Seeking the promise of America, a beautiful young woman, Sayra (Paulina Gaitan), joins her father on an odyssey to cross the gauntlet of the Latin American countryside. Along the way, she crosses paths with a teenaged Mexican gang member, El Casper (Edgar M. Flores), who is maneuvering to outrun his violent past. Together they have to rely on faith, trust and street smarts if they are to survive their increasingly perilous journey towards the hope of new lives.

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[youtube https://youtu.be/tgmHjkh1298?si=rwC_Xg0FxuoywyMy&t=3625]

Video Quality

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment brings Sin Nombre to Blu-Ray with a really nice 1080p video presentation. The transfer provides a solid amount of depth on display, especially in the textures of the foliage and the encampments around the train. When this film goes into more dimly lit spaces, the detail remains pretty sharp. The image is clean with the lush natural color palette radiating off the screen. The film employs splashes of colors within the environments with plenty of green and shades of brown. The flesh tones are natural with gritty nuances showcased well in close-ups and medium shots. Black levels are deep and detailed, but digital noise does prove to be a very slight issue at certain moments in the film. Universal has done a great service for fans by bringing this one to Blu-Ray.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track in the original Spanish with optional English SDH subtitles which offers a well realized listening experience. We do wish there was a non-SDH set of English subtitles provided to eliminate the unnecessary descriptors. Dialogue comes through clearly without ever succumbing to overlapping voices or other layered noises. Everything is mixed just right with directional accuracy across all channels. The score complements the sinister mood of the narrative, and this track does a great job of flowing through the room. The sounds while out and about within the world provide a good amount of activity in the rear channels, and certain effects stir up some decent activity in the low end. This track handles everything it is asked to do without issue.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Writer/Director Cary Fukunaga and Producer Amy Kaufman provide a pretty solid commentary track in which they discuss the production of the film, the development of the story, how the violence became more palpable to them once they were shooting the film, working with the performers, the makeup work and more.

Deleted Scenes: There is 11 minutes of unused material provided, some of which is not accompanied with English subtitles so some viewers may be slightly lost.

Final Thoughts

Sin Nombre is a formidable feature debut from Cary Joji Fukunaga which brings the harrowing nature of the immigrant experience to palpable life. The film can be very tough to watch due to how visceral and somewhat hopeless it can be, but there are moments which provide some emotional relief. There are certain aspects of the narrative that feel a bit underdeveloped in a way that lessens the investment you have in the story, but overall it packs a punch. Universal Picture Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray that sports a perfectly good A/V presentation and a few special features. If you appreciate a gripping crime narrative, give this a shot. Recommended

Sin Nombre can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or through various other online retailers.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment 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.