Betrayed (1988)
MGM Home Entertainment
Cast: Debra winger, Tom Berrenger
Extras: Theatrical Trailer
Rating:

’Betrayed’ is a taut and shocking thriller in which Debra Winger plays undercover FBI agent Cathy Weaver, seeking to solve the murder of a highly controversial radio personality. The prime suspect is a handsome widower played by Tom Berrenger and soon Cathy finds herself intrigued by the man who may have killed in cold blood. Convinced he is innocent, she tries to look in other places for clues, but for some reason all signs point to the man she loves.

MGM Home Entertainment is presenting ’Betrayed’ in a widescreen version as well as in a pan and scan transfer on this disc which crops the picture on the sides. The letterboxed version restores the film’s 1.85:1 aspect ratio and is without flaws. Revealing a high level of detail the non-anamorphic print creates a very pleasing image with strong and nicely delineated colors. The color balance is very natural and faithfully renders fleshtones. It creates deep shadows and black while always striking a good balance with the highlights in the image. The transfer does not exhibit any signs of edge enhancement creating a very natural looking and sharp image that never feels sharpened. The compression is well done without pixelation of any sorts, although the source print itself shows some grain in select shots.

This DVD contains English, French and Spanish audio track in Dolby Digital 2.0 channel mix. The track is generally well produced but somewhat lacks the openness and dynamics of modern audio tracks. The frequency response is good. Without notable bass extension or over-emphasis in the high ends, the track is clear throughout.

’Betrayed’ is a stunning and shocking thriller that keeps viewers guessing all the way through. Beautifully photographed and perfectly cast, this is a showcase entry in the genre, so don’t miss it.