A weathered Lieutenant, his police force, and a local vigilante are all caught up in a dangerous scheme involving a recently arrested, troubled man who's linked to years of female abductions and murders. Ralph Potts reviews the Blu-ray release of Night Hunter from Paramount Home Media Distribution.
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The Review at a Glance:
(max score: 5 )
Film:
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Extras:
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Audio/Video total rating:
( Max score: 100 )
89
Details:
Studio and Year: Paramount - 2019
MPAA Rating: R
Feature running time: 99 minutes
Genre: Thriller
Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: AVC
Video Aspect: 2.40:1
Resolution: 1080p/24
Audio Format(s): English Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish
Starring: Henry Cavill, Ben Kingsley, Alexandra Daddario, Stanley Tucci
Written & Directed by: David Raymond
Music by: Alex Lu
Region Code: A
Release Date: October 15, 2019
"The Clock is Ticking"
Synopsis:
“A weathered Lieutenant, his police force, and a local vigilante are all caught up in a dangerous scheme involving a recently arrested, troubled man who's linked to years of female abductions and murders.” – Paramount Home Media Distribution
My Take:
When police detective Marshall (Henry Cavill) and local vigilante Cooper (Ben Kingsley) arrest a serial killer targeting women, they discover his game has just begun. The hunt is on as the murderer masterminds a series of deadly attacks from behind bars. Now in a desperate race against time, Marshall and Cooper fight to stay one step ahead of their suspect’s deadly plan.
Night Hunter, written and directed by David Raymond clearly takes aim at the cat and mouse thriller, telling an unraveling tale of abduction, obsession and murder. The plot isn’t unlike other films and features a cache of characters capable of supporting its thematic elements. Unfortunately, the characters and their supporting subplots, aren’t well purposed and are lift to drift amidst a fledgling script that plays out too much like a movie made for the Lifetime Network.
The two really interesting character/story arcs involving Cooper (Ben Kingsley) and his associate Lara (Eliana Jones) never gets any traction despite a strong introduction that had potential within the context of the main plotline. Main character Lt. Marshall and his familial difficulties are flat which isn’t helped by Henry Cavill’s brooding portrayal. Alexandra Daddario was miscast as the police profiler determined to solve the case by getting through to the mentally disturbed villain Simon (Brendan Fletcher) whose idea of acting is to see how much saliva fly from his mouth during the charactering fits of rage etc.
Even at less than 100 minutes Night Hunter is abysmally paced, wastes the talents of Ben Kingsley/Stanley Tucci and makes for a poor excuse of a mystery/thriller whose outcome can be figured out during the first act.
Replay Value:
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Parental Guide:
The rating is for disturbing and violent content, language throughout, and some sexual references.
AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:REFERENCE = 92-100/EXCELLENT = 83-91/GOOD = 74-82/AVERAGE = 65-73/BELOW AVERAGE = under 65
**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**
Audio: 88
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
Video: 90
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
Night Hunter comes to Blu-ray Disc from Paramount Home Media Distribution featuring 1080p AVC encoded video and lossless Dolby TrueHD 5.1 channel sound.
This is a pleasing video presentation that boasts plenty of high-level detail, enriching contrast, natural colors and dimensionality. Blacks are punchy and stand out when onscreen with mixed content. Visual perspective in low lighting and darkened areas is estimable. The combination gives dark scenes appreciable depth. Images are pleasing and perfectly suited for the source material while exhibiting no signs of video related artifacts.
The lossless DTS-HD MA soundtrack presents the film’s source elements with aplomb. The quality of the dialog is unwavering as vocal reproduction is clear and tonally balanced. Dynamic range is very good which lends subtle distinction to low level sounds and gravity to broader ones. A large portion of the film has little need for this as dialogue, atmospheric ambience and musical enhancement is readily conveyed by the front channels. There are several sequences that enlist the rear channels to create a bit of audible immersion. Overall this soundtrack provides a gratifying listening experience that complimented the video presentation quite nicely.
Bonus Features:
Written/directed by David Raymond Night Hunter is a yawn inducing mystery/thriller that feels more or less like a made for TV movie. It comes to Blu-ray from Paramount Home Media Distribution featuring good overall high definition audio/video and no bonus material. Night Hunter is a swing and miss that isn’t worthy of the time for discerning genre fans.
