When it comes to direct-to-video movies, Nicolas Cage remains king, but others contend for the crown as well. We must consider Keanu Reeves as part of this battle, for I feel like I see his name attached to direct-to-video projects pretty frequently.

Reeves appears in another straight-to-video project via 2016’s The Whole Truth. After someone murders Boone Lassiter (Jim Belushi), his son Mike (Gabriel Basso) gets charged with the crime. Heck, the young man even appears to confess to the killing.

However, Mike’s mother Loretta (Renee Zellweger) believes in her son’s innocence and asks attorney and family friend Richard Ramsey (Reeves) to handle the case. Along with fellow lawyer Janelle Brady (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), Ramsey digs into the case and finds layers of complexity involved.

Try as I might, I find it tough to get past a certain bias against direct-to-video movies – especially those with big-name actors involved. These smell of desperation, as if the studios know they films stink so they dump them onto the home market in an attempt to salvage some of the costs.

Semi-snobbery aside, my skepticism toward direct-to-video flicks comes hard-earned. I’ve watched a lot of these releases, and in truth, the vast majority of these range from mediocre to terrible.

Still, enough of them entertain that hope springs, so I gave Truth a shot – and I’m glad I did, as it offers a reasonably solid thriller.

On the positive side, I like the way Truth starts with the trial and reveals the past in flashback. While not an innovative technique, it serves the tale well and creates a solid framework onto which we enter the proceedings.

Truth also comes with a good array of twists and turns, all of which the trial scenario reveals in an interesting manner. A standard chronological presentation would’ve seemed dull, but the flashback setting means that these tidbits and revelations become more intriguing.

At times Truth threatens to go a little crazy with surprises and curveballs, though. I suspect the story doesn’t hold together especially well upon close examination, as it tosses a lot of semi-unbelievable nuggets at the audience.

Still, Truth does what it needs to do to entertain. It creates an intriguing story and maintains suspense pretty well across 93 minutes. Nothing about it dazzles, but the movie turns into an enjoyable thriller.

The Whole Truth appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Though not great, the movie came with a largely positive presentation.

Sharpness usually seemed fine. Some interiors showed a bit of softness, but the majority of the flick displayed pretty solid delineation. No issues with shimmering or jaggies materialized, and I saw no edge haloes or print flaws. LP> In terms of palette, Truth usually opted for a grimy green-brown tint, with some teal and orange thrown in on the side. This wasn’t the most appealing set of colors, but the Blu-ray reproduced the tones fine. Blacks appeared fairly dark and dense, while low-light shots displayed mostly nice clarity. All in all, the image worked pretty well.

As a courtroom drama, the movie’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack lacked much ambition. Dominated by dialogue, the mix offered a little environmental material, but I’d be hard-pressed to point out anything memorable. This remained a limited soundscape.

Audio quality seemed satisfactory. Music and effects didn’t have much to do, but they showed adequate accuracy and range. Speech always appeared distinctive and comprehendible. The mix lacked oomph but it suited the film.

The disc opens with ads for Imperium, Hell or High Water, American Pastoral, Blood Fatherand Misconduct. No trailer for Truth appears here – and we get no other extras, either.

Nothing about The Whole Truth dazzles, but it offers a pretty good courtroom drama. It spins an involving tale that keeps us with it. The Blu-ray offers mostly positive picture and audio but lacks bonus materials. While not a great film, Truth entertains.