Plot: What’s it about?
Elmer Robinson (John Travolta) has a rather dark outlook on life, thanks to his wife’s suicide and the years of dealing with society’s most repugnant members. Robinson is a homicide detective and his work is brutal, the stress it causes him has strained his personal life, as both his girlfriend (Laura Dern) and son (Dan Byrd) are distant at times. He is able to be more open with his partner Charlie (James Gandolfini), but he is still an internal person through and through. When an apparent suicide crosses his desk, he isn’t as convinced as others of the nature of the scene. He has a gut feeling there is more to the case, but even he has no idea what kind of twisted souls were involved. Ray Ferdandez (Jared Leto) meets wealthy, vulnerable women through lonely hearts clubs, then fleeces them of their cash. When he meets Martha Beck (Salma Hayek) through personal ads, the two have an instant connection and begin to rob and even kill women using Ray’s previous methods. Can Robinson overcome his personal demons, or will the couple’s reign of terror never end?
This movie seems to want to be a film noir with pulp roots, based on a true crime story. The tale of Ray Ferdandez and Martha Beck is indeed a real life crime saga, but writer/director Todd Robinson tinkers too much with the facts, which removes most of the “based on a true story” accuracy. This is more like Robinson’s vision of the story, which is a little skewed, since his grandfather was involved in the case and is a major character in this adaptation. As far as being a competent film noir, Lonely Hearts tries to too hard to be both traditional and noir. The most crucial mistake that Robinson tries to make Ferdandez and Beck slick, beautiful people, which is such a huge leap from the truth. To be, that doomed Lonely Hearts from the start and to be honest, I was never drawn in from there. The real life story is a fascinating one, but Lonely Hearts fails to capture the essence of those involved. If the story interests you, skip Lonely Hearts and check out The Honeymoon Killers instead.
Video: How does it look?
Lonely Hearts is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. This is a solid looking effort, though not as impressive as we might like. I found the image to be a little on the soft side, but still sharp enough on the whole, so no real concerns. The print is clean and compression is flawless, so no unwanted artifacts can be seen. The colors appear natural and bright, with no hint of errors, while flesh tones are natural throughout. I have no issues with the contrast either, as black levels seem accurate and consistent as well, so the movie looks quite good.
Audio: How does it sound?
The soundtrack here is a Dolby Digital 5.1 option, but the surround is limited, as the material has only basic needs. A few scenes spark up the speakers a touch, with some decent atmosphere, though not enough to warrant any special mentions. The track is solid and covers all the bases, it simply doesn’t move much beyond the expected basics. I found dialogue to be well handled also, as vocals are clear and never muffled in the least. This disc also includes a French language track, as well as subtitles in English and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes a brief behind the scenes featurette.
