The Bounty Hunter (Blu-ray) Official AVSForum Review

( Max score: 100 )

85

Film Synopsis:

Milo Boyd (Gerard Butler), a down-on-his-luck bounty hunter, gets his dream job when he is assigned to track down his bail-jumping ex-wife, reporter Nicole Hurly (Jennifer Aniston). He thinks all that's ahead is an easy payday, but when Nicole gives him the slip so she can chase a lead on a murder cover-up, Milo realizes that nothing ever goes simply with him and Nicole. The exes continually one-up each other – until they find themselves on the run for their lives. They thought their promise to love, honor and obey was tough – staying alive is going to be a whole lot tougher.

My Take:

I’ll forego my usual breakdown of the plot as the one above spells it out and if you have seen the trailer for The Bounty Hunter you have a pretty good idea of what is in store. This screenplay attempts to be witty in a “War of the Roses” meets “Midnight Run” way that fails miserably. There is no spark between the co-stars and the storyline spirals into an unimaginative mix of action, romance and comedy that provides anemic levels of entertainment. The brief moments of action are boring, the romance feels forced, and the laughs are predicated on having consumed mass quantities of alcohol (in addition to this being the very first comedy you have seen). The plot is thin with underdeveloped characters/relationships and poorly conceived situations that never allow the audience to care about them or connect with the story. I did get a kick out of Gerard Butler and Jennifer Aniston during their production interviews as they purport to sound enthused as they describe the first time they read the script. Neither sounds very convincing but I do understand they had to try. I like Jennifer Aniston and appreciated her excellent comedic timing which is probably the only saving grace here. Gerard Butler is simply not a funnyman or a romantic lead in my opinion. The addition of Christine Baranski and SNL’s Jason Sudekidis is pure window dressing and a waste as their underused/minimal characters added little value. When it was finally over (and it ran long at 110 minutes) I couldn’t help but think that with more effort this could have been a more enjoyable film.

Parental Guide:

The rating is for sexual content including suggestive comments, language, and some violence.

Audio: 80

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Video: 90

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The Bounty Hunter comes to Blu-ray Disc from Sony featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 26 Mbps and lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio sound that has an average bitrate of 3.2 Mbps.

This is a high quality video presentation that seems a perfect match for the source material. Colors are deeply saturated with eye pleasing vitality and delineated depth. Images are resolute, with stable sharpness, crisp detail and appreciable subtle refinement. Certain scenes appeared better resolved than others although I suspect this is related to the photography and not the encoding. Contrast was dynamic without being overpowering and blacks were respectable in depth with discernible detail in low lighting and shadows. I didn’t see any signs of video related artifacts and thought that in general video quality was excellent. The lossless soundtrack competently delivered the elements present in the recording. Dialogue was well intonated with crystal clarity and good room penetration. The presentation offered an open soundstage across the front with definitive channel separation and good dynamic range. Surround use was limited to spatial cues and occasional panning effects that enhanced dimension. This was noticeable during the chase sequences on the highway and golf club as the music and effects created a fair sense of envelopment in the rear of the room. There weren’t any sub bass frequencies contained in the mix however the subwoofer was used to provide low bass emphasis that extended the low range content associated with the soundtrack’s elements.

Bonus Features:

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  This title includes Sony’s Movie IQ feature which requires a BD-Live connection and allows fans the option of viewing continuously updated details on the cast and crew and to explore relevant trivia such as production facts, music, and soundtrack information which are tied into scenes in the movie.

  
  
• (HD) The making of Bounty Hunter – 17 minute featurette
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• (HD) Stops along the road: Hunting locations – 11 minute production featurette
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• (HD) Rules for outwitting a Bounty Hunter – 1 minute feature with clips taken from the film
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• (HD) Previews: Get low, Chloe, The backup plan, Nine, Extraordinary measures, Dean John, Not the Messiah (he’s a very naughty boy), The pillars of the earth
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• Digital Copy Bonus Disc of Bounty Hunter

Final Thoughts:

The Bounty Hunter is a poorly conceived and forgettable film that fails to deliver the elements essential in a good romantic comedy. There is no spark between the co-stars and the lackluster and boring storyline spirals into an unimaginative mix of action, romance and comedy that has little entertainment value. It comes to Blu-ray Disc from Sony in a technically strong offering that features excellent high definition video, clear lossless sound and an average bonus supplements package that includes Sony’s MovieIQ feature and a digital copy for those who want to take the film on the go. If you’re curious feel free to give it a rent otherwise wait for it to come to cable TV.