Black Butterfly - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Black Butterfly

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

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Movie
Black Butterfly has it splashed all over the front cover that the movie is “A killer story with a twist”, and that is EXACTLY what we’re getting here. Twists and more twists. The film is a remake of a French film called Papillion Noir by Herve Korian, but is SUBSTANTIALLy less entertaining than the old thriller. The crux of the film is misdirection and warped twists, forcing the viewer to keep their focus on what is happening, all the while holding on to the rug underneath their feet and planning to sweep it out for the inevitable double cross at the end. Now, double cross films with twists and 180 degree turn arounds are nothing new, and certainly can be as entertaining as any other genre, but Black Butterfly’s twists are so hilariously over the top and bizarre that you’re left saying to yourself “wait? Did that just ACTUALLY happen?! No way). The only saving grace that the film has is the chemistry between Banderas and Rhys Meyers (which is actually quite good), a saving grace that just isn’t enough to make the movies incredibly nonsensical twist near the end (with a second twist that just guts the impact of the movie) more palatable.

We open up the film with Antonio Banderas tied up to a chair, where he is being held captive by a rabid fan named Jack (Jonathan Rhys Meyers). Jumping forward a bit we’re privy to seeing a family out in nature, with the mother ending up kidnapped (even though no one makes note of the fact that there are people EVERYWHERE). Once again we’re privy to ANOTHER jump in time, this time back where we see Paul (Banderas) struggling to get through writer’s block in his rustic Colorado home. The problem is, no one wants to buy his scripts anymore, and he’s living all alone in that cabin after his wife left him a few years back. His house isn’t selling, even with the help of real estate agent Laura (Piper Perabo) doing her best, and booze has become the only pleasure left in his life. After an altercation at a cafe with a disgruntled trucker, Paul is introduced to a wandering traveler Jack, who ends up saving his bacon from the trucker.

Picking up the wanderer and giving him a lift and a hot meal, Paul soon finds himself stuck with the young guy as Jack ingratiates his way into the writer’s life. Cooking and cleaning mixed with some physical labor as payment for Paul’s goodwill soon turns into something more sinister when Jack starts to push harder and harder on the writer as he writes his story. Soon Paul has become a hostage in his own house as Jack refuses to leave and forces the author to finish his story. A story that is soon becoming JACK’s story.

Black Butterfly is going to initially REALLY remind you of Misery, except instead of Kathy Bates as the crazed lunatic, it’s Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Jack lords his sinister nature and obvious prison background over the drunken old writer, and keeps him there against his will. However, the difference in the two stories has to do with the twists. As I said in the opening lines above, the movie is advertised as “A killer story with a twist”. To be more accurate there are TWO twists, and each one really sucks the life out of the movie. I’m not going to spoil WHAT the twists are, but let me say that the first twist is so ludicrous and out of left field that it just flies in the face of all logical thought. I was sitting there actually laughing at the screen as the twist unfolds wondering if they were actually being serious. The movie up until that point was a sinister little thriller with some nice chemistry between Banderas and Rhys Meyers, but then it just completely fish flops on its ear and leaves you wondering just who agreed to insert this plot hole ridden story line into the film. The SECOND one really feels like a cheat though. Again, I won’t tell you what it is, but it completely saps the goodwill created so far (even with the lunacy of the first twist) and makes you feel like you’ve just been sucker punched or cheated out of a good ending.

While the movie is not great, the first 2/3rds are actually quite decent, and that is mainly to do with Rhys Meyers doing such a good job as Jack. He’s menacing, creepy, and decidedly forceful, which allows for some great suspense between him and the drunken author that he’s captured in his own home. Banderas does a good job, but tends to mumble just a bit too much (I had to turn on the subtitles), and he was REALLY struggling by the time the end twist came a long. A fault I don’t lay on his shoulders as the twists and turns and mental gymnastics needed to make that little bit of story work would be enough to test any great actor to their limits. Piper Perabo is really there as eye candy (and she is gorgeous eye candy) as the film is really a two man act with a few cameos from other people here and there.




Rating:

Rated R for Language




Video:

While I can’t OFFICIALLY conclude that Black Butterfly is a digital shoot, the special features do kind of tip their hand by showing digital cameras (I BELIEVE they’re Arri Alexa cameras, but I couldn’t tell with a passing glance). As with all digital shoots, the image is rather glossy and clean of any grain like substance, leaving us with a clean and sharp looking image. The colors tend to lean towards the cooler end of the spectrum, with cool blues soft greens dominating the darker shots, while outdoor sequences are more natural and soft. Fine detailing is excellent throughout, although I did notice some murky black levels inside of Paul’s rustic home. It’s a solid transfer, and one that should please most people easily.








Audio:

While the 5.1 DTS-HD MA track won’t really wow a whole lot of people, it is a very straight forward and stable audio mix for sure. Dialog is well placed up front, and the random surround activity (such as when Jack is running up on top of the roof) shows some solid directionality. LFE is tight and clean, adding weight to the shotgun blasts or the roar of a 4x4 engine. There’s not much to say about the track besides that it is very stable, and does a working man’s job of getting things done. The track is wildly dynamic, but it does everything asked of it with clean precision.






Extras:

• Commentary with Director Brian Goodman and Co-Writer Marc Frydman
• Black Butterfly: Backstage Featurette

Final Score: ​

Black Butterfly is NOT a great movie, but it has a rather good tone to it for the first hour. The movie just tries WAY too hard to be clever in the wrap up, effectively ruining the goodwill and tension that came before it with a ridiculous twist that made even me bang my head against the wall. The two man interaction between Banderas and Rhys Meyers is quite good, and that’s really where we get most of the enjoyment from. The Lionsgate Blu-ray looks and sounds excellent, and the minimal extras (while slim) are rather intriguing. Especially the commentary. Honestly though, I would keep this one on the back burner for a low rental, as it’s too good to warrant a blanket “skip it”, but not good enough to unequivocally give it two thumbs up.
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Technical Specifications:

Starring: Antonio Banderas, Piper Perabo, Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Directed by: Brian Goodman
Written by: Marc Frydman, Justin Stanley
Aspect Ratio: 2.39.1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1
Studio: Lionsgate
Rated: R
Runtime: 94 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: July 25th, 2017

Image

• Michael Scott
• May 11, 2017

Recommendation: Low Rental

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I will skip this one and try to check out the French version Papillon Noir.
Hopefully It is available at one of the libraries near me that carries foreign movies..