Hardboiled: Three Pulp Thrillers by Alain Corneau Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Hardboiled: Three Pulp Thrillers by Alain Corneau Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 6, 2025

Alain Courneau is a perhaps curiously underrecognized name on this side of the pond in at least some film circles, and in fact it's arguable that he is remembered over here these days chiefly for Tous les Matins du Monde. The three earlier Corneau efforts Radiance Films has aggregated for this collection are a good deal more, well, hardboiled than Corneau's historical epic, but they offer visceral viewing experiences, and at least two of the three films boast considerable star power, with Corneau semi-regular Yves Montand starring in both Police Python 357 and Choice of Arms, and with Montand's then wife Simone Signoret co-starring in the former and Catherine Deneuve and Tous les Matins du Monde's own Gérard Depardieu co-starring in Choice of Arms. Those two look like they're getting their Region A Blu-ray debuts, whereas Série Noire had a Film Movement release on Blu-ray around five years ago.

For reviews of the three films in this set, please click on the following links:

Police Python 357 Blu-ray review

Série Noire Blu-ray review

Choice of Arms Blu-ray review

Hardboiled: Three Pulp Thrillers by Alain Corneau Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Video quality of each film is assessed in the above linked reviews.

Hardboiled: Three Pulp Thrillers by Alain Corneau Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Audio quality of each film is assessed in the above linked reviews.

Hardboiled: Three Pulp Thrillers by Alain Corneau Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Supplements on each disc are detailed in the above linked reviews. This Limited Edition also comes handsomely packaged, with the keepcase featuring a reversible sleeve and a really nicely appointed 80 page booklet, both enclosed in a sturdy slipbox. Radiance's standard Obi strip wraps around the box.

Hardboiled: Three Pulp Thrillers by Alain Corneau Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This new set from Radiance may help to alert those previously unaware of Alain Corneau to just how distinctive a filmmaker he could be. All three of these films offer their own kinds of intrigue. Technical merits are solid and the supplements are enjoyable. Packaging is also very handsome. Recommended.