THE BLING RING

THE BLING RING - TRAILER

The film moves at a very deliberate pace, but running less than an hour and a half, it never outstays its welcome. Coppola still displays a problem with tension and building towards any kind of climax, but rather than a film about people simply "being" (which often had come across as tedious), the characters of ‘The Bling Ring’ are caricatures of people, albeit caricatures that people have created of themselves. The excellent cast, headlined by a terrific Emma Watson, improvise and play their way through the wonderlands of these Californian mansions, lending the film an almost documentary feel. Coppola also intercuts the film with flash-forwards to the trial and post-arrest interviews of the characters, cleverly reminding us that this game is going to always come to an end.

There’s no doubt ‘The Bling Ring’ is a satire; a peek into a bizarre facet of celebrity worship we know exists and probably fall into, but never want to admit or talk about. It’s like a TMZ episode created by a visual artist, and never does Coppola allow us to think we truly know or understand these teenagers or why they do what they do. Compared to Harmony Korine’s ‘Spring Breakers’, which covers the same sort of thematic ground, ‘The Bling Ring’ seems a little too clean and clinical, but that doesn’t make it any less entertaining, and is a reminder that, not only does Sofia Coppola know her way around a camera, she also has sense of humour about her.

PICTURE & SOUND
Slick, clean showy, the 1080p 1.85:1 picture on this Blu-ray release of ‘The Bling Ring’ looks as terrific as you would expect. Colour-graded and saturated to create that washed-out Californian look, the transfer gleams with razor-sharp digital clarity. There’s nothing cinematic about the quality of this image, which feels incredibly appropriate for a film of this nature and subject matter. The same can be said for the thumping DTS-HD MA 5.1 track. Say what you will about her films, but Coppola knows how to use music better than most directors, and the highlight of the sound design of the film is its thumping soundtrack of high-end Versace pop, carefully chosen and utilised for maximum effect. This isn’t the kind of disc that you’d use to show off your system to your mates, but it’s another example of how the format can perfectly capture the artistic intent of a talented filmmaker.

SPECIAL FEATURES
We might not have all the features from the U.S. release, but what we do have in the excellent making-of featurette is nothing to scoff at. Free of fluff and packed with insightful interviews, it covers Coppola’s inspiration for the film, the casting process and how best to recreate the homes of the rich and famous, which included filming in Paris Hilton’s actual home. This is certainly a case of behind-the-scenes footage enhancing the experience of a film. The only curio that would have been fun to have from the U.S. release would have been the interview with Hilton about the robberies, which would surely have been great entertainment value.

Click here to read our 4-star review of 'The Bling Ring'.

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