Film
Secret In Their Eyes has a hard-hitting beginning. A team of FBI investigators are suddenly thrown into a terrible furore when the teenage daughter of one of their own, has been brutally murdered. This murder matches the modus operandi of a serial killer from many years back.
With these harrowing events, Ray Kasten (Chiwetel Ijiofor) from the anti-terror unit steps back into the life of prosecutor Claire Sloane (Nicole Kidman), as he is determined to seek justice for the slain girl, daughter of Jessica Cobb (Julia Roberts).
Ray’s return brings with it many emotions; personal ones each of the characters he is close to, his superior, Claire and Jessica. He is driven, and determined, leading to much strife and conflict. While Claire and Jessica too carry their own burdens and secrets.
There is no doubt about the acting you can expect from such a top, talented cast, and they do not disappoint. The inter-personal relationships morph as the story progresses, doing a slalom through the various plot twists and turns. While the story is not overwhelmingly cerebral, it does leave the viewer guessing, trying to out think the investigation, as things progress.
Although the events of the story are hard-hitting, the film eschews brutality and gratuitous violence, instead sharing with us the emotional impact the murder has on others, and the psychological toll this all takes on one. This lets the cast shine as far as their acting talent goes, with the subtle nuances necessary to for such roles. Secret In Their Eyes is a gripping story, a film that will evoke debate as the end credits role, and leave on pondering their own reaction in similar circumstances.
Secret In Their Eyes, a must-see story that pulls out all the stops to deliver a gripping tale, with intriguing characters.
Disc
Secret In Their Eyes is available now, for purchase on disc, in South Africa.
Video
Video is encoded at a high average bitrate, with a clear and crisp image. Viewers with the necessary hardware or software will be able to scale up to a larger or higher resolution screen. Colours are vibrant, with no bleed.
Audio
Audio is presented in both a 2.0 and a 5.1 mix. It is encoded at a high bitrate, delivering clear sound and dialogue. Although the surround channel use is not excessive, it does enhance the on-screen world in scenes, and serve to draw the viewer further in to the story.
While there are two audio tracks on the disc, there is no option to select which track you wish to use, from the disc menu system. This leaves you having to use you DVD players controls to pick which track to play. The default is 5.1, however should you wish to use the stereo downmix, you might need to consult your player manual.
Navigation
Navigation is very simple, with a static image, and a choice between playing the entire feature or selecting scenes.
Bonus Features
There are no bonus feature on the disc, save for trailers for Solace, Viral and Triple 9.
