DALLAS BUYERS CLUB – The Blu Review

An engrossing account of one homophobic redneck’s struggle to get the medicine he needs to survive despite having full blown AIDS, DALLAS BUYERS CLUB is an honest portrayal of how anyone who is “different” was hated and rejected in our society in a less enlightened time (in this case, the mid-1980’s). Mathew McConaughey has an excellent shot at taking home an Oscar next month for his lead performance here. The actor lost all most fifty pounds to prepare for the role of Ron Woodroof, a character that addresses a still, very prevalent health issue in this country and does so with bravado. Also, Woodroof went up against some heavy corporate players, specifically big pharmaceutical, which should help his chances with the Hollywood left. The other strong performance and likely Oscar recipient in DALLAS BUYERS CLUB is the revelatory Jared Leto as the transvestite Rayon and though his is the sort of unoriginal Oscar-bait character that the Academy adores, one can’t possibly ignore his powerful presence.

When Jim Batts reviewed DALLAS BUYERS CLUB here at We Are Movie Geeks back in November he wrote:

“The film is briskly directed by Jean-Marc Vallee who keeps the timeline clear (helped by title cards counting the days from Ron’s fatal diagnosis) and guides this exceptional cast. He perfectly captures that period of time when HIV was almost a modern-day scarlet letter eliciting blind hatred from the ignorant. And he doesn’t shy away from ravages of the disease (the use of a high-pitched piercing buzz to denote its attacks on the brain is highly effective). Vallee also makes excellent use of the Texas locales. Like many of the holiday films, this depicts a brutal time in history, but it’s essential in capturing the very high stakes in this compelling drama. All fans of great movie storytelling should head down to the cinema and consider joining the DALLAS BUYERS CLUB.” Read the rest of Jim’s review HERE

Now Universal has released DALLAS BUYERS CLUB on Blu-ray and here’s the lowdown:

Image: The MPEG-4 AVC, 1080p transfer, with its aspect ratio at 2.39:1, is a natural-looking, vibrant, and crystal clear image that helps immerse us in the lives of these finely etched characters. At times the image is dazzlingly sharp, especially during close-ups and the contrast is perfectly pitched, creating a fine sense of depth. Grain is totally absent, and no specks or scratches mar the pristine source material (the movie was shot digitally using Arri Alexa cameras) though the color palette remains rather muted.

Sound: The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track won’t blow you away – this is, after all, a largely intimate film – but the crisp, clear sound possesses plenty of presence and resonance.

Unfortunately, Universal has really skimped on the extras:

Deleted Scenes – There are three of them, lasting less than five minutes total. The longest is a nice scene featuring McConaughey and Jennifer Ganer at Leto’s bedside. It’s a moving scene that I’m surprised was cut. The other two are brief and inconsequential.

A Look Inside ‘Dallas Buyers Club – is a negligible 4-minute promo piece featuring McConaughey talking about the film in between a few clips.

Trailers – for a bunch of Universal product.

DALLAS BUYERS CLUB is a terrific movie presented as a quality hi-def Blu-ray presentation that is worth having in your collection. I wish Universal had not been so stingy with the extras though. A look at the real Ron Woodroof would have been nice, or even a more in-depth ‘making of’ featurette. Perhaps a loaded edition awaits.