In the Line of Fire (Blu-ray Review)

13 Jul, 2008 By: John Gaudiosi

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Sony Pictures
Thriller
$28.95 Blu-ray
Rated ‘R.'
Stars Clint Eastwood, Rene Russo, John Malkovich, Dylan McDermott, John Heard.

With Clint Eastwood currently featured in Warner's “Dirty Harry” boxed sets on DVD and Blu-ray Disc, fans of the Oscar-winning actor, director, producer and writer also will want to add this action-thriller to their high-def collection.

Although it's not a Harry Callahan movie, Eastwood's Secret Service agent Frank Horrigan has many similarities to that iconic character. This cat-and-mouse thriller works because of the acting chops of Eastwood and John Malkovich, who plays Booth/Frank Leary, the man who wants to kill the president.

Rene Russo, Dylan McDermott, Fred Dalton Thomson and John Mahoney round out the solid cast.

While this Blu-ray version, which is presented in anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) and in 5.1 TrueHD surround, doesn't add any features different from the special-edition DVD version, the 1080p video upgrade is excellent and the enhanced audio brings Italian composer Ennio Morricone's musical score to life.

It would have been nice to have something new for this high-def release, such as a featurette that puts the 15 years since the film's release into perspective. As is, the new disc has only a BD Live feature to access new film and home entertainment trailers.

What is included in the extras department is the Showtime special “Behind the Scenes with the Secret Service,” which includes interviews with the actors and real secret service agents; “The Ultimate Sacrifice,” a short documentary on the Secret Service; and a pair of featurettes: “How'd They Do That?,” which features effects artists and “Catching the Counterfeiters,” which focuses on real FBI agents.

Rounding out the extras is a rather bland commentary by director Wolfgang Petersen and five deleted scenes that add nothing to the film experience.

Since this is such a solid film with the beautiful backdrop of Washington, D.C., Eastwood fans will want to add this to their HD library even without any cool BD exclusives. The film speaks for itself, and it looks amazing on BD.

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