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Conviction Blu-ray Review

  • Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
  • Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
  • Resolution: 1080p/24
  • Audio Codec: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
  • Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
  • Rating: R
  • Region: A (Region-Locked)
  • Discs: 1
  • Studio: 20th Century Fox
  • Blu-ray Release Date: February 8, 2011
  • List Price: $39.99

[amazon-product align=”right”]B004EQAVHS[/amazon-product]

Purchase Conviction on Blu-ray at CD Universe

Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com

Overall
[Rating:3.5/5]
The Film
[Rating:4/5]

Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:1/5]

Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures

(Screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG  thus are meant as a general representation of the content and do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)

The Film

[Rating:4/5]

How far would you go in your devotion, dedication, and commitment to someone you love? Would your loyalty to, say, your siblings falter under the weight of nearly insurmountable odds? Conviction, based on the true story of Betty Anne Waters (portrayed here by Hilary Swank), a Massachusetts woman who dedicated twenty-years of her life to getting her brother Kenny (portrayed by Sam Rockwell) out of prison after he was convicted of a murder he swore he was innocent of.

Waters didn’t only beat her drum and knock on doors, but the working mother of two, who lost her marriage due to the entire situation with her brother, decided to go back to school, get her GED, and apply to law school so she could represent her brother and get him exonerated. She would attain her law degree and finally, with the help of lawyer Barry Scheck (Peter Gallagher) and his Innocence Project, would begin the process of proving Kenny’s innocence with the help of DNA evidence.

Conviction is an inspiring film with touching performances from Swank and Rockwell and sympathetically handled direction from Tony Goldwyn. It is a fairly predictable film, offering nothing groundbreaking or new, which isn’t surprising for a biopic. There are moments where the film feels a little drawn out, and the ending is a little rushed, but overall it is an emotionally moving drama.

Video Quality

[Rating:4/5]

Conviction’s 1.85:1 AVC/MPEG-4 encodement is a solid one from Fox. Grain structure is tight and reserved, midtones are warm and rich, and shadow detail is strong. There is only a little bit of softness noticeable occasionally, and flesh tones sometimes look a little pallid. Apart from these minor quibbles, the image looks pleasing and quite film-like.

Audio Quality

[Rating:3.5/5]

As one might expect from a film like Conviction, the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless mix is a quiet and reserved mix, with very little activity, that is dialogue driven and front-heavy. The surrounds are nearly whisper quiet most of the time, with only some occasional scenes offering a more robust, ambient sound. The dialogue is clear and clean, which is always important in a film so reliant on te dialogue.

Supplemental Materials

[Rating:1/5]

The sole extra is the brief discussion segment, A Conversation with Tony Goldwyn & Betty Anne Waters (1080p/24; 0:10.19), which features the director and the real-life Betty Anne Waters discussing the film and the true events that inspired it.

The Definitive Word

Overall:

[Rating:3.5/5]

This true-life story will touch you with its portrayal of true dedication and belief. It’s inspiring, even if uneven, and well worth adding to your collection.

Additional Screen Captures:

[amazon-product align=”right”]B004EQAVHS[/amazon-product]

Purchase Conviction on Blu-ray at CD Universe

Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com

Overall
[Rating:3.5/5]
The Film
[Rating:4/5]

Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:1/5]

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