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Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS2000 4K Ultra High Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Calman 5 & C6-HDR Meter from Spectracal )
Stewart Filmscreen - Studiotek 130 G3 100” 16x9 Screen
Carada Masquerade Electronic Horizontal Masking System
Marantz AV7704 Audio/Video Processor
Emotiva XPA-7 Gen 3 Seven Channel Amplifier
Emotiva XPA-11 Gen 3 Amplifier
Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
System Controller: Apple iPad/iRule Pro HD Universal Remote Control
Canton "Ergo" and Canton In-Ceiling Series Speakers
SVS Ultra Surrounds (Gloss Finish in Bipolar Configuration)
Dual SVS PC4000 Cylinder Subwoofers
Panamax M5400-PM Power Conditioner/Surge Protector
Wireworld, Better Cables (Silver Serpent) - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
AC Infinity Aircom T8 Component Cooling Systems
The Review at a Glance:
(max score: 5 )
Film:
( Max score: 100 )
89
Details:
Studio and Year: Paramount - 2019
MPAA Rating: R
Feature running time: 99 minutes
Genre: Thriller
Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: AVC
Video Aspect: 2.40:1
Resolution: 1080p/24
Audio Format(s): English Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish
Starring: Henry Cavill, Ben Kingsley, Alexandra Daddario, Stanley Tucci
Written & Directed by: David Raymond
Music by: Alex Lu
Region Code: A
Release Date: October 15, 2019
"The Clock is Ticking"
Synopsis:
“A weathered Lieutenant, his police force, and a local vigilante are all caught up in a dangerous scheme involving a recently arrested, troubled man who's linked to years of female abductions and murders.” – Paramount Home Media Distribution
My Take:
When police detective Marshall (Henry Cavill) and local vigilante Cooper (Ben Kingsley) arrest a serial killer targeting women, they discover his game has just begun. The hunt is on as the murderer masterminds a series of deadly attacks from behind bars. Now in a desperate race against time, Marshall and Cooper fight to stay one step ahead of their suspect’s deadly plan.
Night Hunter, written and directed by David Raymond clearly takes aim at the cat and mouse thriller, telling an unraveling tale of abduction, obsession and murder. The plot isn’t unlike other films and features a cache of characters capable of supporting its thematic elements. Unfortunately, the characters and their supporting subplots, aren’t well purposed and are lift to drift amidst a fledgling script that plays out too much like a movie made for the Lifetime Network.
The two really interesting character/story arcs involving Cooper (Ben Kingsley) and his associate Lara (Eliana Jones) never gets any traction despite a strong introduction that had potential within the context of the main plotline. Main character Lt. Marshall and his familial difficulties are flat which isn’t helped by Henry Cavill’s brooding portrayal. Alexandra Daddario was miscast as the police profiler determined to solve the case by getting through to the mentally disturbed villain Simon (Brendan Fletcher) whose idea of acting is to see how much saliva fly from his mouth during the charactering fits of rage etc.
Even at less than 100 minutes Night Hunter is abysmally paced, wastes the talents of Ben Kingsley/Stanley Tucci and makes for a poor excuse of a mystery/thriller whose outcome can be figured out during the first act.
Replay Value:
The rating is for disturbing and violent content, language throughout, and some sexual references.
AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:REFERENCE = 92-100/EXCELLENT = 83-91/GOOD = 74-82/AVERAGE = 65-73/BELOW AVERAGE = under 65
**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**
Audio: 88
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
- Dynamics:
- Low frequency effects:
- Surround Sound presentation:
- Clarity/Detail:
- Dialog Reproduction:
- DSU/DTS Neural:X Rating * (non-rated element): NA
Video: 90
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
- Resolution/Clarity:
- Black Level/Shadow Detail:
- Color Reproduction:
- Fleshtones:
- Compression:
Night Hunter comes to Blu-ray Disc from Paramount Home Media Distribution featuring 1080p AVC encoded video and lossless Dolby TrueHD 5.1 channel sound.
This is a pleasing video presentation that boasts plenty of high-level detail, enriching contrast, natural colors and dimensionality. Blacks are punchy and stand out when onscreen with mixed content. Visual perspective in low lighting and darkened areas is estimable. The combination gives dark scenes appreciable depth. Images are pleasing and perfectly suited for the source material while exhibiting no signs of video related artifacts.
The lossless DTS-HD MA soundtrack presents the film’s source elements with aplomb. The quality of the dialog is unwavering as vocal reproduction is clear and tonally balanced. Dynamic range is very good which lends subtle distinction to low level sounds and gravity to broader ones. A large portion of the film has little need for this as dialogue, atmospheric ambience and musical enhancement is readily conveyed by the front channels. There are several sequences that enlist the rear channels to create a bit of audible immersion. Overall this soundtrack provides a gratifying listening experience that complimented the video presentation quite nicely.
Bonus Features:
- Digital Copy
Written/directed by David Raymond Night Hunter is a yawn inducing mystery/thriller that feels more or less like a made for TV movie. It comes to Blu-ray from Paramount Home Media Distribution featuring good overall high definition audio/video and no bonus material. Night Hunter is a swing and miss that isn’t worthy of the time for discerning genre fans.
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS2000 4K Ultra High Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Calman 5 & C6-HDR Meter from Spectracal )
Stewart Filmscreen - Studiotek 130 G3 100” 16x9 Screen
Carada Masquerade Electronic Horizontal Masking System
Marantz AV7704 Audio/Video Processor
Emotiva XPA-7 Gen 3 Seven Channel Amplifier
Emotiva XPA-11 Gen 3 Amplifier
Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
System Controller: Apple iPad/iRule Pro HD Universal Remote Control
Canton "Ergo" and Canton In-Ceiling Series Speakers
SVS Ultra Surrounds (Gloss Finish in Bipolar Configuration)
Dual SVS PC4000 Cylinder Subwoofers
Panamax M5400-PM Power Conditioner/Surge Protector
Wireworld, Better Cables (Silver Serpent) - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
AC Infinity Aircom T8 Component Cooling Systems
