American Assassin: 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Review
The Movie:
Mitch Rapp (Dylan O’Brien) is a CIA black-ops recruit under the instruction of Cold War veteran Stan Hurley (Michael Keaton). The pair is then enlisted by CIA Deputy Director Irene Kennedy (Sanaa Lathan) to investigate a wave of apparently random attacks on both military and civilian targets. Together, the three discover a pattern in the violence, leading them to a joint mission with a lethal Turkish agent (Shiva Negar) to stop a mysterious operative (Taylor Kitsch) intent on settling a personal and professional vendetta that could have cataclysmic results.
Right off the bat I can tell you that I’m a huge fan of O’Brien and Keaton so there wasn’t a doubt that I was going to watch this. The overall plot is a bit predictable in certain instances but it is really enjoyable. O’Brien completely owns the role and gets very intense at times but that’s what makes it so believable. Speaking of intense, Keaton easily goes toe to toe with O’Brien when it comes to intensity. Seeing them interact together onscreen is a treat that made for some fantastic moments. Kitsch struck a chord with me in this film and I realized that I really liked him playing the antagonist. He was essentially the flipside to O’Brien’s character which gave an almost “evil twin” like vibe to the plot that was engaging. The film as a whole was great and very entertaining. It may not be for everybody considering some of the predictability but for those that overlook that you’ll definitely find it a fun watch. 8/10
4K Presentation:
There are some noticeable improvements between the 4K and standard Blu-ray. The clarity on characters’ faces during close ups look extra crisp and you can see details and wrinkles throughout. The colors look nice and vibrant with certain desert scenes looking realistic with the warm palette. The black levels are pretty decent but to be honest I’ve seen much better. Not the best 4K film but not the worst by far.
Special Features:
Target Acquired: Creating An American Assassin – The usual BTS feature that includes interviews with the cast and crew.
Finding Mitch Rapp: Dylan O’Brien – The actor talks about the character and the history of him from the book series.
Transfer of Power: Hurley And Ghost – Kitsch and Keaton discuss how their characters’ relationship changed throughout their story.
Weaponized: Training And Stunts – A great feature that looks at the weapon handling and fight choreography.
In the Field: Locations – A look at a number of filming locations throughout the movie.
Alamo Drafthouse Q&A – A cool sit down interview with Kitsch and O’Brien about the film.
