4K Blu-ray Review: Conclave

Synopsis: Based on the critically acclaimed, best-selling book of the same name, CONCLAVE follows one of the world's most secretive and ancient events – selecting the new pope. Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is tasked with running this covert process after the unexpected death of the beloved Pope. Once the Catholic Church's most powerful leaders have gathered from around the world and are locked together in the Vatican halls, Lawrence uncovers a trail of deep secrets left in the dead Pope's wake, secrets which could shake the foundations of the Church.

Main Features: Having been raised Catholic, I was immediately intrigued with the Conclave form the start. Despite having "lapsed" from the faith awhile ago, I still have the habit (no pun intended) of recognizing some of the Church's practices, teachings and structures from time to time. My somewhat agnostic view questioning the religion of my youth is one that came in handy for this film--a chamber play political thriller infused with a detective mystery--because there is a certain amount of the same needed by the characters. Faith in their fellows, faith in the procedures, and faith in their theology. The political maneuvering does have the audience questioning their own faith in the characters and their motives, in turn leaving us not fully aware of what path this story is leading us down and to. I knew going into my viewing of it that the film's destination is one of total curve ball, one that you either buy into or you don't. With the film's impressive build that hooked me in, is this ending one I buy into? Well... I am split. It's certainly one to process. From what I understand, it is one that is pretty faithful to the source novel. So any reservations I may have to this twist--and I do have some--could be directed to the author's decision. Without spoiling, it's a radical one. That aside, it should not take away from director Edward Berger's decisions for his film adaptation of it. He ensures the pacing of the film is steady and visually engaging. The performances he gets out of the stacked cast is the centerpiece. Fiennes gives great subtle work here, a quiet boiling to the climax. He plays it like a film noir detective without the narration--his mind is a confessional, private, only revealing motives and thoughts in dialogue. Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow also play great supporting work, too, as potential new Popes. The legend that is Isabella Rossellini gives an almost silent film performance that is heavily weighted even more so when she delivers her few yet powerful bits of dialogue--a performance that factors deeply into the film's fabric. Ultimately, the viewer's opinion of the film's quality is likely to hinge on their subjective reaction to the twist ending. For me, the third act soured the film's impressive first two acts.

Bonus Features: These are pretty scant. An impressive commentary track with Berger is a sound compliment from a well-versed filmmaker. A very basic making-of is added with a digital copy. Maybe a boutique home entertainment studio may delve into a deeper coverage sometime in the future. 

Final Call: Conclave has a system of anticipation to a radical conclusion that factors heavily in the faith of it's characters and its viewers, hoping those hooked into it's quality first two-thirds remain in their seats for the finale.

Grade: B-