What’s the dealio with The Deal? Well… Christian Slater’s in it. Selma Blair’s in it. What’s it about? The Deal is a thriller set in the world of insider trading and the oil market. Sounds like a bore? Well, the film is fairly knowledgable about its information. The screenplay has a lot of “insider” gobbledegook. The characters talk the talk, but can they walk the walk?
The Deal, on a thriller level, gets lost in its own plot. Tom Hanson (Christian Slater) slogs through a maz… of narrative. Too much information, too little time. The world of Wall Street is hard to wrap your head around as it is. The strength of the film lies in its strong cast, sure handed look, and intelligent ideas.
Audio
In Dolby Digital 5.1, the mix is very solid. There is some nice directionality, and at times, the viewer is put in the world of insider trading (whatever that means). The loads of information in this film (some call this dialogue) can be heard distinctly.
Video
The 1.85:1 Widescreen anamorphic transfer looks nice. At times, it’s as sleek as Gordon Gekko’s hair. Other times, graniness sets in. Overall, this is a fairly solid transfer. Nothing spectacular.
Special Features
Just trailers.
Final Thoughts
I was recently watching Oliver Stone’s Wall Street. In constrast to The Deal, Stone’s film has much more clarity. And I’m not just talking in terms of information, but also with the protagonist’s ethical choices. The result is a powerful movie. The Deal needed to follow the KISS principle (keep it simple, stupid). There’s a good movie in there somewhere.
Special Features List
- Trailers
