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PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
SetUp (Blu-ray) (2011)

SetUp (Blu-ray) (2011)

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Released 4-Jan-2012

Cover Art

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Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Action Featurette-Making Of
Gallery-Photo
Trailer-x 5 for other films
Rating Rated MA
Year Of Production 2011
Running Time 84:26 (Case: 82)
RSDL / Flipper Dual Layered Cast & Crew
Start Up Menu
Region Coding 4 Directed By Mike Gunther
Studio
Distributor

Eagle Entertainment
Starring Mike Behrman
Mike Gunther
Bruce Willis
Jenna Dewan-Tatum
Ryan Phillippe
James Remar
50 Cent
Case Standard Blu-ray
RPI $29.95 Music The Newton Brothers


Video Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame None English DTS HD Master Audio 5.1
English Dolby Digital 5.1 (640Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio 2.35:1
16x9 Enhancement
16x9 Enhanced
Video Format 1080p
Original Aspect Ratio 2.35:1 Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures No
Subtitles English for the Hearing Impaired Smoking No
Annoying Product Placement No
Action In or After Credits No

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

     Three childhood friends, Vincent (Ryan Philippe), Sonny (Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson) and Dave successfully rob a courier of $5m in diamonds. But Vincent betrays his friends and shoots them, killing Dave and leaving Sonny for dead before making off with the diamonds. But Sonny is not dead, which was Vincent’s first mistake as Sonny wants payback. Vincent’s second mistake was that the diamonds belonged to ruthless mob boss Mr Biggs (Bruce Willis) and he wants them back. As Sonny searches for Vincent his path intersects with Mr Biggs, which may be to their mutual benefit provided Sonny can stay alive long enough. This search is unlikely to end peacefully!

     Setup is a B revenge movie that does not say anything new but at 84 minutes is short if not sweet. The main issues are the script and the characters. The script is shoddy and the characters underwritten. Things happen with little explanation and the film is filled with subsidiary characters who just seem to drop in and out of the plot and don’t really add very much; The Hitman, Russell, Marcus, Petey, Johnny, Vincent’s father (a whole different sub-plot) and Mia are some examples, and even the Mr Biggs character gets a rather random and quick death. The robbery at the beginning of the film is loud and active enough but seems to be aping better films, such as Heat, and there is also a wink to Pulp Fiction with “hip” dialogue and an accidental shooting that splatters blood all over. But really, this is a film that has run out of ideas.

     Setup is not helped by the acting. In the “making of” in the extras Jackson asserts that he will be as famous in his acting career as he is as a recording star, although he expects that it will take a bit more time; on the evidence of this film it may take longer than he expects. Jackson is a big man but he has little screen presence as a leading man and is quite stilted in most things he does. Ryan Philippe is a better actor but in Setup he mostly looks surly, while Bruce Willis is on autopilot. Indeed, probably the most interesting people in the movie are Randy Couture as the thuggish Petey, who sadly does not last very long, and Shaun Toub who is cool as The Hitman, Roth.

     Setup takes place during two weeks in the middle of winter. Filmed in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the grey and snowy landscapes look great. That and a couple of action scenes make the film worth watching in a mindless way. Indeed, Setup has aspirations to be something better, such as its reflections upon God, but it is undermined by a shoddy script and flat performances.

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Transfer Quality

Video

     Setup is presented in a ratio of 2.35:1, the original ratio, in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC. It is a good, sharp print but over digitally manipulated.

     The film, shot on digital RED One HD cameras, has been colour graded showing generally a grey / silver palate to reflect the winter the film is set in. However, on occasions it takes on a very yellow tinge in interiors and some exteriors that is a bit jarring; see 73:45 for one example. Overall, the print is sharp and detail very good and in some night scenes the blacks are deep and colours beautiful, such as the evening skyline at 6:10. Shadow detail is good, marks absent and other than some ghosting with movement against lines such as bricks or wire (1:59) artefacts are absent.

     There are English subtitles for the hearing impaired.

Video Ratings Summary
Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     Audio is a choice of English DTS-HD MA 5.1 or English Dolby Digital 5.1 at 640 Kbps.

     The DTS is a nice audio track that does what is required without being overblown. Dialogue is sometimes unclear due to the mumbling delivery, but there are always the subtitles. The surrounds do not stand out but provide a pleasing enveloping feel with music and effects and in the action sequences the gunshots are loud and effective. The sub-woofer gave good support to the music and action when needed, but never unbalanced the sound stage.

     The music by The Newton Brothers was suitable for the film, effective but not memorable.

     Lip Synchronisation is good.

Audio Ratings Summary
Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Extras

The Making Setup (8:52)

     Pretty much an EPK; film and behind the scenes footage and interviews with Mike Gunther (director) and cast Curtis Jackson and Randy Couture who thought they were making a great film.

Image Gallery

     Twenty film stills with music. Use the remote to advance to the next still.

Trailers

     Trailers for other films from Eagle Entertainment: Deadheads (2:08), Mr Nice (1:59), The Bomber (1:33), The Revenant (2:36) and Blood Fight (2:29).

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

     The Region A US release includes an audio commentary from writer / director Mike Gunther and stunt co-ordinator Kyle Woods, our “making of”, a featurette on the guns used in the film and three cast interviews. The UK Region B Blu-ray has no extras at all. If you really like the film the US release is the best available but otherwise our version is fine.

Summary

     Setup is a B revenge thriller that has aspirations to be something better but it is undermined by a shoddy script and flat performances. However, filmed in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the grey and snowy landscapes look great and at just over 80 minutes the film does not linger.

     The video is over manipulated but fine and the audio good. Extras are limited and fall short of those available in Region A.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Ray Nyland (the bio is the thing)
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Review Equipment
DVDSony BDP-S580, using HDMI output
DisplayLG 55inch HD LCD. This display device has not been calibrated. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p.
Audio DecoderNAD T737. This audio decoder/receiver has not been calibrated.
AmplificationNAD T737
SpeakersStudio Acoustics 5.1

Other Reviews NONE