Catherine (Julianne Moore) and David Stewart (Liam Neeson) are married, but deep within their private confinements there’s problems. Their failing marriage and distance from David makes Catherine feel insecure. Catherine plans and throws a secret party that David fails to attend. This of course, raises suspicion from Catherine about her husband cheating on her. Catherine finds a txt message from a student of David’s and decides to go find the truth. Catherine encounters Chloe (Amanda Seyfried), a prostitute, who she quickly asked to try and seduce her husband in order to find out if he can be faithful. Chloe reports back, but she also tells Catherine that their meets are more frequent and they led to sexual acts. Catherine finds herself trapped in Chloe’s setup before things get out of control.
Chloe isn’t entirely what you think it is, at least that’s what Atom Egoyan want to make you believe. Chloe is Egoyan’s type of film as he has a knack for making films that will confuse its viewers by taking them on a certain route, but completely going to the opposite direction. His ability to have a mix of emotions and still manage to have a watchable quality film is rather impressive. If you have seen other Atom Egoyan film you’ll know this is one of the things he does best. The film has a few more elements that make it such a dark story like deceit, lies, and confusion. Everything is exceptionally planned and the pacing plays a huge role on how the movie will ultimately evolve. When I first saw the film there was something that gave me a feeling of complexity. Again, there’s much more going on than what it seems. The psychological factor that plays throughout the film helps the director throw curve balls at the viewers, which also helps to keep viewers wondering what’s going on.
The next best part about Chloe was the cast of Julianne Moore, Amanda Seyfried, and Liam Neeson. It was a complete surprise to me to see Amanda Seyfried in this role keeping in mind there’s some nudity involved with it. Amanda Seyfried appears to be at the top of her game so this role took me by surprise; however, I was completely taken back by how good she was. Amanda Seyfried and Julianne Moor are excellent, embracing the erotic and sexual theme roles and delivering top-notch performances. Seyfried shows how versatile she can and not holding anything back. Julianne Moore is a heck of an actor and no one will say otherwise. She too manages to give everything without a problem. Moore’s ability to handle all different emotions is commendable. Liam Neeson’s character wasn’t as protagonist as the Seyfried and Moore, but his performance is excellent. Neeson’s ability to flow without a problem through each scene and following along with the story is really great. To say that these actors did an excellent job is really an understatement.
Chole is a nice film to look at, the cinematography is one of the reasons the film got a high score. Chole is shot with a 1:85.1 aspect ratio, all lovingly wrapped in seductive 1080p AVC transfer. There is a slight, but not really there film grain, on all accounts grain haters and lovers will be pleased. Colors are bright and skin tones really nice are spot on fitting the film perfectly. Black levels are perfectly reproduced and never Chloe has an impressive level of detail. Whether is a close up shot revealing the skins imperfections, the details in and around the buildings, clothing, etc. it all looks magnificent. Chloe looks good all around. Kudos Sony!
The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio lossless track used in Chloe has its ups and downs. The film is a primarily a dialogue driven film, but that isn’t to say your home theater won’t be used correctly. The dialogue has no problems coming out the center channel as is very clear. The ambience and atmospheric effects are constantly flowing through the rears with precise directionality. The score sounds very good as well. Overall, Chloe sounds great.
Introducing Chloe: The Making of Chloe Directed by Atom Egoyan: Pretty much every one is patting them selves on the back. They really don’t go to what this film is. It’s just I did this; I wrote the script and based it on my self (in my own interpretation). All in all you can avoid this extra.
Commentary with actress Amanda Seyfried, Director Atom Egoyan, and writer Erin Cressida Wilson: This is a very informative commentary dealing with everything from what Chloe was based on, themes, anecdotes, the score, and more. It’s very well done and lively so I suggest you pay extra attention.
Deleted Scenes: There are only two. Judging by them, they could have done well in the film.
Theatrical Trailer – Chloe’s movie trailer
Sony Trailers – A Single Man, The Secret in Their Eyes, The Runaways, The Square, Damages, The Pillars of the Earth, A Prophet, and Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky.
BD-Live Functionality
Chloe is another one of Atom Egoyan’s great work. His directional ability certainly helped him get the best out of his star cast, a cast that not only did an excellent job, but also went above and beyond, especially Amanda Seyfried and Julianne Moore. The video and audio transfers are excellent and perfectly fitting for the film. The supplements are only saved by a well-spoken and informational audio commentary. Chloe can be confusing and difficult to follow, but I still recommend at least a rent.
The screen captures are only a small representation of what the Blu-ray looks like and are not representative of Blu-ray’s true quality.
