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The Peacemaker Blu-ray Disc Review

THE PEACEMAKER (1997, Blu-ray released September 21, 2010 – MSRP $24.99)

The Peacemaker Blu-ray DiscMimi Leder is probably best known as a director of fine television programs, despite having a few meager cinematic successes under her belt. Her smaller-screen style of shooting might have something to do with the fact that her debut feature film, 1997s The Peacemaker feels like a pretty decent episode of The Unit or 24.

Comparing The Peacemaker, the very first film to come out of Dreamworks thirteen years ago, with the likes of 24 or The Unit is not negative criticism, in my eyes. Merely an observation. I really love(d) those shows and enjoyed the heck out of Leder’s The Peacemaker. It’s a solid couple of hours of watching military intelligence-types chase down terrorists and bombs and save the world. It’s like a James Bond film minus the charm, excitement and personality.

Dr. Julia Kelly (Nicole Kidman), an American military intelligence analyst is tasked to find the source of a nuclear explosion within Russia. She determines it to be a terrorist act – detonation caused by the head-on collision of a couple of trains. Lt. Col. Thomas Devoe (George Clooney), with years of Russian intel-experience under his belt, believes otherwise. And we know Clooney is never wrong! The explosion was a cover for the theft of several additional warheads which now need to be tracked down and recovered. Kidman and Clooney jet around the world, hot on the trail of the nukes and the madman who has a devious plan to use them.

It’s a great, if not holey unoriginal setup that feels like it should payoff in an exciting Bond or Bourne-like adventure filled with action, intrigue and a smattering of romance between between the two leads. But there’s very little payoff here. The action an adventure feels very by-the-book and the romance never bubbles to the surface. In fact, for two such high-profile performers, it’s a bit of a surprise that Kidman and Clooney don’t seem to be able to muster up any chemistry here. Between the lack of spark and a fairly dry script, Leder is tasked with the impossible, yet she delivers an entertaining Clancy-lite thriller that I’ll be happy to revisit in the future.

The Peacemaker comes to Blu-ray in a pleasing yet flat high-def presentation. There’s nothing technically wrong here, aside from a few fleeting compression artifacts that pop up now and then, but there’s also nothing to get excited about. Colour is accurate but blacks sometimes overwhelm and detail comes and goes. The DTS-HD MA 5.1 is a vast improvement over its DVD counterpart, with a more dynamic and engrossing soundfield and enough expression to keep a keen ear engaged.

Sadly, The Peacemaker Blu-ray disc falls short in the special features department, only offering a 5-minute behind-the-scenes collection of stunt footage, 3-minutes of interviews with the cast and crew and the theatrical trailer.

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