Blu-ray Review: THE VETERAN – Awesome, Gritty British Thriller!
A solid, entertaining and engaging British action film is slightly let down by a rather basic release.
With a host of post-Iraq/Afghanistan war films currently being produced, viewers could be forgiven for considering the genre a tired one. Matthew Hopes The Veteran, however, will make you sit back and re-think this in a blaze of bullets and social commentary. Out now on Blu-ray and DVD, our review follows. Robert Bobby Miller (Toby Kebbell) returns home to his Croydon council estate having served in Afghanistan. Shocked by the gang community now running the streets of his hometown, he begins to feel hes swapped one warzone for another. Further disillusioned by his inability to find a decent job, with the help of his friend and former comrade Danny (Tom Brooke), Miller takes on an assignment for an undercover security firm run by Gerry Langdon (Brian Cox) and Dannys brother Chris (Tony Curran). Tasked with trying to help keep the streets free from terrorism, Miller finds himself tailing a group of suspects and an informant who has failed to make contact for some time. After meeting the informant, Alayna (Adi Bielski), Miller begins to develop feelings for her, leading him to question the true intentions of the agency Meanwhile, Miller also tries to clean up his own community in his attempts to break up the gang violence that afflicts the estate, which leads him to a run in with gang leader Jones (Ashley Bashy Thomas). But has he bitten off more than one man can chew? This gritty British thriller is one of the best Ive seen in a while (to be fair though, I havent really watched many recently, which may be why The Veteran was so enjoyable). Broaching the subject of terrorism, gang culture and government corruption in the UK and blending this with the adjustment soldiers have to make after returning home from the conflict in the Middle East, the film has its fingers in many pies. Perhaps because of its efforts to comment upon so many issues, it appears to spread itself too thinly over each of them, causing it to have very little effect in its comments. Therefore, viewers can sit back and enjoy the mindless and rather over-the-top action without feeling like a political or social agenda is really at play behind the narrative. When The Veteran is viewed in such a manner it becomes a really entertaining action-packed thriller. 
Suspenseful in a number of places, with an absorbing and engaging plot, the film will appeal to audiences on a number of levels. Elements of the spy television series Spooks converge with a tone that was evident in abundance in the gung-ho 80s action films that we all know and love to create a film that is uniquely British in its narrative, but somehow larger than life in an American blockbuster when it comes to its action. The final sequence is really rather ridiculous, as Miller goes on his one man vigilante shooting spree, but it also harkens back to what we enjoy in those classic action flicks from 80s Hollywood (think Die Hard-esque shoot em up style on a Croydon council estate!). The action is backed up by a host of solid performances from a number of key players. Toby Kebbell is very good at capturing the emotionless machine Miller is in the more violent sequences, but is equally successful at demonstrating the characters emotional and physical problems from his years of service in the more profound and dramatic scenes. He manages to give a performance that simultaneously makes Miller a man we can sympathise with and pity, as well as someone we know we should also fear as an audience. Brian Coxs character may be rather predictable, but he plays his government bureaucrat with equal doses of wit and malice, making him a man we despise but views we can understand and appreciate. Adi Bielski is proficient within her role as the informant, someone who viewers dont know to trust immediately. Bielski is successful playing her dramatic scenes with Kebbell and equally as believable wielding a gun (something she had plenty of real-life experience of during her time in the Iranian Army). The supporting cast give good portrayals of their characters, which range from Eastern European thugs to ex-servicemen, through gang leaders and their cronies. The overall solid nature of the performances helps make The Veteran a very realistic film in places and just about believable in the more outrageously action-packed moments. QUALITY
The film looks suitably gritty and grubby on this Blu-ray release, giving it an intense reality that can often be lost through the near perfect sheen of high definition releases. A certain amount of grain is noticeable in a number of scenes, but rather than detracting from the viewing experience as it might with a large scale Hollywood blockbuster, it helps submerge audiences deeper into the narrative and location. Images are clear and crisp despite the grain and even the more elaborate wounds remain authentic looking despite the unforgiving nature of HD on special effects. The audio is similarly proficient, with dialogue free of any background hiss or interference for the most part. The dialogue is generally audible throughout, although some softer spoken or whispered lines are not always as clear as one might hope. The general ambient sound fills the speakers, with gunshots and sirens mixing seamlessly with the more common sounds of footsteps and distant shouting. The disturbed musical soundtrack is also clear and adds a certain strength to key emotional or action-filled scenes. EXTRAS
A basic array of bonus features accompany the film, as follows: Interviews Including writer/director Matthew Hope, leading man Toby Kebbell and supporting actors Brian Cox, Adi Bielski and Ashley Bashy Thomas, these brief interviews cover a range of topics from character development to motivations and wider subjects. Offering the viewer a deeper glance at the film in a relatively short time, these interviews are interesting but far too shallow. Behind the Scenes Literally capturing things behind the camera alone, this is definitely not a making of documentary! Without much interaction between cast and crew and the behind the scenes cameraman, this short segment is simply a fly on the wall look at setting various scenes and preparing for takes. Really rather dull (even so when I released that filming for one scene took place in a hotel I stayed at recently!). Deleted Scenes Comprising of two unseen scenes an extended one and an alternative one, these deleted scenes predominantly show more of the burgeoning relationship between Alayna and Miller but little else. Whilst viewers will understand why these slower scenes were absent from the final cut, it may have helped develop the narrative more cohesively had they remained. The extended scenes bear little difference from what was used in the released version and barely qualify as special features! Theatrical Trailer a guns-blazing trailer that will immediately suck viewers into this grim urban action-thriller! Film: 4 out of 5 Whilst The Veteran may be riddled with a few clichés and some rather over-the-top action, it remains a thoroughly entertaining and tense watch. On a deeper level, issues such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and the nature of the politically unstable times that we live in are raised and tackled with gumption, making it a solid and thought provoking feature. Visuals: 3.5 out of 5 Whilst the high definition transfer isnt without its flaws, the grain and grit evident within the images help create an authentically gritty and realistic portrait of gang-stricken London. The reality of the images will certainly help viewers ignore any possible complaints of the quality by submerging them further into the narrative. Audio: 4 out of 5 Clean and clear dialogue blends with speaker-filling background noise and special effects, which leads to a veritable delight for audiences ears! Extras: 2 out of 5 Whilst there are a few supplementary features here, its a rather paltry effort. The interviews are the most absorbing extra, but even these fail to enlighten viewers any more than only superficially. A good, in depth making of documentary would have gone down a treat and would have allowed for more time to analyse the darker elements of the narrative and characters. Presentation: 3 out of 5 The action-filled cover of the Bluray makes The Veteran look like a cheap, gung-ho shoot em up action flick, which will be sorely misleading for many viewers. Whilst the film does have some exciting moments of violent action, there is a much more complex and brooding element to the narrative that moves it away from the typical throwaway action-thriller. Menus are relatively dull, with nothing that makes them stand out other than their ease of navigation. Overall: 3.5 out of 5 A solid, entertaining and engaging British action film is slightly let down by a rather basic release. However, dont let the lack of in depth bonus material and the presence of a misleading front cover put you off checking The Veteran out! The Veteran is out now on Blu-ray.