PU-239 - DVD review

There is a joke in "Pu-239," maybe the only joke in the entire film, centering on the pronunciation of the title element (weapons grade plutonium, in case you didn't know). Former nuclear power planet worker Timofey (Paddy Considine) is trying to sell a very small amount of the plutonium in an outdoor Russian market. He is holding a sign labeled, unsurprisingly, Pu-239. Local thug Shiv (Oscar Isaac) asks what "Poo-239" is. After a moment, Shiv starts shouting, asking the shoppers if they want to buy any "poo." Juvenile humor? Sure. But this moment-intended or not-lightens the mood, giving the film a brief levity to counteract the dark and depressing remaining 90-ish minutes.

When an accident at a top secret facility subjects family man Timofey to massive doses of radiation, he takes it upon himself to plan for his wife and son. He decides to steal the plutonium and sell it to the highest bidder in Moscow. Problem is he gets mixed up with Shiv, who owes $3,000 for blowing up the wrong storefront for his boss after the owner doesn't pay the protection fee. When these two get together, both fathers and desperate, nothing good results.

"Pu-239" has a fascinating pedigree. Peter Berg (both televised versions of "Friday Night Lights"), Steven Soderbergh (the "Ocean's" flicks) and George Clooney are all counted as executive producers here. Director Scott Z. Burns wrote the last Jason Bourne installment. Both Considine and Radha Mitchell, who plays his wife Marina, can count mainstream Hollywood films on their credits (him in "The Bourne Ultimatum" and she was in "Finding Neverland," among others). I mention these names to demonstrate a lineage, a track record of accomplished writers, directors, actors and producers both in front of and behind the camera. And to mention how the adapted screenplay falls completely apart by pairing Shiv and Timofey for the majority of the second half of the production.

Not that either is a bad actor; they aren't, especially Isaac in only his third credited acting role. He plays Shiv with all the false bravado we would expect of the character: a young man with a moral compass trying to do the right thing, yet also stuck in a role he doesn't want. That's never clearer than at the end of the film when Timofey and Shiv discuss their son's. Specifically, what they would do for them. You see, every action (or non action) is designed to look out for the children. Timofey because he wants his to have money for a future; Shiv wants to be there for his son (he is threatened with death if the restitution money isn't paid). Yet the kids take a back seat to what essentially becomes a buddy movie in the end.

While our emotions are piqued for Timofey as he goes through the stages of radiation poisoning, for some reason he never coalesces into a real person. Marina never fully grasps the situation, based on Mitchell's performance, though she should according to the dialogue. She's oddly detached from everything going on around her. The one moment of when it all appears to come together is at the end. Again, though, we wonder if she truly gets it or is just posturing. Even a scene in which she talks to Timofey for the last time is devoid of any heart, most likely because they are being listened to. We miss too many of the pieces to form a coherent family life for them. As such, they're all people we don't get emotionally attached to.

Deep down, when Timofey initially hatches his plan, we know nothing good can come of it. So it's really no surprise when…nothing good comes of it. With each passing minute, particularly as night falls in Moscow, his goal becomes more and more distant. We feel that on a basic level. Not only has Timofey failed himself, but also his family while, at the same time, Shiv has failed his own son. More than plutonium or black market deals, "Pu-239" is about the responsibility a father feels toward his son. Strip away the half hearted attempts at comic relief-they don't work-or the nearly misogynistic (though true) attitudes toward women in Russia. The rest, as far as I'm concerned, is filler, a reason for ostensibly making the movie.

A moment should be spent on the look of "Pu-239," an American production filmed in Romania. The scenes taking place at the nuclear facility and in the surrounding areas are bathed in a sterile, isolating blue while the rest of the production warms up to a certain extent. It's not a typical bright American picture, with easily differentiated blacks and whites (owing to the story as well). Full of contrast and never letting us see the entire picture, the production team created a look which is decidedly non-American for an American film. The shadowy look serves the material well, never telling us who to root for or against. It's as nebulous and non-committal about the subject as the characters tend to be.

VIDEO:
The original 1.85:1 aspect ratio is faithfully reproduced on the disc, anamorphically encoded, delivering a grimy and dirty presentation benefiting the subject material. I didn't notice any outstanding problems with the transfer, but that's also to be expected from a 2006 production. One of the most fascinating aspects of the video specs is how every color-dark or light-comes across with all the aplomb it can muster without being offensive or stand out from everything else too much. After all, one of the unspoken dictates Timofey lives under after he leaves his home is to be under the radar. The transfer follows the same dictum: do what it needs to do without being showy. Blacks are deep and prevalent while the production is modestly lit. This is a first class transfer from HBO.

AUDIO:
Another in a line of quiet HBO products with 5.1 tracks for no good reason. Don't get me wrong: I will always fully support the inclusion of the best and most dynamic audio options whether the material justifies the use or not. There are no discernible issues with the track; it's free of hissing, pops or other imperfections. Considering every character speaks in an accent of some kind, it's no small feat I didn't have to employ the English subtitles at any time in the movie. This isn't a dynamic or reference disc simply because not much happens in it. However, it is on par with the video encode in terms of quality.

EXTRAS:
The only extra we have is a commentary track with writer/director Scott Z. Burns and producer Peter Berg. These men are friends outside of the film and as such almost forget they're recording the track for a wider audience. Berg finds himself in the role of moderator more often than not, prompting Burns with questions about the production. In the grand scheme of behind the scenes tracks like this, there are better and there are worse. It's the friendship here which gets in the way, making it a laborious ride to get through without giving up despite the wealth of information being presented.

PARTING THOUGHTS:
"Pu-239" left me cold, as if everything we had experienced with Timofey and Shiv was for naught in the end. And, to be honest, it is. Shiv won't be there for his son, Timofey fails in securing his family's future. Even a coda in which two hapless thugs start snorting the plutonium does nothing but elicit a sigh. The entire film thinks it's so smart, so important it feels the need to introduce these comic elements to lighten the load. Was this a part of the original short story? Possibly, and if so, then the blame should be divided amongst Burns for writing the adapted screenplay and Ken Kalfus for the original. Would it have been so hard to make the movie amount to anything in the end?