Foul Play 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Foul Play 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 29, 2025

Colin Higgins' "Foul Play" (1978) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by critics Bryan Reesman and Max Evry; archival program with sound editor Nicholas Eliopoulos; and vintage promotional materials. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Kojak, bang, bang.

For Chevy Chase, it all started here. It was the first time Chase stepped before a rolling camera to play a major character in a feature film and sell his brand of comedy. After Foul Play, Chase quickly perfected his brand of comedy and just kept going because everyone loved what he was doing.

After attending yet another boring party while hoping to meet a proper replacement for the Special One she has parted ways with, and again leaving disappointed, Gloria Mundy (Goldie Hawn) picks up a stranger (Bruce Solomon) who needs a ride back to the city because his car has stopped running. Because he looks good and sounds great, Gloria agrees to go out on a date with him. However, the stranger arrives very late to the movie theater where they have arranged to meet and, while warning her to avoid “the dwarf”, dies in the seat next to her. Unaware that he has passed to her a precious film roll, Gloria runs away and returns home, and shortly after becomes a target for a group of evil characters planning to assassinate a prominent public figure.

When her dead date’s warning about “the dwarf” proves to be justified, fate reunites Gloria with Detective Tony Carlson (Chase), whom she has previously turned down at the boring party, and together with his partner, Fergie (Brian Dennehy), they begin following leads to figure out who wants to get her and why. Soon after, the three cross paths with an albino killer (William Frankfather) who has been hired to take out the prominent public figure.

A vintage TV spot for Foul Play promises an exciting film from the creators of Silver Streak, which is a pretty smart curveball. Technically, there is a legitimate connection between these films. Collin Higgins scripted the two and directed Foul Play, and cinematographer David Walsh lensed both. However, the talent that worked with Arthur Hiller on Silver Streak and the talent that worked with Higgins on Foul Play do very different types of comedy, and Higgins’ direction is not as polished as his writing. As a result, while they may appear thematically similar, Foul Play and Silver Streak do not offer the same type of entertainment.

In Foul Play, the math is different. For example, Hawn is expected to lead and create excitement in contrasting situations where various male characters leave their mark in unique ways. However, their interactions often leave the impression that Foul Play is not comfortable with its chosen identity. Chase is the one who matches Hawn best, but Hawn’s most effective interactions are with Dudley Moore, who plays a bachelor conductor with a kinky side. Frankfather then pulls Hawn to a place where she just looks flat-out odd, but not because the screenplay demands it.

Foul Play partially redeems itself with its final act. It has great-looking action, plenty of hilarious lines, and great energy. It is how the rest of Foul Play should have been scripted and shot.

Foul Play 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Kino Lorber's release of Foul Play is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-A "locked".

Please note that some of the screencaptures included with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray disc and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc.

Screencaptures #1-30 are from the Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #34-39 are from the 4K Blu-ray.

The release introduces an exclusive new 4K makeover of Foul Play sourced from the original camera negative. In native 4K, the 4K makeover can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I chose to view it with Dolby Vision and later spent time with the 1080p presentation of it on the Blu-ray.

Foul Play made its high-definition debut fairly recently with this Blu-ray release, produced by Paramount. I have it in my library and must say that it offers a pretty nice organic presentation of the film. However, the master that was used to source the release, also prepared by Paramount, shows obvious signs of aging. The 4K makeover produces substantially healthier, more vibrant, and better detailed visuals. Also, all of these visuals have a consistently superior dynamic range that is equally easy to appreciate in native 4K and 1080p. Density levels are very good. However, there are several areas of the film with noticeable fluctuations. They are inherited, but there is at least one area where signs of aging are easy to spot, too. Color reproduction and balance are terrific. All primaries and supporting nuances are properly set and give the film a very attractive, very convincing period appearance. In one of the areas where traces of aging become obvious, saturation levels drop a bit, but even there I think that the overall quality of the visuals remains pleasing. You can see an example here. Image stability is very good. The Dolby Vision handles darker and daylight footage equally well. I did not see any concerning flattening or crushing to report.

Foul Play 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the entire film with the DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track and only quickly tested the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track in the final act, where the great action material is. I think that the former serves the entire film wonderfully. Clarity, sharpness, and depth are very good. All registers are nicely balanced and there are no traces of age-related anomalies. The music and the action material created fine dynamic contrasts, too. The most exciting moments are during the rush at the end, where Chevy Chase destroys several cars. The 5.1 track opens up a few segments, but I was satisfied with how the 2.0 track performed there.

Foul Play 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Bryan Reesman and Max Evry. The commentators share a lot of information about the locations where various segments of Foul Play were shot, Chevy Chase's first performance in a feature film, Goldie Hawn's interactions with Chase, the interesting careers of several other stars, Colin Higgins' writing and directing work, the overlapping of comedy and action that gives the film its identity, etc.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Bryan Reesman and Max Evry. The commentators share a lot of information about the locations where various segments of Foul Play were shot, Chevy Chase's first performance in a feature film, Goldie Hawn's interactions with Chase, the interesting careers of several other stars, Colin Higgins' writing and directing work, the overlapping of comedy and action that gives the film its identity, etc.

• Fair Play: Remembering Colin Higgins - in this program, sound editor Nicholas Eliopoulos recalls his professional relationship with Colin Higgins and discusses several sequences from Foul Play. Also included are clips from an archival interview with Higgins in which he discusses his working methods. In English, not subtitled. (16 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a fully restored original trailer for Foul Play. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• TV Spot - presented here is a vintage TV spot for Foul Play. In English, not subtitled. (1 min).

• UK Radio Spot - presented here is a vintage radio spot for Foul Play. In English, not subtitled. (1 min).

Foul Play 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The rush to reach the opera house and prevent an assassination that would instantly create uncontrollable ripple effects should have been the blueprint for the entire film. It looks great, it maintains fantastic energy, and Chevy Chase and Goldie Hawn share a terrific chemistry there. The rest of the film is difficult to praise. There are some memorable moments, like the one where Dudley Moore opens up his kinky closet, but most of the material pulls the film in different directions, frequently forcing Hawn to look odd. However, I would still enthusiastically choose to spend a night with this film rather than any of the recent comedies Hollywood has been parking at my local theater. Kino Lorber's combo pack introduces a lovely 4K makeover of Foul Play prepared at Paramount. A separate Blu-ray release of the 4K makeover is available for purchase as well. RECOMMENDED.