Courage Under Fire


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Details At A Glance

General
Extras
Category Drama Theatrical Trailer(s) Yes, 1 - 1.33:1 non 16x9, Dolby Digital 2.0 
Rating Other Trailer(s) No
Year Released 1996 Commentary Tracks No
Running Time
111:44 minutes
(not 122 mins as stated on packaging)
Other Extras No
RSDL/Flipper RSDL (65:20)
Cast & Crew
Start Up Menu
Region 2,4 Director Edward Zwick
Studio
Distributor

Fox Home Entertainment
Starring Denzel Washington
Meg Ryan
Lou Diamond Phillips
Michael Moriarty
Matt Damon
Seth Gilliam
Bronson Pinchot
Scott Glen
RRP $39.95 Music James Horner
Video
Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame No MPEG None
Widescreen Aspect Ratio 1.85:1 Dolby Digital 5.1
16x9 Enhancement
Soundtrack Languages English (Dolby Digital 5.1, 384 Kb/s)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio 1.85:1
Miscellaneous
Macrovision Yes Smoking No
Subtitles Czech
Danish
Finnish
Hungarian
English For The Hearing Impaired
Icelandic
Norwegian
Portuguese
Swedish
Annoying Product Placement No
Action In or After Credits No

Plot Synopsis

    I have been looking forward to reviewing this DVD since its announcement last year, and I can tell you I have not been disappointed. Courage Under Fire is a brilliant film by all accounts, and the story goes something like this. Captain Karen Walden - played by a somewhat miscast but acceptable Meg Ryan - is in line for a posthumous Medal Of Honour for her bravery during the Gulf War of 1991. Denzel Washington, having accidentally been part of that new invention called "friendly fire" by shooting on one of his own tanks, is effectively demoted and charged with simply researching Walden's case for the medal. Nothing too deep, just some info on the officer who died defending her subordinates during a Gulf mission gone wrong. During his research however, Lieutenant Colonel Seling (Denzel Washington) finds that all is not cut-and-dry regarding the events surrounding the death of Walden, and just in case you haven't seen the movie yet, I will not divulge any more. Suffice to say, this movie is gripping and entertaining.

    This movie is filled with A-grade actors, and Denzel Washington is as good as ever. My only concern is the casting of Meg Ryan as a combat officer - she seems too cuddly and soft for the role. Whilst she is certainly not a total mis-cast, I feel that someone more like, ooh, let's say - Linda Hamilton - would have been more appropriate. Matt Damon is also brilliant, and it is interesting to see the difference in him from the early combat scenes to the later parts where he is disturbingly thin and gaunt. He is literally a shadow of his former self, and looks a little scary, and I am sure he put his health at risk making this movie.

Transfer Quality

Video

    Ooh baby! What we have here is a solid apology for the lacklustre transfer which troubled Fox's early release (any guesses?), and I have no hesitation in labelling this a reference transfer.

    The transfer is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, and it is 16x9 enhanced. Generally, a theatrical release of 1.85:1 will be transferred to our beloved discs as a 1.78:1 ratio, in order to completely fill the standard 16x9 widescreen frame. This movie has actually been given the correct ratio of 1.85:1, however most of us won't be aware of this given that overscan will hide it beyond the borders of our screen. Niggling? Maybe, but we after all are after the theatrical experience now, aren't we....

    The detail, sharpness and clarity of this transfer is remarkable. At no time did the image waver - it was constantly clear and smooth as a baby's bum. Shadow detail was simply outstanding. The early scenes take place in the Persian Gulf at night - tanks roaming, explosions everywhere, foot-soldiers and and never have I seen low-lighting scenes handled with such precision and aplomb. What is even more amazing is that when the movie changes to bright daylight, the transfer is equally brilliant. Too many times do we see transfers great in one area and lacking in another with regard to lighting conditions - not so here.

    If there was one area where the transfer could be improved it would be the colours. Whilst generally handled extremely well, I did notice slight oversaturation especially in skin tones. This was only during some few scenes. I also noticed what appeared to be a "shift" in the colour information. Imagine a black-and-white image, with the colour information layered on top, but slightly to the left by a pixel or two. It means that the colours sometimes bled to the left, and were missing from the right of objects. Hard to describe, and most will not pick it.

    There was a distinct absence of any kind of artefacting. No MPEG problems, no film-to-video nasties (especially edge enhancement) and very little in the way of film artefacts. There were a few flecks here and there, and that's about it.

    This disc is RSDL, with the layer-change occuring at 65:20 minutes. The change occures during Chapter 16, and is so quick as to be almost undetectable. It is not disruptive at all.

Audio

    The audio is also reference, and is amongst the very best sound mixes I have heard ever, be it at the theatre or at home.

    There is one single audio track on offer, being English Dolby Digital 5.1

    Dialogue was at all times clear and easy to understand, and was recorded exceptionally well. I only heard evidence of vocal re-recording once during the movie, and that took some picking. There is no distortion of vocals even during stressful periods within the sound stage.

    There were no lip-sync problems.

    James Horner is at his usual brilliant self yet again here. Whilst this score is not as unique as his best work, it is very emotive and powerful.; it does at times feel reminiscent of other pieces, but it does have its moments. The recording is outstanding, full range and crystal clear. Sweet highs, and deep lows round off the frequency spectrum. The soundstage is wide and well imaged. Very nice indeed.

    As soon as the Twentieth Century Fox opening logo appears, the surrounds kick in. And they basically stay kicked in. They are used aggressively, and to brilliant effect. Full-frequency effects from the rears wrap you in the action, especially in the battle scenes.

    The subwoofer was left panting after this movie, and had a cigarette in the corner. Used wonderfully to bottom-out gunfire, explosions and tank movements, the subwoofer was integrated superbly into the mix.

Extras

    Not much here I am afraid, but after the high-calibre of the transfer, I am certainly not going to complain too much.

Menu

    The static menu design is themed and is 16x9 enhanced.

Theatrical Trailer (2:03)

    Presented in 1.33:1, and in Dolby Surround 2.0, this is a very good trailer.

R4 vs R1

    Well well well, aren't we the poor cousin. Hang on - no, we're not. Courage Under Fire isn't yet available in R1! Chalk up another one - hey, when R1 has over 4000 titles to choose from, we have to be happy when we have one they don't!

Summary

    A brilliant movie with powerful performances, this is a stand-out film and is one of Denzel Washington's best. Not too sure about Meg though .....

    The video is superb, and easily earns reference marks. Just about faultless.

    The audio is also reference quality, and is outstanding in clarity, design and surround envelopment, and all held within a 384 kilobits per second data stream. Amazing.

    Some extras would have been welcome above and beyond the theatrical trailer. This is the singular reason for the markdown in the overall rating.

Ratings (out of 5)

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© Paul Cordingley
21st January 2000
Review Equipment
   
DVD Panasonic A350A; S-Video output
Display Pioneer SD-T43W1 125cm Widescreen 16x9
Audio Decoder Internal Dolby Digital 5.1 (DVD Player)
Amplification Sony STRDE-525 Dolby Pro-Logic / 5.1 Ready Receiver, 4 x Optimus 10-band Graphic EQ
Speakers Centre: Sony SS-CN35 100 watt, Main/Surrounds: Pioneer CS-R390-K 150-watt floorstanders, Subwoofer: Optimus 100-watt passive