Hustlers (UHD Blu-ray) review

[David Vaughn]

Studio: Universal
Release Date: December 3, 2019
Rating: R
Film: 3.5/5
 
Plot
Destiny (Wu) a young stripper struggling to make ends meet. That is, until she meets Ramona (Lopez), the club’s savvy top earner, who shows her the way toward making big bucks. But when the 2008 economic collapse hits their Wall Street clientele hard, Destiny and Ramona concoct a plan with their fellow strippers to turn the tables on these greedy power players.
 
My Thoughts
They say never judge a book by its cover and that’s certainly the case here. My wife refused to watch the film since it had to do with “strippers.” I did my best to defend them saying that they were just single mothers trying to make ends meet, but that went over like a lead lined balloon. Regardless, the film has more to do with desperate times calling for desperate methods. The press release said it was a Robin Hood-like story, but I don’t buy it. The ladies involved were no better than the Wall Street “crooks” they were stealing from.
 
The A/V quality is excellent, especially on UHD. The video is minted from a 4K DI and it certainly shows. Detail is off the charts and the depth in the image is extremely inviting. The soundtrack sounds nearly as good, especially when the ladies are up on stage and the music is blasting through the room.
 
Video 9.5/10
 
Audio 9/10 (Dolby Atmos)
 
Special Features:
 

• Feature Commentary
• Blu-ray + Digital Copy

 

 
Conclusion
I didn’t expect much going into this one, but it turned out to be much better than I originally anticipated. The acting is commendable, especially from Wu, and while the story is supposedly based on true events, I’m sure there were a lot of liberties taken to “Hollywood” the story enough to keep audiences interested. Definitely give this one a look—but you may want to wait until your wife is out of town.
 
 

Reference Review System:
 JVC DLA-RS2000 4K Ultra High Definition Front Projector
 (Calibrated with Portrait Displays CalMAN color calibration software & C6-HDR Meter from Portrait Displays)
 Stewart Filmscreen - Firehawk 88” 16x9 Fixed Screen
 Anthem AVM60 Audio/Video Processor 
 ATI AT527NC Powering Bed ChannelsATI AT524NC Powering Atmos Speakers
 Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player 
 System Controller: URC MX-980M&K S-150 THX Ultra (R-C-L Speakers)M&K SS-150 x4 (Surround Speakers)
 Atlantic Technology IC6-OBA x 4 Overhead Speakers
 SVS PC-Ultra Cylinder Subwoofer
 HSU VTF-15H MK2 Subwoofer
 SVS SB-3000 SubwooferJL Audio Dominion D110 Subwoofer x 2 (configured as tandem mid bass modules)Mini DSP controlling all subwoofers
 Audioquest and Monoprice - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
 PureAV PF60 Power Conditioner