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The Brutalist
[Blu-ray 4K]
Blu-ray ALL - America - A24 Review written by and copyright: Noor Razzak (4th June 2025). |
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The Film
 Brady Corbet’s "The Brutalist" is a meditative, ambitious, and emotionally austere drama that immerses the viewer in a world where architecture, exile, and identity intersect under the long shadow of 20th-century upheaval. Told with formal rigor and painterly restraint, the film follows Hungarian Jewish architect László Toth (Adrien Brody) as he emigrates to the United States after World War II and attempts to shape not only buildings but a new life amid personal and political contradictions. Brody’s performance is understated but powerful—his László is a man deeply shaped by loss, choosing silence and structure over chaos and expression. A performance that earned Brody his second Oscar for Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role. Felicity Jones, as his wife Erzsébet, brings emotional complexity to a role that could easily have been overshadowed by the film’s conceptual ambitions. Their relationship is strained, ambiguous, and quietly devastating, mirroring the emotional repression that defines the film’s worldview. Corbet’s direction is meticulous, often opting for long, contemplative takes and a tightly controlled visual palette. The cinematography by Lol Crawley is stark and immaculate, evoking the isolating textures of concrete and steel. Choosing to shoot the film in a variety of formats that include some scenes in 16mm, some in Super 35mm, Techniscope, and VistaVision, which was the primary format for the majority of the film. This is a widescreen format that runs 35mm film horizontally through the camera to create eight perforation film frames, twice the size and resolution of standard four perforation 35mm. The result is beautiful and full of detail with the reasoning being that this film format was most commonly used in the 1950's and this film primarily takes place in that era. An effort that also garnered Crowley the Oscar for Best Cinematography. Matched with Daniel Blumberg’s Oscar winning score provides a ghostly and restrained element, further amplifying the film’s somber tone without tipping into melodrama. Stylistically, "The Brutalist" lives up to its name—cold surfaces, minimalist compositions, and a structure that mirrors the uncompromising aesthetics of the architectural movement it references. But rather than celebrating brutalism’s monolithic beauty, Corbet interrogates it as both a metaphor and a burden: a symbol of postwar resilience and authoritarian rigidity. László’s work becomes a reflection of his trauma—his buildings as impassive and haunted as he is. Yet, for all its formal elegance and philosophical ambition, "The Brutalist" may alienate viewers who seek narrative momentum or emotional catharsis. Its pace is deliberate to a fault, and its intellectual austerity can come across as distancing. The film resists easy interpretation or engagement, preferring opacity over accessibility. It is, in many ways, the cinematic equivalent of its titular architecture: imposing, abstract, and unconcerned with popular appeal. Ultimately, "The Brutalist" is a challenging but rewarding experience—an art film in the purest sense. It reflects Corbet’s continued interest in the intersections of politics, aesthetics, and psychology. While it may not be universally embraced, it stands as a bold statement about how trauma is not only lived but built into the very structures we inhabit.
Video
Presented in the film's original theatrical ratio of 1.66:1 this widescreen ratio is presented in 4K 2160p 24/fps mastered in HEVC codec and presented with SDR. The film's visual language was presented in the VistaVision format which was transferred to 70mm film print for theatrical exhibition, this format is perfect for 4K presentation as it retains a lot more detail than standard 35mm formats. The result here in A24's presentation is both terrific and also confusing simply for the lack of HDR or Dolby Vision enhancement. I'm not sure what the reasoning is behind delivering a transfer that only features SDR, this is exactly the type of film that would benefit with the enhancement that HDR and Dolby Vision offer. In saying that, the image is fairly strong. The detail is excellent, black levels are deep and bold, grain structure is retained and looks good. Colors are well presented, skin tones look great, and overall the image is pretty good all things considered.
Audio
Two audio tracks are included in English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround mixed at 48kHz and 24-bit, as well as an English Audio Descriptive Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track. The Master Audio soundtrack does a fantastic job of immersing the viewer with solid and clean dialogue, brilliantly active yet subtle surround channels and a score that provides an incredible emotional component to the film. No complaints here, the audio is top notch. Optional subtitles are included in English for the hearing impaired and Spanish.
Extras
A24 has included on a pair of extras in an audio commentary and a featurette. Below is a closer look at these supplements. First up is a feature-length audio commentary with director of photography Lol Crawley, Crowley takes us through the process of shooting this film in a format that hasn't been used in over 60 years and the challenges it posed, he comments on the stylistic choices, the lighting techniques, and on creating the look with the film's director among other things. While this is an interesting track it could have benefitted with the participation of the film's director. The only other supplement is "The Architects of The Brutalist" featurette (24:23), this features some interviews with key cast and crew as they comment on the film and its themes.
Packaging
Packaged in a cardboard slip-case and includes 6 art cards.
Overall
"The Brutalist" is a visually striking, emotionally restrained exploration of exile and expression, It's a film that demands patience but offers cerebral and artistic rewards in return. It’s not an easy film to love, but it is a film to reckon with.
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