Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		0.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		5.0

Chinatown 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 1, 2024

Note: This 4K version of Chinatown is available as part of Paramount's Chinatown 4K / The Two Jakes set, which perhaps slightly awkwardly combines a 4K UHD presentation of this film with Paramount's older 1080 standalone release of The Two Jakes.

"Forget it, Jake, it's Chinatown" may have assumed a slightly different meaning recently, at least for any potential consumers named Jake, due to the apparent unavailability of this title for a while, but the supply chain, much like delivery of water to the Los Angeles valley, is flowing, and this "combo platter" of Chinatown in 4K and The Two Jakes in 1080 will no doubt appeal to lovers of dark, twisted mysteries. It's been a long running joke in some of my reviews of Lionsgate's 4K releases how they can seem to be geared toward offloading old 1080 discs as part of the package, and in that regard, the 1080 disc of The Two Jakes in this set appears to be the very same standalone release from several years ago.

For anyone wanting a plot summary and reaction to the technical merits of Paramount's old 1080 release, Martin Liebman's Chinatown Blu-ray review should suffice quite handily.

Chinatown 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: This release does not include a 1080 Blu-ray presentation for this film, so these screenshots are taken from the 4K UHD disc and downscaled to 1080 and SDR. Color space in particular is therefore not accurate, and I recommend those interested to look at some of the screenshots in our Chinatown Blu-ray review, as old as it is now, for a probably better representation of the palette. Because there is no 1080 presentation of this film included in this set, the 2K video score above has intentionally been left blank.

Chinatown is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Paramount Pictures as part of its Paramount Presents imprint with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 2.35:1. As dark and disturbing as the story in Chinatown unabashedly is, this is a pretty sumptuous looking 4K presentation, one that offers a superbly secure rendering of John A. Alonzo's Academy Award nominated cinematography. Marty had occasional issues with the older 1080 rendering of this film, but I have to say I'd argue that at least some of his qualms, including any perceived softness or even little nicks and scratches, and evident hints of banding, have been ameliorated if not outright eliminated here. While Dolby Vision / HDR ultimately add quite a bit of nuance to the palette, I actually found the opening 15 minutes or so here to be somewhat dowdy and brownish looking, without the healthier suffusion levels that are noticeable later in the presentation (kind of interestingly in terms of brown tones, the credits' sepia tones are rather resplendent here). Some of the most interesting palette enhancements to my eyes were the highlights in the dazzling golden yellows that are utilized in some interior scenes in particular. Dolby Vision / HDR at least marginally improve some of the nighttime material, as in the horrifying scene where Jake gets his nostril sliced as well as the equally horrifying and calamitous final few minutes, though some may be wishing even more improvement had been achieved, as there can be ebbs and flows to any really meaningful shadow detail at times. Fine detail levels on the impeccably designed costumes and props are typically excellent. Grain resolves naturally throughout the presentation.

Chinatown 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

While this 4K disc offers the same Dolby TrueHD 5.1 option that the older 1080 release reviewed by Marty did, some audiophiles may feel this release missed an opportunity by only including a lossy rendering of the original mono soundtrack, here in Dolby 2.0 Mono, whereas the older 1080 release offered a Dolby TrueHD 2.0 Mono option. That said, as I have mentioned over and over, "different reviewers means different opinions", and while I agree with Marty's assessment that the surround track here is certainly not a whirlwind of immersive activity, it still provides an energetic accounting of effects and Jerry Goldsmith's gorgeously haunting score. There are occasionally noticeable uses of discrete channelization, often in outdoor material as Jake is on the hunt, but the "opening up" here is, as Marty mentioned, somewhat reserved. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional subtitles in several languages are available.

Note: Vis a vis Goldsmith's score, and only because I am a veritable fount of useless trivia knowledge, the late, great Percy Faith had an almost hit with the theme from this film. As music buffs may know, Faith had two massive film theme hits with "The Song from Moulin Rouge" and "Theme from A Summer Place" (which somewhat hilariously is not the main theme from that film). His single of "Theme from Chinatown" attracted considerable attention and airplay, to the point that Columbia Records actually withdrew the original album it was on, which had been called The Entertainer (after The Sting), and reissued it under the Chinatown moniker. Even Billboard had a special article detailing some of the attention the single was attracting and predicted Faith would have his first substantial hit in years. Alas, the ardor cooled, and Maestro Faith had to settle for a brief appearance on the Adult Contemporary chart.

Chinatown 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Note: This 4K disc ports over several legacy supplements from the old 1080 release Marty reviewed years ago. There's more information on all of the ported over supplements in Marty's review, linked to above. Those who keep track of minutiae may note that the running times of the ported over supplements typically vary by a couple of seconds or so from their 1080 counterparts, but looked completely intact to me.

• Commentary by Screenwriter Robert Towne with David Fincher


• A State of Mind: Author Sam Wasson on Chinatown (HD; 15:57) is new to this release and offers Wasson discussing the film and the people who made it.


• Memories of Chinatown (HD; 5:43) features First Assistant Director Hawk Koch, in what seems to be another newly produced featurette, though it's not explicitly labeled as such on the back cover.


• The Trilogy That Never Was (HD; 2:07) offers Sam Wasson again, discussing some "might have beens".


• Water and Power (HD; 1:17:45)


• Chinatown: An Appreciation (HD; 26:13)


• Chinatown: The Beginning and the End (HD; 19:26)


• Chinatown: Filming (HD; 25:43)


• Chinatown: The Legacy (HD; 9:35)


• Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 3:17)

Chinatown 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Chinatown is an all time classic that continues to haunt rather viscerally. This new(ish) 4K presentation offers solid technical merits, with both new and returning supplements included to sweeten the pot. Highly recommended.