Movie: Mr. & Mrs. Smith is a slight story about a couple undergoing marriage counseling after being married for several years ("5 or 6") and finding that time is wearing their patience for one another pretty thin. As with most married couples, they each have secrets but in this case, their biggest secrets are the fact that they both work for rival spy agencies that deploy them throughout the world to take care of various problems; typically involving killing someone desperately in need of it as ordered by unseen high ups. Neither of the couple know what the other does for a living, asking few detailed questions as a means of avoiding additional scrutiny themselves. John Smith (Brad Pitt) works for a small agency that tends to handle matters in a reliable low tech manner that puts him face to face with his prey while Jane Smith (Angelina Jolie) has a decidedly higher tech approach that proves less reliable but still manages to get the job done as a result of equally superior skills honed in her field of endeavor.

The movie cuts back and forth between the action sequences and the counseling session, the double entendres of married life and their careers making for some of the best back and forth comedy about both to come along in years. The interesting thing about the movie for me was that it did not rely on either comedy or action to prop up the other but provided a very fine balance between the two with some seriously appealing acting not only buy the leads but also by Vince Vaughn as a partner of Brad's (who steals the show every time he is on camera). The premise of the movie is slight enough though; the two are targeting the same victim at the behest of their agencies and are ordered to do in the unseen rivals (each other) or face termination themselves. The clues start to fall into place and as a form of marital therapy; the destructive manner in which they work things out involves body counts off the charts. That it took them so long to figure each other out is not such a big plot hole as some have stated in the past (look at how competent such agencies are in real life given the results of recent years) though there is plenty of reason to fuss if you dig much deeper than you need to for enjoying a bit of action fluff like this; the chemistry between Pitt and Jolie making it work far better than many copycats coming out since (or before).

So the decision of whether to make the marriage work falls to the wayside in a sense as they initially try to kill each other, finding out that they are in a no win situation either way. Always struggling against the odds, the couple end up trying to shoot their way out of the situation, the impressive firepower deployed making this exactly the kind of mindless fun it was intended to be for action fans but providing enough romantic comedy nods to satisfy that crowd too. Keeping in mind that most married couples I know have fantasized about doing some of the stuff shown here (or close enough to it) that even if just as a catharsis, the movie was easily worth a rating of Recommended. The battle between the sexes angle got the short end of the stick at times but the household firefight alone was worth the price of admission and that barely served as a warm up to the shopping store rampage, ensuing car chase, or rescue operation that goes so very wrong. As a means to show off your home theater, you could do far worse since this is a flick that has all the replay value you could hope for combined with some nice tech specs.

Picture: Mr. & Mrs. Smith was presented in a 2.35:1 widescreen color as shot by director Doug Liman using 1080p resolution and a bitrate advertised as "AVC @ 24 Mbps". This average bitrate belied the reality that there were times when it went a lot higher, conversely going lower at times too even if not much. In many scenes, this translated into a lot of detail and depth, the fleshtones very realistic, and the blacks almost always nicely handled. In a few scenes, there were some times when I thought the picture was deliberately softened to instill a mood but even a cursory glance to the original SD version showed a wealth of detail on this blue ray version that has to be seen on a large screen TV (or via a projector) to be properly observed. The drops of rain on the window during the storm, Brad's pores when he was under fire, or even the outlandishly seductive outfits Angelina wore were all better at conveying what the designer was shooting for; a high end offering on the format if not the very best I've seen of late. The nuances of the clothing or the backgrounds (even the texture of the street) were nothing most people would consciously look for but certainly added to the more immersive experience of the movie that combined so nicely with the audio aspects provided.

Sound: The audio was presented with many of the usual choices, the primary track being a 5.1 DTS HD Master Lossless track that had a 48 kHz signal and a 1.5 Mbps bitrate. The other channels were standard 5.1 Dolby Digital in French and Spanish that came with 448 Kbps but I only spot checked them so for more detail, consult with someone else. The primary track was one of the best I've heard in terms of the use of separation, headspace, and mixing the vocals, effects, and score with a very effective use of the surrounds. From the thunderstorm near the beginning to the numerous firefights to the chases, it was a largely immersive track that applied directionality and just the right amount of bass in even the mundane moments, the action sequences all the better taken care of too. The bullets whizzing by and their impact on the sets struck me as among the most believable I've heard in a modern movie; my background with firearms going back over 25 years.

Extras: Aside from a series of trailers, a few for the movie itself (and all of them in high definition), there were some pretty decent extras included here that also came with the regular version of the movie. First, there were a few deleted or extended versions of included scenes. I always appreciate such footage when it is competently handled; these coming out in high definition but lacking the polished nature of the rest of the movie for the most part. They emphasized the action angle of the movie more than anything else but added tidbits of material nodding towards the comedy aspects too. There was then an 8:05 minute long Behind the Scenes feature that I found to my liking, called Making a Scene. The stars and crew gave interviews to the clips from the movie and it served nicely to outline the dynamic of the movie. The big extra here was the trio of commentaries included; sadly though, none of them had the benefit of Brad or Angelina offering anecdotes, relying on the technical staff to provide the material to get fans listening. The first was the director and screenwriter (Liman and Kinberg) as they bounced ideas off each other about how certain scenes were shot and their evolution from concept to reality. To me, they were the main motivators of the creative process and I found their comments to be a mixture of technical and how much fighting it took to make the film happen. The second was with the Producers (Goldsman and Foster) that focused more on the hurdles faced in making the movie; from financing and the availability of the stars to the problems encountered by the others who always seemed to be demanding "more" to make things happen. The third was with the Editor, Designer, and Effects Supervisor (Trnic, Mann, and Elam) where they couldn't stop talking about their respective roles in making the effects laden film come to fruition. They heaped praise where due and came off the strongest in terms of being a bunch of buddies having a blast though the shop talk got a bit old at times too.

Final Thoughts: Mr. & Mrs. Smith was a fun movie that might have been better with the inclusion of the director's cut version and extended extras it offered but I suppose those will come out in the eventual director cut blue ray version in a year or two. I'd have elevated the rating on those factors alone were they included but this was still a taunt little action movie that you could appreciate on a date with a hotty as much as with a group of guys (though the date would be a lot more fun and the guys would interrupt too often mirroring Vince's many superior lines). In all then, the enhanced sound and picture of this blue ray version of Mr. & Mrs. Smith was certainly worth a double dip though I hesitate to give it my wholehearted approval given the wealth of additional material not included on this 50 GB, dual layer disc. It was still something you should enjoy though so pick up a copy and see what I mean when I say that it provided an even better experience than the SD version so many have appreciated.