In OLD MAN, deep in the woods, a lost hiker stumbles upon the cabin of an erratic and reclusive old man. What starts off as cordial conversation soon turns dangerous as it becomes clear that one or both of them might be hiding a terrifying secret.
For in-depth thoughts on Old Man please see my colleague Mike Vaughn’s review from its theatrical debut here.
Video Quality
Old Man debuts on Blu-Ray with a 1080p presentation in its original aspect ratio that captures this film perfectly. The movie is almost entirely staged within a single location, and much of the space is bathed in shadow. This space is given depth thanks to the deep black levels that hold together without issue. Objects retain their detail in the shrouded background with neither crush nor banding showing up in any substantial way. The transfer provides an excellent amount of detail and clarity even in this cramped space. The movie itself has a natural color palette that renders very nicely on screen, especially in the depths of the browns and orange of the fire. Outside of the rare piece of clothing, this film does not go overboard with color, but the accuracy of the hues on display is welcome. No damage or digital noise was spotted that would detract from this transfer. RLJE Entertainment has delivered with this one.
Audio Quality
The film comes to Blu-Ray with a much-appreciated DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that brings the narrative to life admirably. Dialogue is the star of the show, and it is balanced well with the sound effects and the score where nothing overshadows any other element. The movie has very subtle but distinct environmental sounds to add to the sense of disorientation and delusion experienced by the characters. Surround channels are effective in nailing spatial awareness with sounds emanating from all of their distinct points. As the characters walk around the room talking, the mix brings their words around and behind you to accurately capture this. The low end is not super active, but it adds some texture to certain moments. This audio track brings this film to life well. There are English SDH and Spanish subtitles provided.
Special Features
- Behind-The-Scenes Of Old Man: A decent ten-minute featurette in which the cast and creative team discuss what drew them to the projects, the themes of the script, what each performer brings to their role, the direction of Lucky McKee and more.
Final Thoughts
Old Man is much more intimate and subdued than you might expect, especially for those who get flashes of Don’t Breathe in your head when you see Stephen Lang in a thriller. Through its more reserved approach to unsettling the audience, you get to experience Lang deliver one of his most complex performances in some time. The unpredictability of the character keeps you on edge even during the most straightforward conversations. The film evolves in really satisfying ways that never feel manipulative. RLJE Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray featuring a great A/V presentation and a brief special feature. If you are a fan of dialogue-driven thrills, this one will reward you handsomely for your time. Recommended
Old Man is currently available to purchase on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: RLJE Films has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
