48 Hrs. Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

48 Hrs. Blu-ray Movie Review

Paramount has re-released Director Walter Hill's 1982 film '48 Hrs.,' starring Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy, to Blu-ray with a newly remastered 1080p picture, a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack, and new extras; the previous release included an unimpressive transfer and next to no extras. This is part of the prestigious 'Paramount Presents' line and is the 19th release in the series. Paramount has also released the sequel, 'Another 48 Hrs.,' as part of the same 'Paramount Presents' line.

48 Hrs. Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Per Paramount's press materials, 48 Hrs. has been "newly remastered from 4K film transfers," and it shows. The picture is a significant improvement from the decade-old Blu-ray which delivered a middling watch, one lacking this picture's tight filmic structure, excellent detail, and fine color reproduction. Indeed, this picture brings new life to the movie, yielding a fine and largely steady grain structure which is flattering and true to the picture's roots. While grain spikes a bit in lower light it's pleasantly reliable for source accuracy. The picture is clear and clean with only the very odd, and barely noticeable, speckle, scratch, or fiber in play. A few soft focus shots linger throughout but overall the picture is sharp and efficient. The Blu-ray brings out the best the movie has to offer, at least as far as this format allows (it would be nice if Paramount had upgraded this to the UHD format). Viewers will appreciate the fine facial clarity and intimate definition, the sharp clothing details, and the rough definition found across various San Francisco locations, including hotel rooms, bars, gas stations, police headquarters, and many more. The picture's world is finely defined here with no shortage of satisfying, tangible definition. Color reproduction is excellent. The image springs to life with efficient tones around the city, including bright neon signs at night. Clothes are bold but never overbearing. Contrast is very natural. Whites are adequately crisp, black levels are deep, and skin tones appear spot-on accurate. There are no serious encode issues to report. Fans are going to be well pleased with this fine filmic effort from Paramount; it's a well worthy and necessary upgrade over the 10-year-old disc.

48 Hrs. Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Paramount brings 48 Hrs. to Blu-ray (again) 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. Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

48 Hrs. includes a new director retrospective, an isolated score track, a trailer, and an animated short. This release is the 19th in the "Paramount Presents" line and includes the slipcover with fold-open poster artwork. A digital copy code is included with purchase.

• NEW! Isolated Score track: The film's music presented alone in Dolby Digital 2.0 audio. This track is selectable from the "settings" menu option.
• NEW! Filmmaker Focus: Director Walter Hill on 48 Hrs. (1080p, 19:08): Hill recalls the story and original concept, story themes, the cast, the humor and action, and more.
• Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 3:03).
• NEW! Space Kid - Original 1966 Animated Short (1080p, 4x3, 5:31): This is a nice touch supplement: the full cartoon which makes a brief cameo appearance in 48 Hrs. The picture quality is excellent.

48 Hrs. 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 Blu-ray offers excellent remastered 1080p video, a strong lossless soundtrack, and a few new extras that were not included on the 2011 release. Highly recommended.