HANG 'EM HIGH (Blu-ray)

Clint Eastwood stars as Jed Cooper, a former St. Louis lawman accused a being a rustler in Oklahoma & Indian Territory 1889, not 1873 as the liner notes erroneously state. He is set upon by a posse filled with questionable characters and hanged before the opening credits. Lucky for Cooper, Federal Marshal Dave Bliss (Ben Johnson) comes along soon after and cuts him down. He is then placed into a paddy wagon and taken before Judge Adam Fenton (Pat Hingle), who finds Cooper's story checks out.

Cooper wants revenge against the nine men who hung him, but Fenton tells him he can't take the law into his own hands. Instead, he offers him a job as a marshal on the condition that he brings the men in alive. Suffice it to say, Cooper hopes they give him a reason not to, but he agrees. While working as a marshal, Cooper questions Fenton's rigid administration of the law, but the judge says it's required to keep people from acting as vigilantes and to earn the territory statehood.

After a few of Cooper's assailants are apprehended, those remaining offer him a bribe. He takes the money because it's what he's owed for the cattle he lost, but things ain't square as far as he's concerned and he plans on finishing the job he started.

Hang 'Em High is a very good western that provides plenty of action while also offering food for thought about justice. There's a subplot about a young woman Rachel (Inger Stevens) who is obsessed with looking for her husband's killers. She becomes entwined with Cooper, and while the parallel is evident her character doesn't add much to the story. It's great to see a lot of familiar faces in small roles, such as Bruce Dern, Alan Hale Jr., Dennis Hopper, and L.Q. Jones.

The video is presented in a 1080p/ MPEG-4 AVC encoded transfer with an aspect ratio of 1.85.1, and looks very good for its age. The colors are well rendered, from the natural colors of the New Mexico exteriors to the vivid hues on set, most notably in the brothel where they pop with brightness. Blacks are adequate and the disc does well with shadow delineation. Natural film grain is noticeable without being distracting. There are minor specks of damage, white and black, throughout the film, signaling a need for a restoration. The scene where Jed and Rachel get caught in the rain and find shelter in an abandoned house is especially bad.

The source was a mono mix and is available as DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Dolby Digital 2.0, the latter being a more authentic experience for the purist. Naturally, the 5.1 is front heavy, but there is some minor ambiance, such as when a large crowd gathers to watch the hanging. The dialogue is clear and understandable. The music makes most use of the surrounds, and there's not a great deal of low end, even making the gunshots sound high pitched.

Hang 'Em High will be a welcome addition to the video library for films fans of westerns and Eastwood. The Blu-ray offers a pleasing high definition experience. It comes with a DVD, but it's highly disappointing that there are no special features included to pay worthy tribute to the film and those who worked on it.

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: Hang 'Em High on Blogcritics.

INVICTUS (Blu-ray)

Based on the book Playing the Enemy by John Carlin, Invictus tells an amazing story that needs to be told and passed on about the power of people uniting.

The film is set in South Africa, and the story briefly begins on February 11th, 1990, the day of Nelson Mandela's release from 27 years in prison as a result of his fighting against the country's apartheid policies of racial segregation. The difference between the peoples is immediately evident. White kids are shown at a prep school practicing rugby on a well-manicured lawn while across the road black children are playing soccer on a rundown, dried-out field.

Apartheid comes to an end and Mandela (Morgan Freeman) is elected President in 1994, the first election blacks are allowed to vote. Life is understandably tense for Mandela and his administration in the first few days. It would be like if an African American had been elected U.S. President in 1964 after the Civil Rights Act passed. Mandela works very hard to bridge a relationship with the white Afrikaners not solely because it's the right thing to do, but because they still have great power economically.

As the host country of the upcoming Rugby World Cup the following year, Mandela seeks to bond the races through support of the Springboks, the national team lead by François Pienaar (Matt Damon). This is a difficult task on two fronts. Blacks have traditionally rooted against them because of what they represented. Also, the team is below average and might not have taken part in the Cup if they hadn't been granted the host country's exemption. Mandela works on two fronts to bring his people together, motivating everyone to strive for something bigger than themselves.

Although the outcome has been recorded in the history books, director Clint Eastwood and team get the viewer swept up in the emotion. There's a touching scene where the predominantly white players go visit a school of black children to engender goodwill. The men don't want to, but the children melt their hearts and likely will the viewers.

There are also a few choices by Eastwood that don't work. Pienaar goes to the prison where Mandela had been held and imagines him in the yard and hears his voice. It may have happened but the scene doesn't hold together and strikes a different tone than the rest of the film. Some of the song choices distract, like when Mandela arrives by helicopter to wish team good luck. Considering he's a musician, it's surprising he didn't notice how that song especially clashed. But those minor

Freeman gives a great performance as Mandela and immerses himself within the character. While this is a common occurrence when witnessing Freeman at work, it's an impressive feat to accomplish when playing a recent historical figure that many viewers would be familiar with.

The fact that this is a true story of a nation coming together is simultaneously inspiring and disappointing with the current state of the world and the stories in the news.

The Blu-ray comes in a combo pack with a DVD/Digital Copy. Annoyingly, it starts with an ad for the box set Clint Eastwood: 35 Films 35 Years. before allowing access to the menu.

The video is presented with a 1080p/VC-1 encoded transfer and an aspect ratio of 2.40:1. The images offer great color and accurate blacks. Film grain is present, and there is great detail on display as spit can be seen coming out of players' mouths and tiny specks of dirt and grass can be seen kicked up off the field. The only problem was in some scenes, the picture lost clarity in backgrounds and some objects turned soft, like an early scene where Mandela first addresses the white staff from the previous administration.

The audio is available in English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround Sound and Dolby Digital 5.1 in French and Spanish. The DTS wasn't mixed well as the levels were poor and out of balance. I frequently had to adjust the volume from dialogue, which could be soft and the accents were hard to make out when some actors whispered, to the overpowering effects and music. The bass rumbled and distorted when a plane flew overhead and during the overtime session of the final match. There was good crowd noise in the surrounds and objects were positioned well, like a TV set Mandela is watching switches speaker channels depending on where it is in relation to him on screen.

The special features are "Matt Damon Plays Rugby" (HD 7 min), a glowing look at the actor, and the Invictus Music Trailer (HD, 3min). Features exclusive to Blu-ray include "Vision, Courage and Honor" (HD), a Picture-in-Picture commentary track with Eastwood, the actors, the screenwriter, and real individuals. It includes behind-the-scenes footage. "Mandela Meets Morgan" (HD, 28 min) has a wider focus than the title indicates and covers what went into getting the film made. Lastly, an excerpt from Richard Schickel's documentary, The Eastwood Factor (SD, 22 min). It's compelling and makes a fan want to see the entire piece.

Invictus is a good film about a great story of humanity that deserves to be remembered. It's worth seeing on Blu-ray.