Ultra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Boutique label Kino Lorber Studio Classics has been coming on strong the past couple of years, and their recent Ultra HD 4K output has been second to none. With the freedom to work with a variety of studios, they’re amassing an enviable catalog of time-honored films in uncompromising video quality. We spun four of their newest, all utilizing Dolby Vision HDR and proffered on roomy triple-layer 100GB discs. All of them use pre-existing DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtracks, maintain key legacy bonus features, and also include the movie on freshly minted 1080p Blu-rays.

In Bruges
While not making a big splash theatrically, this slowest of slow-burn black comedies about hitmen-with-a-conscience remains both a critical darling and a favorite of those who’ve seen it. Ray and Ken (Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson) are lying low in Belgium, awaiting further instructions from their boss and wondering aloud why on Earth he chose this painfully quaint city. Martin McDonagh’s debut film is a love letter to the fairytale locale, reportedly leading to an uptick in tourism, and the postcard-worthy scenery is the prime beneficiary of Kino Lorber’s new 4K master, which has been personally color-graded by cinematographer Eigil Bryld.

There’s grain, at times substantial, as well as deep, inky blacks, and I’ve never seen so much life in the colors here before. The detail rendition is likewise impressive, in the weave of the gents’ wool coats or the print on Ray’s shirt. The crisp, clean dialogue (there’s a lot of it, with accents) pairs well with Carter Burwell’s moody, piano-heavy musical score. No extras appear on the 4K disc but a handful of old extras is ported to the HD platter.

The Score
When else will we ever get two Oscar-winning Vito Corleones on screen together? Robert De Niro and Marlon Brando star as heistmeisters, with Edward Norton as the wildcard new guy, together planning their biggest and possibly final heist. Director Frank Oz checks the boxes for an engaging thriller with plenty of twists and surprises, although the script could have done with a dialogue rewrite.

This first-ever 4K presentation was remastered by Paramount and approved by cinematographer Rob Hahn, displaying a pleasing depth and range of colors, while the crisp lines of the Montreal backdrop elevate it over past editions. The sound mix cleverly balances moments of suspenseful quiet with noteworthy environmental audio effects and Howard Shore’s jazzy musical accompaniment that propels the narrative. The 4K disc includes an archival Oz/Hahn commentary, and the extras on the HD Blu-ray are a modest score: some good stuff dating all the way back to the original 2001 DVD.

Tropic Thunder
Ben Stiller’s masterpiece of mismatched stars lost in the jungle while making an ill-fated war movie risks offending everyone before it’s through, but with its surprising cast missing no chance to make us laugh (Downey in particular), it’s a pretty frequent re-watch around these parts. The film was remastered in 4K by Paramount, supervised by director Stiller, here with abundant shades of greeny greens. Blacks were somewhat crushed on the initial 2008 Blu-ray release, and they’re still not ideal, but they are definitely improved, and the image in general is cleaner and more stable than before, albeit with a bit of lingering video noise in misty scenes.

The story is dialogue-driven, blended with the requisite wilderness sounds, and as we would hope, the audio really opens up nicely during the action scenes. The 4K disc features a commentary reuniting the three leads. Disc Two, the Director's Cut Blu-ray specifically, was similarly remastered but is presented in high definition and packs a different track from Stiller and key members of his production team. There’s quite a lot else here, deleted/extended scenes, actor improv, interviews, and many fine featurettes.

The Usual Suspects
These guys are too damned slick for their own good—a capable crew of career criminals brought together for a high-risk job to pay off their debt to a ruthless racketeer. This one comes from a new 16-bit 4K scan of the original camera negative, color-graded by cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel, who apparently favors strong lighting, even at night, so that little detail is lost, despite a few instances of soft focus. HDR agreeably accentuates the gleam off of the suspects during their interrogations, and the 5.1 surround has a few standout moments, such as a jumbo jet flyover and a shouted argument inside a noisy engine room.

The first commentary comes from director Bryan Singer and writer Christopher McQuarrie, the second from film editor/composer (an intriguing combo) John Ottman. The HD Blu-ray adds interviews, featurettes… y’know: the usual.

Ultra HD 4K Blu-ray
Kino Lorber Studio Classics
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

In Bruges
RELEASED: 2008
ASPECT RATIO: 2.39:1
LENGTH: 107 mins.
DIRECTOR: Martin McDonagh
STARRING: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes

The Score
RELEASED: 2001
ASPECT RATIO: 2.35:1
LENGTH: 124 mins.
DIRECTOR: Frank Oz
STARRING: Robert De Niro, Marlon Brando, Edward Norton

Tropic Thunder
RELEASED: 2008
ASPECT RATIO: 2.39:1
LENGTH: 107/121 mins.
R/Unrated
DIRECTOR: Ben Stiller
STARRING: Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr.

The Usual Suspects
RELEASED: 1995
ASPECT RATIO: 2.39:1
LENGTH: 106 mins.
DIRECTOR: Bryan Singer
STARRING: Gabriel Byrne, Kevin Spacey, Benicio Del Toro, Kevin Pollak, Stephen Baldwin