Plot: What’s it about?
With almost every movie, it seems, being remade or updated, it was only a matter of time before we get to movies that we didn’t think were that old. While Boiler Room is certainly a remake or updated version of Wall Street, which is ironically featured in the movie, it’s definately a wannabe. Now, Boiler Room impressed me in a good way, so don’t get me wrong. Going into the movie, my preconceived notions about it was that it was like a Junior League of Wall Street filled with twenty-something actors. I was basically right. Featuring a surprisingly good cast, with the likes of Ben Affleck, Jamie Kennedy, Scott Caan, Tom Everett Scott and the lead of Giovanni Ribisi, the movie has a very New England type feel to it. This makes sense as it concentrates on Wall Street (or thereabouts). The actors all have the look and feel of this most unique area of our country and it gives it all the more of a feel and tone that one would expect. Wall Street it isn’t, but it’s not nearly as bad as you might think…or heard.
The movie follows the rise and eventual fall of Seth (Giovanni Ribisi). He comes from a Jewish family, where his father is a judge. Seth has dropped out of school after his first year and has decided that it’s more profitable to run an illegal casino out of his aparament. We’re not talking a few hands of poker here and there either. They have tables, chips…the whole nine yards! As illegal as it is, we see that Seth is very enterprising and a very good businessman. Of course, when he tells his family about this, his father is less than impressed and it’s another downward step in their relationship. Enter Adam (Jamie Kennedy) and Greg (Nikki Katt). Adam is an old friend of Seth’s and he and Greg are out to offer him a job in their hotshot brokerage office. Knowing that Seth is streetwise and very smart, they figure he would be a natural in the stock market. They’re right. We next see the process of recruitment, headed up by none other than Jim Young (Ben Affleck), if you get this movie because you’re an Affleck fan, then I’ll tell you he’s only in it for 10 minutes tops. Young, an energetic, head of recruitment for the brokerage firm hypes them up and tells them of the promise of their many millions of dollars that has their name on it if they only stay with the firm for a few years. Millionaires are made here.
Boiler Room is a fast-paced thriller that had me by the end of the opening credits. While a mainly “Gen X” cast, they’re well suited for their respective parts, especially Nikki Katt, an actor that is gaining much respect in my book with every part he takes on. While profanity abounds, you learn to ignore it and concentate on the plot. As was mentioned earlier, Wall Street it’s not, but a very good, fast-paced movie it is. I recommend it.
Video: How does it look?
Having not seen the movie in quite some time, I do remember being rather impressed by the look of it on Standard DVD. With this Blu-ray, the 1.85:1 AVC HD image retains the grit and style, yet ups the clarity a bit. The movie was shot on location, all of it, so the scenes have a very naturalistic feel to them. All except the brokerage house. The brokerage house is shot in a sort of bluish, corporate type of light that makes it different from the rest of the movie. A nice touch to show the blandness of the corporate environment. While I saw no artifacting or compression errors, this has benefitted from its leap to Blu-ray.
Audio: How does it sound?
Boiler Room carries with it a very strong soundtrack, one that left me impressed. I’d classify it as more of a jazzy/hip-hop style that certainly fits the movie. The previous Dolby Digital 5.1 track has been replaced by a very robust DTS HD Master Audio 7.1 mix that, simply put, rocks. Vocals are crisp and clear, even the soft-spoken Giovanni Ribisi. Surrounds are very active and carry the mix to a new level. Spacial acuity spans the spectrum and offers quite a bit of dynamic range. I was left as impressed with this mix as I was with the previous 5.1 mix on the DVD a decade ago.
Supplements: What are the extras?
No doubt the reason why this movie has been pushed to Blu-ray is due to the critical and commercial success of The Wolf of Wall Street. I’m not complaining, though. Unfortunately no new supplements have been added and it appears as if the commentary track on the isolated score has been dropped. Everything else has made the leap to HD.
- Audio Commentary – Director Ben Younger and lead actor Giovanni Ribisi. While it seems that Ribisi takes control during the commentary and Younger eventually gets a word in, I found it more interesting hearing the actor than the director.
- Deleted Scenes – Four in all as well as the alternate ending are included.
- Theatrical Trailer
