Quid Pro Quo (2008) |
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General | Extras | ||
Category | Drama | Trailer-(1:56) Good quality, 1.75:1, 4x2 transfer, Dolby Digital 2.0 | |
Rating | |||
Year Of Production | 2008 | ||
Running Time | 81:53 | ||
RSDL / Flipper | No/No | Cast & Crew | |
Start Up | Menu | ||
Region Coding | 1,2,3,4,5,6 | Directed By | Carlos Brooks |
Studio
Distributor |
Magnolia Pictures Beyond Home Entertainment |
Starring |
Nick Stahl Vera Farmiga Rachel Black Jessica Hecht Jacob Pitts Ashlie Atkinson Jamie McShane Pablo Schreiber |
Case | Amaray-Transparent | ||
RPI | $14.95 | Music | Mark Mothersbaugh |
Video | Audio | ||
Pan & Scan/Full Frame | None | English Dolby Digital 2.1 (192Kb/s) | |
Widescreen Aspect Ratio | 1.75:1 | ||
16x9 Enhancement |
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Video Format | 576i (PAL) | ||
Original Aspect Ratio | 1.75:1 | Miscellaneous | |
Jacket Pictures | No | ||
Subtitles | None | Smoking | No |
Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
Action In or After Credits | Yes, At start only title and two leads with Stahl v/o. |
Beyond Home Entertainment have delivered up another absorbing film with the release of Quid Pro Quo. The release is budget priced, but Beyond have let us down in the "extras" department. This superficially strange tale has within it a sense of truth and beauty that is quite haunting and lures you back for a second viewing.
Isaac Knott (Nick Stahl) is a reporter for a New York public radio station where he presents a programme, Downtown Local, which delivers "stories of life in the city". In flashback we witness a terrible car accident that resulted in the deaths of both his parents, while the then eight year old Isaac is confined to a wheelchair, seemingly for the remainder of his life. Back to the present day, and Isaac is in his wheelchair at the radio station, where he receives a tip from a listener about a bizarre happening at a local hospital. A man has gone into the hospital and offered $250,000 to a young intern to amputate one of his perfectly good legs. In pursuit of the story Isaac enters the subculture of the "wanabes", those with Body Integrity Identity Disorder. These individuals, who evidently exist and were the subject of a 2002 documentary entitled Whole, fake a disability in their everyday lives, and in extreme cases find release and fulfilment in making that disability a reality, going to extremes such as voluntary amputation. Isaac encounters the source of the tip-off, Fiona (Vera Farmiga), who tells him that she is "trapped in a walking person's body". Eventually we come to learn why Fiona is so entrapped. Isaac is attracted to the beautiful and erotic Fiona - "I can have sex. I just can't catch a cab" - and the uninhibited Fiona soon has her way with the wheelchair bound young man. Another major event in Isaac's life is the purchase of a pair of two-toned shoes, Fred Astaire style, and finds that after the sex, and wearing the shoes, he is able to walk. More of the plot I would not give away. Enough to say that along the way we meet Isaac's co-workers, Rachel Black, Jessica Hecht and Jacob Pitts, his ex-girlfriend, Raine (Aimee Mullins), also a PWD (person with disability) and her AB (able bodied) new man, Scott (Dylan Bruno), and Fiona's mother (Kate Burton), all nicely observed and depicted by an extremely able cast. By the conclusion there has been an exchange between the principals : Fiona has given something to Isaac, and in return Isaac has given something to Fiona. Quid pro quo.
First time writer / director Carlos Brooks has shown tremendous promise with this film. The script is intelligent, economical and frequently funny, without the humour ever turning "black". The camerawork by Michael McDonough is often very beautiful, with a flowing dynamism in many scenes. There is a wonderful vitality in the street scenes with Nick Stahl propelling his chair along the pavements. Brooks has also handled his actors very well - or he has cast darned good actors who have given memorable performances in previous films. Nick Stahl has been an outstanding young talent since his big-screen debut 1993's The Man Without a Face, and totally unforgettable in In the Bedroom. Here he delivers a beautifully rounded sensitive characterisation of a young man facing his life with integrity, humour and hope. Playing opposite, or against, him is the fascinating Vera Farmiga (The Departed) whose Fiona is erotic, fascinating and threatening. She is rather like a classic film noire femme fatale who has found herself in the wrong film. Her performance is quite amazing as we watch her through the action of the film, but by the final frame everything falls neatly into place.
This film will not be to everyone's liking. I admit to being turned off at times by the world of these "wanabes", but I really did not know what I was watching, being unaware of where the film was heading. Regardless of your reaction to some of this content, which ultimately is not what the film is about at all, there are three very good reasons to see this film. Firstly, this is a writing and directorial debut from an obviously talented and accomplished film maker. And the other two reasons are the leads, two under appreciated actors who consistently turn in first rate performances. Nick Stahl and Vera Farmiga make Quid Pro Quo a rewarding experience for anyone who appreciates fine film acting.
The video transfer of this movie is excellent.
The transfer is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.75:1 and is 16x9 enhanced.
Shot on Digital Video, the image is extremely sharp, with a beautifully clear, smooth image.
Shadow detail is excellent, and there is no low level noise.
The colour is vital and vibrant, ranging from the glowing radio station control panels, the bustling street scenes to the dark secret meeting of the "wanabes".
Skin tones are exemplary.
There were no MPEG or film artefacts.
There are no subtitles.
This is a single layer disc.
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Overall |
There is only one audio stream on this local release, English in Dolby Digital 2.0, surround encoded at 192 Kbps.
The film is dialogue driven and every syllable was crystal clear.
Sync was perfect from beginning to end.
Although we have not been given the 5.1 audio, the two channel surround encoded stream provides a great deal of activity in the rear speakers, with ambient sounds galore in the street scenes. The interesting and often brooding score by Mark Mothersbaugh is very nicely reproduced, though less dynamic than one would hope.
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Overall |
The only extra on the Region 4 release is the theatrical trailer.
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There is quite a stylish use of monochromatic live action from the film, combined with music and sound effects - rain - from the soundtrack
Options presented are : Play Movie
Chapter Selection : Opens the first of three screens, each with four thumbnailed chapters. Music plus rain as for Main Menu.
Trailer
Theatrical Trailer : (1:56)
This is a very good trailer which arouses real interest in the film. Very good quality, presented at approximately 1.75:1 in a 4x3 transfer, with Dolby Digital 2.0 encoded at 192 Kbps. .
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
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Audio | |
Extras | |
Plot | |
Overall |
Review Equipment | |
DVD | Onkyo-SP500, using Component output |
Display | Philips Plasma 42FD9954/69c. Calibrated with THX Optimizer. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080i. |
Audio Decoder | Built in to DVD player. Calibrated with THX Optimizer. |
Amplification | Onkyo TX-DS777 |
Speakers | VAF DC-X fronts; VAF DC-6 center; VAF DC-2 rears; LFE-07subwoofer (80W X 2) |