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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.
Killers (2010)

Killers (2010)

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Released 2-Dec-2010

Cover Art

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Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Action Comedy Main Menu Audio & Animation
Deleted Scenes
Deleted Scenes-Alternate scenes
Outtakes
Rating Rated M
Year Of Production 2010
Running Time 96:22 (Case: 93)
RSDL / Flipper RSDL (41:01) Cast & Crew
Start Up Ads Then Menu
Region Coding 4 Directed By Robert Luketic
Studio
Distributor
Lions Gate Ent.
Roadshow Home Entertainment
Starring Ashton Kutcher
Katherine Heigl
Tom Selleck
Catherine O'Hara
Katheryn Winnick
Kevin Sussman
Lisa Ann Walter
Case Amaray Variant
RPI $34.95 Music Rolfe Kent


Video Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame None English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s)
English Descriptive Audio Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio 2.35:1
16x9 Enhancement
16x9 Enhanced
Video Format 576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio 2.35:1 Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures No
Subtitles English Smoking No
Annoying Product Placement Yes
Action In or After Credits No

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

Plot Synopsis

     On a mission at an exotic European beach, debonair government assassin Spencer Aimes (Ashton Kutcher) meets the girl of his dreams, Jen Kornfeldt (Katherine Heigl), who is vacationing there with her parents (Tom Selleck and Catherine O'Hara). After completing his mission under the nose of his newfound beauty Aimes decides to give up his career to settle down with her. He confesses to her his dark past, albeit whilst she is asleep, and the pair move out to suburbia. Life quietly passes by for some years until it becomes apparent that a hefty bounty has been placed on Aimes' head and just about everyone in town, from the neighbours to the postman, is actually an assassin who has been playing the long-game and staking Aimes out knowing the day would eventually come when a bounty landed on his head.

     Killers is a great concept poorly executed. The story manages to seem both underwritten and overproduced. Although it is quite amiable throughout, the plot is overly contrived and the story makes excessively large leaps all too often, all explained with overlong exposition from the main characters. Ashton Kutcher is terribly miscast as Aimes. Although he tries hard with the material and is quite a likeable screen presence, his boyish charm simply does not fit the character at all and ultimately destroys all believability in the story. In turn that manages to knock the excitement out of what are actually some decent, largely CGI free, action scenes. Katherine Heigl manages another particularly likeable performance in an awful movie, her third in a row since Knocked Up. Likewise, Tom Selleck and Catherine O'Hara are fun but their characters are awkwardly written and they simply don't get enough screen time to capitalise on the charm they bring.

     Killers is far from a write-off, but is a frustrating missed opportunity. Enough of the ingredients for a fun movie are there to make for passable viewing on a quiet night in, but they've been poorly mixed and half baked.

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Transfer Quality

Video

     The film is presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio and is 16x9 enhanced. The video looks passable without being particularly good. The film looks like it was shot to video rather than film. The image is reasonably sharp, with excessive edge enhancement noticeable and enough noise reduction applied to make everyone look like they are made of wax. The digital video look does not help the action scenes. There is no sign of compression artefacts or film artefacts in the video.

     The film features English subtitles, which appear to be accurate and well timed from the portion sampled.

     This is an RSDL disc with a layer break between scenes at 41:01.

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

Audio

     The show features an English Dolby Digital 5.1 track and a Dolby Digital 2.0 English descriptive audio track. The mix is clear and reasonably well balanced. The dialogue is clear and easy to understand. The surrounds get a reasonable workout throughout, although the subwoofer is used relatively infrequently and clumsily.

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

Extras

Deleted Scenes (4:06)

     A handful of deleted scenes that fill in a lot, though not all, of the gaps in the plot without entirely fitting into it.

Alternate and Extended Scenes (10:08)

     A string of alternate versions of scenes that really only amount to padding.

Gag Reel (1:32)

     Unfunny bloopers. Pass.

R4 vs R1

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

    The Region 1 edition includes a press-kit style "Behind The Scenes" featurette that is not found on the Region 4 edition. The Region 4 picks a few extra deleted scenes.

Summary

    Killers is a great action comedy concept turned into a mediocre film. The leads are likeable but the plot is a mess.

    The video looks excessively processed, but is watchable. The audio is reasonable. The extras are forgetable.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Adam Gould (Totally Biolicious!)
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Review Equipment
DVDSony Playstation 3, using HDMI output
DisplayOptoma HD20 Projector. Calibrated with THX Optimizer. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p.
Audio DecoderPioneer VSX2016AVS. Calibrated with Video Essentials/Digital Video Essentials.
AmplificationPioneer VSX2016AVS
Speakers150W DTX front speakers, 100W centre and 4 surround/rear speakers, 12 inch PSB Image 6i powered sub

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