Sleight - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Sleight



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score: ​

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Movie
Sleight seems to have a strange cover art that doesn’t really let you know WHAT is going on with the film, but the back does clue us in to the fact that we’re dealing with an urban drug film with a kid who really wants out. The subject matter of magic being infused into the story line immediately garnered my attention, as I love the subject of magic, and one of my best friends is a professional magician who makes his circuit all over the U.S. (and sometimes the world depending on the year). Color me a bit surprised when the subject of magic really has little to do with the actually unfolding of events, but rather acts as a catalyst and motivational moment for director J.D. Dillard to propel his protagonist forward into his life. The film is decidedly low budget, and it has a few quirks with the written script, but at the end of the day it is a very fresh take on a tired subject.

Bo (Jacob Latimore) has pretty much had his whole life taken away from him. His parents are dead, his scholarship opportunity declined due to having to take care of his little sister Tina (Storm Reid), and he is forced to use his love of illusion and magic tricks to supplement his “night” job of being a drug pusher for the local dealer. A man named Angelo (Dule Hill). While he is trapped in this L.A. hell, Bo has dreams of getting out and making something of himself. His mechanical know how, and love of magic create a unique opportunity for him, but he’s trapped under the thumb of Angelo and his thugs like most urban kids who get into dealings with powerful men. When he comes up with a plan to cut some of Angelo’s drugs and take the profit for himself, Bo ends up nearly sealing his fate.

Angel naturally catches on to the deception, and gives the young man an ultimatum. Give him TRIPLE the money that he stole from him, or end up like so many of the people who cross the drug dealer. Dead somewhere in a back alley. With the help of his new girlfriend Holly (Seychelle Gabrielle), Bo does his best to scrape together the $45,000 that Angelo wants, but no matter how heard he tries the desperate youth can’t come close. With time closing in on him, Bo has only one chance left. Use his abilities as an illusionist and technical genius to get rid of Angelo once and for all.

Sleight has all of the general trappings of your standard urban drama. A young boy forced into dealing drugs due to his tough living situations, a power mad boss who refuses to let him out. A girlfriend who gives him the strength needed, but all of this given a fresh new coat of paint with HOW director J.D. Dillard weaves his characters and introduces new genre tweaks. It’s the side characters and side plots that really fuel the movies compelling drama, and the ability for the film to seamlessly shift form one genre to the next, while still keeping a coherent base that keeps you feeling like this is something NEW. The magical ability of the young man is fascinating to watch, and even though the use of the electromagnet that is the basis for Bo’s main trick is COMPLETELY outside of the realm of logical engineering (at least in how it seems to be able to adapt to a myriad of outcomes), it adds a distinctly invigorating vibe to the experience.

The flaws that come into the film have mainly to do with Holly and some awkward dialog from J.D. Dillard and co-writer Alex Theurer. Holly is not really as fleshed out as she really could be, and her ability to just give Bo her life savings in the blink of an eye while following him blindly just doesn’t seem real thanks to not enough backstory to her situation. Jacob Latimore is the real pull here though, as he manages to give a compelling performance that is ripe with all of the raw emotion that a youth in his situation is faced with. Desperation, hope, excitement, fear, and complete naivety in the face of a situation he was never prepared for. It’s a fantastic performance, and is able to sell the over the top ending confrontation with Angelo in a manner that belies the ludicrous nature of the event.




Rating:

Rated R for language throughout, drug content and some violence




Video:

Sleight is a rather dreary and shadowy looking affair, and although it handles most of this rather competently considering the shoestring budget, it does have a few digital flaws. There is some outdoor and shiny looking scenes with Bo performing tricks, but a majority of the film is spent in the shadows (both figuratively and literally). There’s a light yellow hue to the film that gives a sickly look to skin tones, and the contrast levels are a bit out of wack with black levels suffering a bit. Crush is prominent and there is some pretty nasty color banding near the end when Bo storms Angelo’s home for the final confrontation (the flickering light in the dimly lit house has the entire screen warping with it). Strangely enough there looks like the camera angels are a little off kilter too, with a few times where it looks like the far left and right of the screen is slightly distorted (most noticeably when people walk from the sides over to the center). There’s still plenty of fine detail to go around, and Sleight looks solid enough, it just had a few technical and stylistic problems that keep it from being a piece of eye candy.





Audio:

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA track is rather good, but it does display some of the limitations of a low budget drama. A majority of the action is really in the front sound stage, with dialog taking front and center, with a few moments of boisterous activity that fill out the experience. When Bo heads into the club it can get pretty intense, with some incredible LFE and a sense of very healthy immersion. Then it fades back to normal with heavy dialog and some humming in the background when the drug dealing magician uses his electromagnet for a trick. Surrounds tend to be GOOD, but never really that intense, as the front three speakers take up the bulk of the heavy lifting. The pulsing beat to the movie adds some background noise, and certainly fill the low end with some nice mid bass, but the low budget nature of the track doesn’t allow for a lot of nuance.

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Extras:

• Previews

Final Score: ​

There’s some definite character and script flaws to Sleight, but it happens to be one of the more inventive dramas I’ve seen in quite some time. I’m never sure what exactly to make of the genre, as it shifts from melodramatic urban drama with a young boy wanting out of a life of a crime, to a romantic coming of age film, all the way to an almost superheroish nature that allows for the character to stretch and grow outside of the standard genre conventions. While I fully recognize the hiccups and teething issues of the script and direction, I thoroughly enjoyed the oddball drama and think that another viewing very well may pull back more onion layers of the experience. The Blu-ray looks ok, and sounds solid, but the story is the real pull here, despite the lack of any real extras besides a handful of previews. Recommended as a good watch.




Technical Specifications:

Starring: Jacob Latimore, Seychelle Gabriel, Dule Hill
Directed by: J.D. Dillard
Written by: J.D. Dillard, Alex Theurer
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, English DVS DD 2.0 Stereo
Studio: Universal
Rated: R
Runtime: 90 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: August 1st, 2017

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• Michael Scott
• May 11, 2017

Recommendation: Good Watch

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I do enjoy good stories so will add this to my watch list.