1, 2013
Run Time: 109 minutes

Film: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of 5 stars

“Cosmopolis” is based on a novel by Don DeLillo and is easily David Cronenberg’s best film in the last decade. This film is a real trip though and a lot different from much of his other work. It is very dark and slow-moving but it works with such intelligent dialogue that it literally has you unable to move from your seat. The script was also written by Cronenberg himself, which is the first feature he has done that with since “eXistenZ” (one of my all-time favorites). So let’s get to elephant in the room, Robert Pattinson.  He delivers here easily his best performance to date. Haters of “Twilight” need to see this film cause it is a real turnaround. Top it off with another amazing score from Howard Shore, who worked with Cronenberg on “Dead Ringers” and you get another gem from this director.

Official Synopsis: Unfolding in a single cataclysmic day, the story follows Eric Packer (Robert Pattinson) – a 28-year old financial whiz kid and billionaire asset manager – as he heads out in his tricked-out stretch limo to get a haircut from his father’s old barber, while remotely wagering his company’s massive fortune on a bet against the Chinese Yuan. Packer’s luxe trip across the city quickly becomes dizzyingly hellish as he encounters explosive city riots, a parade of provocative visitors, and is thrust into a myriad of intimate encounters. Having started the day with everything, believing he is the future, Packer’s perfectly ordered, doubt-free world is about to implode.

The Blu-ray presentation from Entertainment One is literally amazing. The 1080p transfer is flawless and so well with the anarchy that is presented in the film.  There are two audio tracks included on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English LPCM 2.0. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 works great with Shore’s score as well. The special features are limited in quantity but back some not in quality.  “Citizens of Cosmopolis” is a nearly 2-hour documentary on the film and it’s production.  There are tons of interviews including the director David Cronenberg, Robert Pattinson and many of the other cast and crew talking about the film and the novel.  Lastly there is a sweet and informative audio commentary with Cronenberg, which will leave his fans very satisfied.