Supremacy (2014)

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General		Extras
Category	Drama	Trailer-The Captive, Devil's Knot
Rating
Year Of Production	2014
Running Time	105:45
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Ads Then Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Deon Taylor
Studio Distributor	Icon Entertainment	Starring	Joe Anderson Danny Glover Dawn Olivieri Anson Mount Derek Luke
Case	?
RPI	?	Music	Michael Einziger

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/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	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

     White supremacist and Aryan Brotherhood leader Garrett Tully (Joe Anderson) is released from prison after serving 15years for armed robbery. He is met by Doreen (Dawn Olivieri), a driver assigned by the brotherhood, but later that night Tully shoots dead a traffic cop who has pulled their vehicle over for a routine stop. Abandoning their truck, Tully and Doreen break into an isolated house and take the African American family hostage. Three generations of the extended family led by the aged and infirm Sonny Walker (Danny Glover), himself an ex-convict and no friend to the police, are trapped in the house. As tensions within the house rise and the erratic behaviour of Tully and Doreen escalates, Walker must try to keep matters calm and to protect his family. Meanwhile the police, including Walker’s estranged son Ray (Derek Luke), are searching for the fugitives.

     Supremacy is inspired by true events that occurred in 1991. It is a fairly standard hostage drama, although it is given an additional layer of complexity by the racist elements in play. The acting is very good with veteran Danny Glover playing still and controlled in a game of wits against the hysterics of British actor Joe Anderson and Dawn Olivieri, who both nevertheless manage to convey subtle shifts in what are unlikeable people. The scripting is also very good, creating a tense, compelling and claustrophobic atmosphere within the house where the majority of the film is set, only occasionally opening out for flashbacks of the events of the day before the shooting of the policeman and the police search.

     The film’s sound design is also impressive as the atmosphere of dread and foreboding for the family members is enhanced by regular effects such as the helicopters circling overhead, a clock ticking within the house, enhanced heartbeats or the score of Michael Einziger. In what is a film of enclosed rooms and interiors, dialogue and silences, the sound design helps to build a tension which at times becomes almost overwhelming.

     Supremacy is not about false heroics and does not end quite as expected. It is a film about bigotry, race, power and control, but first and foremost it is a tense hostage drama that is powerfully scripted and acted.

Video

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

     Supremacy was shot using Arriflex 416 Plus digital cameras. Close-up detail is generally good but the flashback scenes have a very bright and glary look. This is deliberate, but other exterior scenes during daylight still look overbright. The interiors and night scenes are darker, colours are OK but all show a very yellow tone under lights. Blacks are fine, although shadow detail sometimes indistinct. Contrast also varies on occasion.

     I did not notice any artefacts or marks.

    There are no subtitles available.

Video Ratings Summary

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

Audio

     Audio is an English Dolby Digital 5.1 track at 448 Kbps.

     Dialogue is sometimes indistinct, where subtitles would have been useful. However the rest of the audio is excellent for a mostly non-action film. The surrounds and rears are used frequently for weather effects, circling helicopters, a clock ticking, ambient sound and music, while the sub-woofer was active, adding enhanced heartbeats and bass to engines and the music. The gunshots were loud and deep.

     The score by Michael Einziger was very effective.

     Lip synchronisation is good.

Audio Ratings Summary

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

Trailers

     Trailers for The Captive (2:00) and Devil’s Knot (1:57) play on start-up. They cannot be selected from the menu. There are no other extras.

     The Region 1 US and Region 2 UK versions of Supremacy are not due for release until April 2015.

     Supremacy is a powerful and tense drama about bigotry, race, power and control, well scripted and well-acted by Danny Glover, Joe Anderson and Dawn Olivieri.

     The video is acceptable, the audio very good. A couple of trailers for other films are the only extras.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall