Plot: What’s it about?
Noah Render (Elias Koteas) works as a claims adjuster for an insurance firm, which doesn’t sound like a very rewarding or exciting career choice. But Noah is not the usual insurance adjuster to say the least, as he looks to be on the side of the clients, as opposed to his own company. In other words, he seeks to smooth over the troubles of his clients, no matter what that involves. He’ll work overtime to settle the cases and sometimes, he will even further and take the clients within his personal life. In fact, he has taken some clients into the bedroom to ease their pain, which brings him a certain level of relief as well. This practice of taking his work so personally has become an obsession of sorts with Noah, which of course has an impact on his home life. You see, Noah is married to Hera (Arsinee Khanjian) and together, the two have a son named Simon (Armen Kokorian). So while Noah is taking care of his clients, his wife and son seem to be drifting out of his life, especially his wife, who works as a censor and really loves her work. As if his life wasn’t out of control as it was, he now faces a new problem and unless he can regain control of himself, his life is destined to become a hollow existence.
I am pleased to see The Adjuster given a release onto this format, as I like the cinema of Atom Egoyan and I find this to be one of his better works. His usual keen visuals can be found here, but the focus is turned toward the substance, especially the characters. Egoyan has penned a terrific screenplay here and thanks to a solid cast, it all plays out to near perfection. Elias Koteas takes the lead, but Gabrielle Rose, David Hemblin, and Arsinee Khanjian all turn in more than acceptable supporting performances. Egoyan has written some quirky and memorable characters in this picture, so I am pleased such a talented cast was assembled, as they seem to really bring the roles to life here. The premise here is an offbeat, very original one and it does allow for some strange sequences, but I don’t think it ever becomes confusing or too much in terms of unusual subject matter. There is a sexual undercurrent to be uncovered within The Adjuster, but it never pushes too hard and as such, allows for several levels of viewing, which is good. I do wish MGM had put more effort into this disc, but the basics are covered and as such, I give this disc a solid recommendation.
At the helm of The Adjuster is Atom Egoyan, who has been involved in a number of excellent pictures. I have found almost all of his films to be worth a look, but a few of them rise above the crowd, thanks to a keen visual sense and emotional content. In other words, Egoyan backs up his stylish movies with substance, which makes all the difference in the world. I don’t think this flick is Egoyan’s best effort, but I do believe it to be one of his better works, as he infuses it with raw emotion and memorable visuals. Egoyan also delivers on the written side of the coin, with a solid premise and well developed characters, no real flaws with his work in this case. Other films directed by Egoyan include Next of Kin, Speaking Parts, Felicia’s Journey, Exotica, Calendar, and The Sweet Hereafter. The cast of The Adjuster includes Elias Koteas (The Thin Red Line, Crash), Arsinee Khanjian (Last Night, Exotica), Don McKellar (The Red Violin, eXistenZ), Gabrielle Rose (Timecop, The Five Senses), David Hemblin (Maximum Risk, Brainscan), and Maury Chaykin (The Art of War, Mystery Alaska).
Video: How does it look?
The Adjuster is presented in a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. This turns out to be a decent presentation, but some real problems surface and that forces me to lower the score. I saw a lot of edge enhancement and shimmering in this transfer, much more than I’ve seen in other recent anamorphic editions. This is usually not a serious issue, but it gets pretty bad in a couple scenes and distraction is not desirable in the least. The colors, contrast, and source print all seem in order however, so all is not lost in the end. I’m not sure if this was a rushed transfer or what, but I wish some extra care was put into this one, to avoid the flaws that show up here.
Audio: How does it sound?
The included 2.0 surround track is a good one, but keep in mind that this film isn’t exactly a powderkeg of audio dynamite. The surrounds see some use here and there, usually for atmosphere, but in a few cases, some nice muscle flexes can be heard. The music is the most consistent element here, as it always has presence in the surrounds and adds depth to the audio environment, very effective indeed. No issues in terms of dialogue either, very crisp vocals and I detected no harshness or volume hassles. This disc also includes subtitles in Spanish and French, just in case those might come in handy sometime.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes the film’s theatrical trailer, but no other bonus materials. An Egoyan commentary track would have been sweet, but no such luck on this edition.
