Without Remorse
Movie 5/10
Without Remorse is an Amazon Original production that is not very original. Based on the novel by Tom Clancy. The plot may have been fresh when the publication was released but now it can be considered as being old hat. If this movie had landed in cinemas back in the 80's it would have faired much better. Sadly it's all been done before and much better.
Starring Michael B Jordan it is obvious that this film needs him more than he needs the film. This is a production that would normally star the likes of Steven Seagal or Jean Claude Van Damme or perhaps Dolph Lundgren. A movie to line the bottom of a DVD bargain bin. The plot is so generic it could have been written by Sly Stallone in his sleep whilst suffering a fever.
Navy Seal John Kelly (Jordan) goes on a path of vengeance after his wife and unborn child are brutally murdered. By doing so he uncovers a web of conspiracies. I can almost hear the cheesy trailer voiceover guy delivering the synopsis.
"In a world........" He usually starts with "In a world!" or "One man!" or "This summer get ready!"
My point being that this is such a product of the 80's/90's that all the characters ought to be wearing bandanas and leg warmers.
Jordan is good as the action hero. Guy Pearce is the obvious choice to play his role. I'll not get into spoilers, just watch. He dials it in. Billy Elliot (Jamie Bell) has all grown up now but isn't believable in this company as some CIA,FBI,DIY generic slimy type dude.
The film itself is boring for an action movie. Only the plane crash scene evokes any excitement. There's no connection to the characters or what they are going through. In 'John Wick' we rooted for Keanu Reeves because they killed his dog. In 'Without Remorse' the lead character loses his wife and child and I couldn't care less. There's no emotional build up or journey of pain to develop John Kelly as a character we could care for. This movie is all painting by numbers devoid of any heart and soul.
Picture quality 7/10
Available on Amazon Prime in UHD with High Dynamic Range this is the best way to see the movie. For the most part the image is 4K slick. Some scenes show cinematic film grain but mainly the image is crisp. The use of HDR10+ elevates explosions and vibrant city lights but shadow detail seemed a little muddled in some very dark scenes.
Sound quality 6/10
Once again Amazon Prime fail to meet the competition when it comes to Object based audio. Netflix, Apple TV, Disney Plus and even Sky Cinema offer their Original titles with Dolby Atmos sound.'Without Remorse' gets a vanilla 5.1 mix in the form of Dolby Digital Plus. It's a lacklustre mix too. Surround sound effects are mostly vacant even in the action scenes. The plane crash sounded rather dynamic but there's not much going on for a modern day produced action flick. Gun shots and explosions all have the expected heft but just like the film itself there's a sense of excitement missing here too. Vocals are always audible but nothing impresses the senses. Why can't Prime video step up and offer Dolby Atmos? Even the titles you have to pay for don't have the superior audio codec.'Without Remorse' needed a dynamic mix to lift the film out of the mire. It's not only boring to look at it's boring to listen to too.
Final Thoughts
Go watch something with Chuck, Sly or Arnie in it instead!
Movie 5/10
Without Remorse is an Amazon Original production that is not very original. Based on the novel by Tom Clancy. The plot may have been fresh when the publication was released but now it can be considered as being old hat. If this movie had landed in cinemas back in the 80's it would have faired much better. Sadly it's all been done before and much better.
Starring Michael B Jordan it is obvious that this film needs him more than he needs the film. This is a production that would normally star the likes of Steven Seagal or Jean Claude Van Damme or perhaps Dolph Lundgren. A movie to line the bottom of a DVD bargain bin. The plot is so generic it could have been written by Sly Stallone in his sleep whilst suffering a fever.
Navy Seal John Kelly (Jordan) goes on a path of vengeance after his wife and unborn child are brutally murdered. By doing so he uncovers a web of conspiracies. I can almost hear the cheesy trailer voiceover guy delivering the synopsis.
"In a world........" He usually starts with "In a world!" or "One man!" or "This summer get ready!"
My point being that this is such a product of the 80's/90's that all the characters ought to be wearing bandanas and leg warmers.
Jordan is good as the action hero. Guy Pearce is the obvious choice to play his role. I'll not get into spoilers, just watch. He dials it in. Billy Elliot (Jamie Bell) has all grown up now but isn't believable in this company as some CIA,FBI,DIY generic slimy type dude.
The film itself is boring for an action movie. Only the plane crash scene evokes any excitement. There's no connection to the characters or what they are going through. In 'John Wick' we rooted for Keanu Reeves because they killed his dog. In 'Without Remorse' the lead character loses his wife and child and I couldn't care less. There's no emotional build up or journey of pain to develop John Kelly as a character we could care for. This movie is all painting by numbers devoid of any heart and soul.
Picture quality 7/10
Available on Amazon Prime in UHD with High Dynamic Range this is the best way to see the movie. For the most part the image is 4K slick. Some scenes show cinematic film grain but mainly the image is crisp. The use of HDR10+ elevates explosions and vibrant city lights but shadow detail seemed a little muddled in some very dark scenes.
Sound quality 6/10
Once again Amazon Prime fail to meet the competition when it comes to Object based audio. Netflix, Apple TV, Disney Plus and even Sky Cinema offer their Original titles with Dolby Atmos sound.'Without Remorse' gets a vanilla 5.1 mix in the form of Dolby Digital Plus. It's a lacklustre mix too. Surround sound effects are mostly vacant even in the action scenes. The plane crash sounded rather dynamic but there's not much going on for a modern day produced action flick. Gun shots and explosions all have the expected heft but just like the film itself there's a sense of excitement missing here too. Vocals are always audible but nothing impresses the senses. Why can't Prime video step up and offer Dolby Atmos? Even the titles you have to pay for don't have the superior audio codec.'Without Remorse' needed a dynamic mix to lift the film out of the mire. It's not only boring to look at it's boring to listen to too.
Final Thoughts
Go watch something with Chuck, Sly or Arnie in it instead!