The Trust appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this Blu-Ray Disc. This was an up and down transfer, but it usually looked fine.
Sharpness was the least consistent aspect of the image. Though most of the flick looked accurate and concise, exceptions occurred. The movie could seem strangely soft at times, and not for obvious stylistic reasons.
Despite those instances, I felt the majority of the movie offered nice clarity. No issues with jaggies or moiré effects materialized, and edge haloes were absent. Source flaws failed to become a factor here.
In terms of palette, Trust went with a stylized look. In an unsurprising move, the film emphasized orange and teal to a substantial degree. Those tones seemed acceptable given their limitations. Blacks were reasonably dark and tight, while shadows showed decent to good delineation. Overall, the image looked acceptable, though the issues with sharpness led me to a “B-“ grade.
When I examined the DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack of Trust, I thought it was moderately active and involving. Fairly chatty for a heist movie, the mix used music and atmosphere to nice advantage. These elements created a good sense of place and movement that brought us a decent soundscape, but most obvious action elements failed to appear.
Audio quality was fine. Speech was reasonably crisp and natural, and effects showed good punch. Music was also clear and full. The soundtrack didn’t excel but it connected with the material.
A few extras flesh out the disc, and we get an audio commentary with directors Alex and Benjamin Brewer. The brothers sit together for a running, screen-specific look at story/characters, influences, cast and performances, music, sets and locations, camerawork, and connected elements.
For the most part, the brothers offer a pretty good chat. It takes them a while to get into a groove, but once that occurs, they deliver a fairly involving examination of their film. They toss in funny asides and make this a better than average commentary.
Two featurettes follow. The Dynamics of a Duo runs five minutes, 38 seconds and offers info from Alex and Benjamin Brewer, producer Braxton Pope, and actors Nicolas Cage and Elijah Wood. We get notes about cast, characters and performances. A couple of minor tidbits emerge but most of “Duo” sticks with promotional fluff.
The Visuals of Vegas goes for five minutes, 27 seconds and features Cage, Wood, Alex and Benjamin Brewer, and Pope. “Visuals” looks at cinematography and shooting in Las Vegas. It has more substance than “Duo” but remains fairly superficial.
The disc opens with ads for I Am Wrath, Criminal, Heist, American Heist and Joe. No trailer for The Trust appears here.
After so many bad films over the years, I lost a lot of faith in Nicolas Cage. Happily, The Trust shows him in a positive light, as the comedic heist movie presents a fairly entertaining tale. The Blu-ray offers decent picture and audio as well as a largely entertaining commentary. While not a classic, The Trust works pretty well.