Identity 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Identity 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 10, 2026

Are you the sort of inveterate twist guesser who, say, may have seen The Sixth Sense when it was released theatrically, instantaneously guessed the "big surprise" as soon as Dr. Crowe is seen after the shooting and to memorialize the event turned to your wife and said, "I bet he's actually dead"? (Ahem.) If so, you may be able to read between the admittedly baroque lines of Identity, a really intriguing film that kind of refashions Agatha Christie's legendary And Then There Were None into what might be jokingly referred to as an M. Night Shyamalan cinematic pretzel. The foregoing link points to the well remembered 1945 version, but that adaptation as well as several others pretty dramatically rewrote Christie's original, and it probably wasn't until the BBC's And Then There Were None television version that the unabashed darkness of Christie's ending at least was really fully offered to viewers. There's darkness aplenty in Identity, both "physically" (in terms of people stranded at night in a hotel during a storm who slowly but surely get picked off by a mysterious killer) and "emotionally", in a tale that also includes a simultaneously unfolding story about the impending execution of a mass murderer named Malcolm Rivers (Pruitt Taylor Vince). And there's the rub, as a wise if troubled man once opined. In the "Chekhov's Gun" department, twist guessers will be wondering from the get go why this "dual storyline" structure is there to begin with, at least for those questioning whether something as obvious as Malcolm being the killer of the hotel folks is really being depicted, and once a pretty broad clue about Malcolm is dropped along with some credulity stretching coincidences regarding the hotel inhabitants, the entire artifice of the screenplay may be blindingly apparent, at least to some. That said, much like those who have seen the umpteen adaptations of the Christie piece but who still find some visceral energy in revisiting the property, Identity delivers some significant jolts along the way.

Identity had a very early release in the high definition era on 1080 disc from Sony in 2007 (so early it's number 386 in our database), and Martin Liebman's Identity Blu-ray review provides plot information (without any major spoilers), a list of supplements and an assessment of the technical presentation.

Identity 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: This release does not include a 1080 Blu-ray, so these screenshots are taken directly 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 Marty's 1080 review, linked to above, for a probably better representation of the palette, as old as that release now is. Since this release does not include a 1080 disc, the 2K video score above has been intentionally left blank.

Identity is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Arrow Video with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 2.39:1 (correcting the very slight 2.40:1 misframing of the old 1080 release from Sony). Arrow's insert booklet contains the following information about the presentation:

Identity is presented in its original 2.39:1 aspect ratio with 5.1 audio. The film is presented in 4K resolution in HDR10 and Dolby Vision.

Identity has been restored by Sony Pictures Entertainment 4K scanning and digital restoration from the original 35mm picture negative by Roundabout Entertainment, Burbank. 5.1 audio restoration and conforming by Sony Pictures Post Media Center, Culver City.

Color grading by Roundabout, Santa Monica with colorist Christian Lamie.

This new restoration was approved by director James Mangold, and was supervised by Rita Belda, Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Marty was quite pleased with the video quality of the 2007 release in 1080 and SDR from Sony, but even granting "hindsight slack" that a 4.5 in 2007 might not merit the same score close to two decades later (!), this new 4K presentation ups the visual ante considerably, especially with regard to the improved nuances granted by the HDR / Dolby Vision grades, which are perhaps most immediately noticeable in the torrential downpour and initially rather dimly lit material at the hotel. The HDR grades add some really interesting almost peach or sepia highlights to several scenes. Some of the best examples of dine detail that Marty mentions in his review are completely intact and arguably improved here, including textures on some of the backgrounds sets and props, but certainly with regard to the repeated use of extreme close-ups, where virtually every pore on faces can be counted. Grain can be slightly mottled looking at times, but considering the ubiquitous low light conditions throughout the story, it's really rather tightly resolved.

Identity 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Sony's old 1080 disc sported an LPCM 5.1 surround track, while this Arrow version offers DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 instead, which may be a distinction without much of an actual difference. Every instance of surround activity and channel placement that Marty mentioned in his review is still on tap here, and the omnipresent storm noises, including several "startle effect" claps of thunder, all help to create a decidedly unsettling listening experience. Even in some cloistered hotel environments, there is appealing spaciousness and even discrete channelization with regard to background ambient effects. Alan Silvestri's moody score also receives a nicely spacious treatment. Dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

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

Note: While Marty's 1080 review linked to above is old enough that it doesn't feature an itemized list of supplements per our current way of doing things, he does provide descriptive text for the supplements that have been ported over to this release, for those who want further information.

• Theatrical Cut (1:30:01) and Extended Cut (1:31:09) are accessible under the Choose Version Menu.


• Audio Commentaries

Commentary by James Mangold




Commentary by Michael Cooney

• I Met a Man Who Wasn't There (HD; 12:56) is a 2026 interview with Pruitt Taylor Vance.


• Producing Identity (HD; 26:22) is a 2026 interview with producer Cathy Konrad.


• On the Set (HD; 14:18) is an archival behind the scenes featurette.


• Deleted Scenes (HD; 6:15) feature optional commentary by James Mangold.


• Storyboard Comparisons (HD; 4:47)


• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:20)


• Image Gallery (UHD)

Arrow's insert booklet has both an essay and rather lengthy original production notes. The keepcase sleeve is reversible and packaging also features a slipcover.

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

Maybe like many people (including yours truly) you've Googled your own name, and in that regard for many years the only other person with my identical first, middle and last name spelled the same way I do was a psychotherapist in Pennsylvania and I joked in a potentially (hopefully?) Stephen Wright adjacent way that my working theory was that we were the same person, just dissociative. That Dad Joke may hint at some of the subterfuges scenarist Michael Cooney offers in this film, but even as with the many Christie adaptations where foreknowledge can't completely blunt the edge of certain reveals, going into this narrative with an inkling of the ultimate twist shouldn't materially detract from a rather impressive thriller, especially an undeniably spooky final few seconds. Technical merits are first rate and the supplements very appealing. Recommended.