Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

48 Hrs. 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Paramount has re-released Director Walter Hill's 1982 film '48 Hrs.,' starring Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy, to the UHD format. New specifications include 2160p/Dolby Vision video. This set also includes the 2021 Paramount Presents Blu-ray which features a newly remastered 1080p picture. Both that Blu-ray and this UHD include a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The extras from the new Blu-ray are included as well, but not on the UHD disc itself. The original Blu-ray included an unimpressive transfer and next to no extras; both of these discs represent a steep upgrade from that. Paramount has also released the sequel, 'Another 48 Hrs.,' onto the UHD format.

48 Hrs. 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from the 2021 1080p Blu-ray disc.

Paramount's 2160p/Dolby Vision UHD release of 48 Hrs. shows some positive gains over the 2021 Paramount Presents Blu-ray. This appears to be sourced from the same master. The images hold similar characteristics, with the UHD amplifying the textural positives and presenting a decidedly different color palette.

The image is very gritty by nature; this is not a movie made for visual flash but rather it holds to a workmanlike filmic veneer. That is improved here, with grain a bit more aggressive but with a more naturally occurring texture about it. Grain management is superior overall even with the added density. There is more evenness and less of a chunkiness to it. Details are sharpened and refined, leaving the Blu-ray looking a little flat and fuzzy in comparison. The UHD is not the sharpest ever released, but the added clarity is in plain evidence in even a quick A-B comparison. The sharpness gains can range from solid to substantial. The movie does hold some naturally occurring softer focus shots, but when this one is on, especially in some well-lit exteriors, the textural gains are quite evident and very satisfying.

The color palette takes on a vastly different appearance, especially in many lower light interiors. Colors appear paler, almost grayer through much of the film. Look at the 10:26 mark and see how the skin looks almost gray and unhealthy, whereas the Blu-ray offers more of a warmer, fuller appearance. However, in bright daytime exteriors (see the 29:53 mark), the Dolby Vision grading offers a more stable, fuller, healthier, more solidified appearance. The low light scenes, however, look too flat and drab, washed out and pale. Overall black levels are solid. Whites never find that intense brightness and crispness seen in the finest UHDs. This is a nice looking UHD, but the pale and depressed colors, especially skin, are something of a turn-off.

48 Hrs. 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For this UHD release of 48 Hrs., Paramount has simply ported over the existing Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Its review is repurposed below from the 2021 Blu-ray review for your convenience:

Paramount brings 48 Hrs. to the UHD format with a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The presentation on this disc is excellent. The opening blend of music and gunfire during the prison escape is a treat. Music is wide reaching and enveloping around the listener while gunfire hits impressively hard, both shotgun blasts and fire from service revolvers. Music remains a stalwart throughout the film. Score at the hour mark during a vehicular pursuit is terrific; spacing is natural, delivery is aggressive, and clarity is exceptional. Shootouts throughout the film offer the same opportunities for frightening depth and aggression as found in the opening minutes. The track also brings lively city din to the table, recreating San Francisco traffic with excellent detail and spacing. Cars move by, brakes squeal in the background, horns honk off to the side, and there's almost always a sense of movement and place to enjoy (listen around the 12-minute mark for a fine example). The same is true of police station interiors (the 21-minute mark) where a symphony of ringing phones and scattered dialogue bring a sense of bustling, busy life to the location. This is true of every locale in the film. Dialogue is clear and center positioned. This is a fine listen.

48 Hrs. 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The UHD disc includes no extras, but the bundled Blu-ray houses the supplements from the 2021 release. Please click here for coverage. A digital copy code and a non-embossed slipcover are included with purchase.

• Isolated Score track
• Filmmaker Focus: Director Walter Hill on 48 Hrs.
• Theatrical Trailer
• Space Kid - Original 1966 Animated Short

48 Hrs. 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

48 Hrs. might be a little slow and flawed by today's hyperkinetic standards, but it's a solid character film with Action elements that did usher in a new era of "Buddy Cop" pictures, even if that's something of a misnomer in this case. Director Walter Hill's film is gritty but playful as it branches the genre out of the 1970s and into the 1980s, the film a perfect hybrid of styles that offers the best of both decades. A solid cast and a great score round out a deservedly cherished slice of 1980s cinematic nostalgia. Paramount's new UHD offers solid textural upgrades but at times questionably flat and gray and drab and depressed Dolby Vision color grading. Audio and extras are unchanged from the previous 2021 Blu-ray. Recommended, but on sale for those who already own that BD release.