twenty8k (2012)

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General		Extras
Category	Thriller	Theatrical Trailer Interviews-Cast Featurette-Making Of Music Video-x 2 Trailer-x 5 for other releases
Rating
Year Of Production	2012
Running Time	101:51
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Ads Then Menu
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	David Kew Neil Thompson
Studio Distributor	Gryphon Entertainment	Starring	Paul Abbott Jimmy Dowdall Kaya Scodelario Stephen Dillane Jonas Armstrong Kierston Wareing Parminder Nagra
Case	Amaray-Opaque-Dual
RPI	?	Music	Ruth Barrett

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) English Dolby Digital 2.0 (256Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	2.35:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	2.35:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	None	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	Yes, at the end

     In the run-up to the 2012 Olympic Games in London, the twenty8k gang control drug distribution in East London. Deeva (Parminder Nagra) has escaped her East London roots and works as an executive in Paris. She returns to London when her brother Vipon (Sebastian Nanena) is charged with a gangland killing when he is caught on CCTV running away from the scene with the murder weapon. Deeva cannot believe that her brother is guilty and turns to old flame Clint (Jonas Armstrong), an ex-gang member gone straight and running a youth club. As Deeva investigates, seeking information from various people including twenty8k leader Tony (Michael Socha), her cousin Ricky (Gregg Chillin) and beautician Sally ( Kaya Scodelario), she realises that her brother is hiding a very deadly secret. To prove that Vipon has been set up, Deeva has to place her life in danger as she uncovers a web of drug trafficking and prostitution involving corrupt police and politicians that goes very high indeed.

     twenty8k, co-written by Paul Abbott, winner of a BAFTA in 2004 for State of Play, is a taut, well made thriller from directors Neil Thompson and David Thew. The film has some violence, but this is not like some English gangster films that rely upon brutal language and bloody violence for their impact. Instead, twenty8k concentrates upon character and the mystery elements of the plot as Deeva seeks to uncover the truth. There are twists, and people are not always what they seem; those on the side of the angels are not always good, while those on the dark side are not all bad. In the central role, Parminder Nagra is natural and believable, although all the roles are well performed. The film also features an excellent score and the London landscapes, often seen from helicopter shots, many at night, are spectacular.

     There is a lot to like in twenty8k. It has a tight script, a number of twists, good acting and interesting locations in London. While there are few surprises, the focus on character, rather than extreme language and violence, is refreshing and the film moves along well towards its climax. Well worth a look.

Video

     twenty8k is presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, the original ratio, and is 16x9 enhanced.

     While close-ups are sharp, overall this is a soft looking print. Blacks are very good and some of the night time helicopter views of London are spectacular. Otherwise, colours are muted but natural, skin tones are good. Brightness and contrast also vary, especially when the light source is behind the actor, when it is very bright and glary. There is ghosting with motion, such as on vertical bars, but otherwise I noticed no marks or artefacts.

     There are no subtitles.

     The layer change at 66:03 resulted in a slight pause.

     A soft print but acceptable.

Video Ratings Summary

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

Audio

     Audio is a choice of English Dolby Digital 5.1 at 448 Kbps or English 2.0 at256 Kbps.

     I listened to the 5.1 track. Dialogue was sometimes hard to hear, and the lack of subtitles didn’t help. Effects, however, were good and, for example, a metal pipe being scrapped along the floor set my teeth on edge! The surrounds were well used; music was frequent, and ambient sound and effects made for a nice, enveloping audio experience. There were some panning and directional effects, mostly cars passing through the sound stage. The sub-woofer added good bass, mainly to the music.

     Lip synchronisation was good.

     The original score by Ruth Barrett with Jake Gosling was very effective, supporting the visuals well. There were also a few added rap songs by Ascension, RoxXxan and Sami Nathan that added intensity.

    The audio was very good.

Audio Ratings Summary

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

Trailers

     Trailers for Lifted (2:15), Sacrifice (1:53), Elevator (1:44), Return (1:25) and Crawlspace (1:47) play on start –up and need to be skipped. They can also be selected from the menu.

Original Trailer (2:05)

Interview Gallery

     Very much an EPK with film footage and short cast interviews, mostly about their characters. Included are:

• Parminder Nagra (1:20)
• Sebastian Nanena (1:10)
• Michael Socha (1:14)
• Kierston Wareing (1:07)
• Gregg Chillin (1:06)
• Jonas Armstrong (1:03)
• Kaya Scodelario (1:15)
• Nicola Burley (1:14)

Cast and Crew Featurette (4:38)

     Film footage, some behind the scenes, and interview snippets with directors Neil Thompson, David Thew, producer Martin Carr, co-writer Jimmy Dowdell and cast Parminder Nagra, Sebastian Nanena, Nicola Burley and Kaya Scodelario. Some repeated from the cast interviews above. Superficial EPK.

Music Videos

• Ascension Music Video (4:15)
• Bang Goes the Beat (2:42)

     The Region 2 UK DVD of twenty8k is identical to our Region All DVD. The UK Region Free Blu-ray has the same extras. There is no US DVD or Blu-ray at present. Buy local.

     twenty8k has a tight script, a number of twists, good acting and good locations in London. It moves along nicely and is always interesting and entertaining.

     The video is OK but soft, the audio very good. The extras are lightweight, but there are some and they are the same as on the UK release.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall