BLU-RAY REVIEW: Tower Heist

[JessHorsley]

Ben Stiller & Eddie Murphy lead in this hilarious new home video...

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When Tower Heist first hit theaters, I had no desire to see it. In all honesty, I really didn't know what to expect and had low expectations. It sounded like an action comedy that'd been done before with a cast past its prime. Thankfully, I was wrong.

With the film helmed by director Brett Ratner (famous for his Rush Hour series of comedies) and featuring a talented cast including Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Casey Afflect, Alan Alda, Matthew Broderick, Tea Leoni, Michael Pena, and Gabourey Sidibe, Tower Heist is full of fun, adventure, and laughs. The film's story is timely and straight forward: a wealthy businessman and the owner of the penthouse suite in a luxury tower in New York City (Alda) is investigated for fraud. The staff of the building stays loyal to their tenant until it's discovered the businessman lost all of the staff's investments and pensions. Suddenly, a group of staff find themselves determined to steal back all they've lost.

Timely as the film's plot is social commentary on the current economic situation, Tower Heist takes both a dramatic and hilarious look at what these hardworking condominium staff do when they find out they've been taken for all they've saved. While serious in its subject matter, the way in which the characters handle the situation is laugh-out-loud funny. Well-paced and often unpredictable, the script - written by Ted Griffin of TV's Terriers and Jeff Nathanson of Rush Hour 2 & 3 - delivers plenty of smart, witty dialogue and action. While the story can seems ridiculous at times, the ridiculousness helps keep the movie exciting.

While by no means the best film any of these actors have been in, Tower Heist is still not the worst they've been in either. Full of fun and often exciting, Tower Heist is a movie well worth watching for most comedy film fans.

The 1080p video transfer is great and features bright, bold colors, tight movement, and no distortion. Likewise, the film's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track makes for an engaging experience. Dialogue is crisp and clear from the center speaker while surround sound effects pour through sides and rear speakers and embrace viewers in the experience.

Tower Heist on home video includes the film on Blu-ray, DVD and Ultraviolet digital copy as well as a variety of special features, including an audio commentary with Director Brett Ratner, editor Mark Helfrich and co-writers Ted Griffin and Jeff Nathanson. Engaging and fun, the foursome provide plenty of insight and information as well as laughs throughout the film. Two U-Control Experience tracks provide additional information throughout the film, a Picture-in-Picture pop up and a "Music of Tower Heist" featurette while a Second Screen Interactive Experience provides viewers with a portable data device another option.

Other special features include a 23-minute "Brett Ratner's Video Diary," a six-part, 45-minute "Plotting Tower Heist," 6 minutes of alternate scenes, and 3 minutes of "Alternate Endings" for those who aren't fans of the theatrical release's finale. Lastly, for those who didn't get enough laughs in the film, there's a 4-minute "Gag Reel" that's enjoyable and well worth watching.

Overall, Tower Heist is simple fun with some decent drama and good action. It's nothing too original or memorable, but it's well worth watching and a great way to spend 105 minutes.

Tower Heist is rated PG-13 for language and sexual content and is available now on blu-ray, DVD, and digital copy.

- Jess C. Horsley