“The Deal,” which is a prequel to the Academy Award nominated “The Queen,” essentially focuses on the friendship between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown and how Blair rose to political power.

“The Deal” is by no means on par with “The Queen.” The script is a bit too talky and stagey and it certainly could have touched more upon the country’s politics. With that said, the film is still a genuine example of acting at its finest. Once again the criminally underrated actor Michael Sheen takes on the role of Tony Blair and he hits another homerun with his performance here. It’s really quite a shame that he didn’t get nominated for “The Queen,” because I felt his performance was as riveting as Helen Mirren’s. David Morrissey (who plays Gordon Brown) is equally impressive here, especially when he shares the screen with Sheen. Even if you aren’t a fan of political dramas, I recommend checking out this film for the acting alone.

The widescreen picture quality is so-so. I noticed some grain and lines, but overall it is sufficient enough.

The Dolby Digital Stereo track is typical for a stereo track. It’s rather flat, but you can hear everything that is happening on screen well enough.

Extras:

* Tony Blair and Gordon Brown bios.

* 5 Miriam Collection trailers.

* A 22 minute Conversation With Stephen Frears which touches on everything from film, politics, to the real life figures portrayed in the film.

* Commentary by Peter Morgan and Christine Langan. A typical sleep inducing commentary in which the two point out the obvious and bring up an occasional interesting bit of info.