City of Industry Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		3.5

City of Industry Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 11, 2026

John Irvin's "City of Industry" (1997) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint Films. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary with John Irvin; exclusive new program with actress Famke Jensen; exclusive new program with composer Stephen Endelman; archival cast and crew interviews; archival documentaries; vintage promotional materials; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The Palm Springs crew

Note: The text below was first used in our review of Kino Lorber's release of City of Industry, produced in 2017.

City of Industry is British director John Irvin's most underrated film. It is rarely mentioned when his work is discussed, but it is a first-class revenge thriller that, twenty years after its release, should be considered a cult classic. Harvey Keitel's performance in it is on par with the one he gave in Abel Ferrara's Bad Lieutenant.

Lee Egan (Timothy Hutton) has it all figured out. There is a fancy jewelry store in downtown Palm Springs that functions as a distribution site for the Russian diamond traders, begging to be robbed, and he is going to do just that -- get in, empty its safes, then get out and disappear without a trace. Lee has described the job to his best pal, Jorge Montana (Wade Dominguez), and he is in. Their wheelman, Skip Kovich (Stephen Dorff), is already in LA to pick up their guns from a local 'provider'. Lee's brother, Roy (Keitel), a hardened criminal, is also on his way. In a few hours, they will all meet in a cheap motel on the outskirts of the city.

The crew gets the job done and then gathers in a secluded trailer park to check out the loot. Even after Lee pays the guy who sold him the inside information about the jewelry store, there will be plenty for everyone, like a million per person. That's fine with Roy, but he will not wait for the guys to exchange the diamonds for cash. When they are ready, Lee can transfer his share to his bank account.

Lee does not have a problem with the arrangement. But Skip does. So, he pulls out his gun and instantly kills Lee and Jorge. Somehow, in a cloud of dust and with a large bleeding wound on his chest, Roy manages to escape.

As soon as Roy overcomes the initial shock and comes to terms with his brother’s death, he goes out looking for Skip. It isn't easy to track down the punk, but with the help of Jorge's girlfriend (Famke Janssen), he eventually figures out a way to send him a message, letting him know he wants blood. Meanwhile, Skip meets an aging, well-connected loan shark (Elliot Gould) and promises to pay him double what he already owes him if he takes out Roy. The old-timer likes the deal and quickly puts Skip in touch with a Chinese gang that regularly finds 'solutions' for people with 'serious business problems'.

City of Industry has the beating heart and attitude of a classic film noir, but Irvin gives it a hard edge that makes it rather easy to compare to the various crime dramas Olivier Marchal has directed in France, like MR 73/The Last Deadly Mission and 36th Precinct. These are very gritty, very violent films that take their action as seriously as possible.

Something else that needs to be underscored is that City of Industry comes from an era when political correctness was not yet a major factor, so its cast is very loose and credible. Keitel, in particular, is totally in the zone and in the second half becomes an authentic angry animal that would not stop until he gets his revenge. Dorff is equally impressive as the mean punk who listens only to the loud voices in his head.

Irvin teamed up with cinematographer Thomas Burstyn, whose previous project was the stylish adaptation of Kazuo Koike and Ryoichi Ikegami's manga Crying Freeman.

City of Industry has a brilliant electronic soundtrack, too. It features top tracks by Massive Attack ("Three"), Tricky ("Overcome"), Lush ("Last Night"), Bomb the Bass ("Big Powder Dust"), and Death In Vegas ("Rocco Sing For A Drink"), amongst others.

City of Industry Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, City of Industry arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint Films.

The release is sourced from the same old master that MGM provided to Kino Lorber for this release of City of Industry, produced in 2017. I am not a fan of MGM's master. However, on this release, City of Industry frequently looks significantly better.

