I remember a few years ago when Closer was released. The cast was very promising and the movie received nothing but rave reviews. The one thing about Closer is that while it is extremely sexy and dangerous, it also can easily resemble any one of our lives. Whether you are single or in a relationship, who doesn’t feel instant attraction at times when they meet someone for the first time. The dilemma is, do you act on those feelings or ignore them? Is it worth the risk?

We are first introduced to Anna and Dan as they walk down a crowded street towards each other, unable to take their eyes off of each other. Out of the blue, she is struck by a car and taken to the hospital by Dan. After getting a few stitches, they leave the hospital. After walking around London getting to know each other they quickly seem to hit things off.

Flash-forward to Dan at Alice’s studio getting his picture taken for a new book he is having published. After a few minutes of talk, Dan makes a move on Alice. Quickly they are interrupted by the ringing of the door bell. It is Anna. She asks if Alice can take her picture. When left alone, Anna lets Alice know that she can sense something was going on between her and Dan. Alice basically acknowledges it but stresses that she isn’t trying to wreck her relationship.

Flash-forward one more time, we meet Larry. Larry is chatting in a sex forum. The person he is chatting with is Dan, pretending to be Alice. After some humorous sex chat between the two, Dan arranges for a meeting between Larry and Alice. The next day, Larry meets Alice who has no idea who he his. However, sparks begin to fly between the two after realizing they were setup.The story focuses on the love, sex and deceit that can occur within relationships and how some chance meetings can turn into something much more than expected. At one point or another in the film, each one of these characters is involved either physically or emotionally with one another.

The movie jumps around quite a bit and seems to take place over a four or so year span. Closer is really strong on the foul language front but it really works extremely well here. It isn’t just used for the sake of it. It comes across as real and true to me. Clive Owen is really the true star in this film. The interaction between his character and Julia Roberts’ and Natalie Portman’s is just downright fabulous. There is a reason he was nominated for an Academy Award for best supporting actor for his role in Closer. Natalie Portman comes in a close second and comes across as truly sexy. Her scenes within the strip club are dynamite. Padmé Amidala she is not.

Video

The transfer for Closer is very decent but it won’t blow you away. Mind you, the 1.85:1 presentation is well above its DVD counterpart. The transfer is very, very clean. I didn’t spot any edge enhancement or grain. However, in one scene I did notice some moiré. Skin tones look decent and I didn’t notice any softness to the picture either.

Audio

The audio, and there are plenty of tracks to choose from, is fairly standard and uneventful. The movie is pretty much all center channel aside from a few scenes where music is being played and surrounds come into play. English and Italian 5.1 PCM Uncompressed as well as English, French, Italian, Russian 5.1 Dolby Digital is available.

Special Features

The lone extra is a music video. This is a disappointment.

Final Thoughts

Closer is truly an excellent film. I really felt at times that I was able to place myself in the movie just as if I were reading a book. Clive Owens’s performance, as stated previously, is excellent. If you liked him in Croupier or Children of Men, you’ll really enjoy him in Closer. If you can find this at a good price, this is definitely worth a purchase.