Bodyguard, The (Blu-ray Review)

• Reviewed by: Barrie Maxwell
• Review Date: Jun 11, 2012
• Format: Blu-ray Disc
• 

Review

It was of course unfortunate timing that brought the film The Bodyguard to Blu-ray just when we were being bombarded in the media about the unfortunate death of Whitney Houston.

Celebrating its 20th birthday in 2012, The Bodyguard owed its existence to Lawrence Kasdan who wrote the screenplay in which music and film star Rachel Marron (Houston) receives threatening letters and finds herself reluctantly employing former Secret Service operative and now professional bodyguard Frank Farmer (Kevin Costner) to protect her. Kasdan's script really made the studio rounds before finally being accepted. It's an at times difficult story to be comfortable with, and goes over the top in its Academy Awards ceremony finale, but the film does ultimately provide a decent entertainment value, mainly by virtue of the star power from both Costner and Houston. (Incidentally, an early version of the film had envisioned a teaming of Steve McQueen and Diana Ross as the stars.) Director Mick Jackson does a fairly good job of maintaining suspect and executing the action scenes with some style. Warner Bros. has brought The Bodyguard to Blu-ray in a 1.85:1 image that yields a subtly film-like feel, delivering some modest grain and what appears to be an accurate reproduction of the film's original dark and somewhat soft look. Colour fidelity is good. A DTS-HD Master audio track delivers some effective ambient effects and also shines with Whitney Houston's musical vocals. Occasional gunshots can be brutally sharp and penetrating at times. Half a dozen or more foreign languages DD tracks and subtitles (including English SDH) are provided. The main supplement is a good, almost-30-minute retrospective, making-of documentary with participation from Costner, Houston, and Kasdan. The music video of "I Will Always Love You" and the film's theatrical trailer are also present. Recommended.

- Barrie Maxwell