The limitations of MGM's master are again quite obvious. For example, in a lot of darker material, like the one at the very end, different ranges of dark nuances are either very weak or missing. However, this release uses a dual-layer disc, with a slightly better encode, which strengthens the most problematic areas of the previous presentation of the film. For example, the smearing I saw on the previous presentation is now conventional softness, in some areas even revealing somewhat decent detail. Shadow nuances are still unconvincing, but some are slightly improved, so these areas do not replicate the same distracting smeary patches. The daylight footage can look pretty decent. However, some highlights are missing and the dynamic range of the visuals is still underwhelming. Color balance is good. However, had the film been restored in 4K or 2K, and properly graded, all primaries and supporting nuances would be a lot lusher and more attractive. Image stability is good. Ultimately, this presentation of the film gravitates between 3.00/5.00 and 3.25/5.00, with the majority of it leaning toward the latter. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

City of Industry Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless track is good. In a few areas, some unevenness is rather easy to notice, so I suspect that a good remastering job can introduce meaningful improvements. However, the dynamic strength of the current lossless track is convincing. The action material, which is plenty, sounds quite nice. The dialogue is clear and easy to follow. Unlike Kino Lorber's release of City of Industry, this release offers optional English SDH subtitles.

City of Industry Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary One - in this exclusive new audio commentary, director John Irvin comments on some of the controversy surrounding the title of his film (which apparently he does not like much) and reveals that he did not want to have a cast of A-listers for it. Apparently, Irvin wanted to pay tribute to 'smaller' B genre films he saw in his youth years, like The Killing and Rififi. Later in the commentary, Irving also has interesting observations about the quality of the action material, Harvey Keitel's dramatic transformation, and the electronic soundtrack.

• Commentary Two - in this archival audio commentary, Steve Mitchell, producer/director of King Cohen, and critic Nathaniel Thompson share some interesting information about the production history of City of Industry and discuss its style. The commentary first appeared on Kino Lorber's release of City of Industry.

• A Different Light - in this exclusive new program, actress Famke Jensen discusses her background and early years in Holland, her decision to relocate to America, and the evolution of her acting career. Jensen also comments on her involvement with GoldenEye and eventually City of Industry, and reveals that she had a very difficult working relationship with Harvey Keitel. In English, not subtitled. (21 min).

• Dissonance and Melody - in this exclusive new program, composer Stephen Endelman reveals how John Irvin convinced him to join him on City of Industry while drinking wine in Los Angeles and comments on the quality of the harmonies he composed for its soundtrack. Endelman also confirms that the original intent was always to have his music support the ambience of a very dark film noir. In English, not subtitled. (16 min).

• Making of Featurette - in this short archival program, Harvey Keitel, Timothy Hutton, Stephen Dorff, Wade Dominguez, and Famke Janssen quickly comment on the characters they play in City of Industry. John Irvin also comments. In English, not subtitled. (6 min).

• Interviews - presented here are longer versions of the archival interviews with the cast members from the making of featurette, listed above. In English, not subtitled. (12 min).

• Behind the Scenes - presented here is raw footage from the shooting of City of Industry. In English, not subtitled. (5 min).

• Trailer One - presented here is an original Orion Pictures trailer for City of Industry. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Trailer Two - presented here is an original Largo Entertainment trailer for City of Industry. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• UK Version - presented here is an alternated UK version of City of Industry, sourced from a standard definition master. 1.33:1 aspect ratio. LPCM 2.0. In English, not subtitled. (97 min).

• Hardback Booklet - an exclusive 126-page hardback booklet containing production stills and essays from Walter Chaw on Wild At Heart, Travis Woods on Unlawful Entry, Patrick Bromley on The Getaway, Blake Howard on Mulholland Falls, Jerry J. Sampson on Freeway, and Roxana Hadadi on City of Industry, as well as technical credits.

City of Industry Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

John Irvin loved the gritty B films and capers he saw as a young man, and The Killing and Rififi were two of his all-time favorites. When the opportunity to direct City of Industry came along, Irvin planned to use it to pay tribute to the B films and capers that left an indelible mark and inspired him to become a director. Apparently, City of Industry did not turn out exactly as he initially envisioned it, for different reasons, but met most of his expectations. I am a superfan of it and consider it a legitimate cult classic from the 1990s, featuring one of Harvey Keitel's best performances. Also, it is exactly the very dark contemporary film noir multiple people that worked on it describe in various programs included on this release. A beautiful new 4K or 2K restoration would have been a great treat to have, but I am grateful to have this release, which brings a minor upgrade, and all of the exclusive new and archival bonus content on it. It is included in Australian label Imprint Films' After Dark: Neo-Noir Cinema Collection Four box set. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.