Plot: What’s it about?
Black Rock would be right at home if it opened many years ago. It just feels like the kind of film that invaded the 80’s and 90’s. The film stars Kate Bosworth as Sarah. She convinces her two friends Abby (Katie Aselton) and Lou (Lake Bell) to take a weekend trip to a remote island off the coast of Maine. This island is where they spent time in their youth. They meet three hunters and things start peaceful enough. The trouble starts, however, when the three women learn that these men have been discharged from the military. When Abby takes a walk with one of the men the two begin kissing and ultimately Abby feels he’s coming on too strong. A struggle ensues and Abby accidentally kills him. When the rest of the group discovers what Abby has done, we get into a game of cat and mouse. The two remaining men played (Jay Paulson and Anslem Richardson) plan their revenge on the three women.
While the film may lack strong character development, it did keep me reasonably involved and has enough suspense to hold our interest. Katie Aselton not only stars, but she also directed it. The film has similarities to Deliverance and The River Wild. We don’t get many films like this any more. Whereas most films today are either sequels, remakes superhero movies, it’s nice to see an original concept. Sure, there are a few cliche’s, but there were also a few surprises here as well. I also appreciate that the film treats these women as real people. It’s rare to see a suspense film actually respect its characters and not treat them like idiots. The film takes a simple premise and only a handful of characters and makes it work. The film also gets points for adding depth to the characters. Earlier in the film we learn that one of these characters had a fling with the others then boyfriend. This also adds tension between these characters. The cinematography here is also quite nice. The Maine backdrop is always effective and adds a layer of isolation to the film. It’s not as if a police station is just around the corner. The girls must use effective survival skills if they want to escape Scot-free. Black Rock clocks in at a mere 75 minutes and is definitely worth your time.
Video: How does it look?
This AVC 1080P encoded transfer serves the film quite well. Detail is always sharp and colors are nicely saturated. The majority of the film takes place at night and there is occasional murkiness, but it’s never distracting. I enjoyed the detail of the woodsy backdrop and the reflections of the ocean and its surroundings. Black levels are also very strong here as well.
Audio: How does it sound?
The DTS-HD 5.1 track is also solid. Dialogue is always clear and natural. The rear channels get a nice boost in several of the action sequences. It really makes you feel as if you’re out there in the woods with these characters (Though I am grateful I was not). The sequences in the water also have nice clarity and detail to them. Every splash and drop comes out and truly involves the viewer. The film gets more violent in the second half and when it does this track is consistently top notch.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Only a few supplements here, but what we do get is good. The behind the scenes feature “Behind the scenes of Black Rock, 7:51″ is short, but better than average. The cast discuss how the film got made and what drew them to the project. It’s a bit self-congratulatory, but it’s also informative. The next feature is about the film’s score “A Thrilling Score: The Music of Black Rock” . It goes for almost 9 minutes and…surprise, talks about the film’s score. There’s also a commentary track with Katie Aselton and Lake Bell. It covers the details of the shoot and the challenges of shooting in extremely cold weather and other technicalities. It’s a nice track. We also get the film’s trailer as well as an insert for a digital copy.
