Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Kalifornia Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson March 9, 2019

Dominic Sena's big-screen debut Kalifornia (1993) successfully follows in the tradition of lovers-on-the-run road movies such as Bonnie and Clyde (1967), Badlands (1973), The Sugarland Express (1974), and Thieves Like Us (1974). But Kalifornia's dark and stylish opening also harkens back to the earlier tradition of Forties noirs like They Drive by Night (1940) and They Live by Night (1948). The rain falls in a pointillistic pattern as lightning flashes in an alleyway while a teen girl is picked up by a male driver. Sena crosscuts as a drifter lurks above the overpass and hurls a large rock on the vehicle, causing it to crash. After this prologue, Cena and his editor Martin Hunter (Full Metal Jacket) alternate scenes between two different couples that cut across class lines. Brian Kessler (David Duchovny) is a true-crime magazine writer working on book chronicling the most infamous serial killings. He wants his partner, Carrie Laughlin (Michelle Forbes), to work as his collaborator but she's not psyched to tackle the grisly subject matter. She's a photographer in the vein of Robert Mapplethorpe who specializes in erotica and is struggling to get her work exhibited. So, she eventually sees a potential commercial opportunity to eventually get her work shown and agrees to work on the book. Brian and Carrie yearn to leave their Pittsburgh milieu to travel across country to the Golden State as they visit various murder sites along the way.

Lying at least a couple rungs below Brian and Carrie on the socioeconomic ladder are ex-con Early Grayce (Brad Pitt) and his sweet but half-witted girlfriend Adele Corners (Juliette Lewis). Adele works as a waitress in a uninviting bar/restaurant (it doesn't attract many customers) while Early is unemployed. They live in a mud-caked trailer park and Early's parole office (Judson Vaughn) has arrived to urge his parolee to get a job as a janitor. The lackadaisical Early isn't interested but is under pressure by his landlord to pay the rent by the weekend or force eviction. Early isn't intimidated in the slightest and takes control of the situation. The two disparate couples cross paths when Early sees Brian's ride-share ad on a bulletin board, setting in motion one wild and violent ride in a ’61 convertible for the four of them.

Will this be a fun road trip to California or the ride-share from Hell?

Before getting the offer from Polygram to direct Kalifornia, Sena had worked in commercials and music videos with famous rockers and pop stars. Critics took Sena to task for his "music-video editing" but I would defend the director by pointing out that the film is designed as a slow burn to prolong the audience's anticipation for when Early will crack. Further, the screenplay by Tim Metcalfe draws parallels between Brian and Adele to demonstrate how gullible and vulnerable they are to Early's freakish behavior. Brian has a topical interest into the pathology of serial killers and has just the perfect case study in his backseat. Brian seems unruffled when Early beats up a tough Harley rider who utters a homophobic slur at the writer. Although Adele is tough in her own way, she's submissive to Early and feels that when she receives verbal or physical abuse from him, she deserves it. That aspect of the film didn't sit well with the movie-going public that saw it in California at a sneak preview. Scott Rosenberg of the San Francisco Examiner observed how the filmmakers "try to present [Adele] as a victim of abuse, but their clumsiness keeps pushing her line over the edge into campy humor that the preview au­dience rightly hooted at." But the main weakness is the overabundant voice-over narration delivered by Brian in a self-philosophizing way that while often too generalized, also gives some things away early on. Sure, there are dead narrators in cinema but Cena would have been better off without some of the voice-overs. Still, this shouldn't detract you from a thrilling albeit harrowing ride.

Kalifornia Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Kalifornia arrives on Blu-ray for a second time courtesy of Shout Select in this two-disc "Collector's Edition" that comes with a slipcover. This also marks the HD debut for the theatrical cut. The film appears in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 on these two separate MPEG-4 AVC-encoded BD-50 discs. The unrated version seems struck from the same print that MGM used nine years ago, which Casey Broadwater reviewed here. Film critic Eleanor Ringel of The Atlanta Journal Constitution characterized the aesthetic as "grunge visuals" and this description applies to the trailer park scenes and Early in Screenshot #s 18-19. The movie takes on warmer tones when Early shows Brian how to shoot a gun (#s 20-21.) I have created a graphical comparison between the MGM and Shout editions as well as the two video editions of the theatrical version. Note that not all captures correspond to the same frame enlargements. The colors on the MGM DVD are washed out. The unrated boasts an average video bitrate of 36000 kbps while the theatrical is just a notch below at 35000 kbps.

Screenshots 1-15, 17, 19, 21, 23 & 25 = Shout Select 2019 Unrated Version
Screenshots 16, 18, 20, 22 & 24 = MGM 2010 Unrated Version
Screenshots 26, 28, 30, 32 & 34 = MGM 2000 DVD Theatrical Version
Screenshots 27, 29, 31, 33 & 35 = Shout Select 2019 Theatrical Version

Kalifornia Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For the unrated cut, Shout has supplied a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround remix (2877 kbps, 24-bit) and a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo (1695 kbps, 24-bit). For the theatrical cut, the studio has likewise provided a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround remix (2878 kbps, 24-bit) and a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo (1648 kbps, 24-bit). Though not technically as robust as MGM's DTS-HD MA 5.1 (3565 kbps), Shout's tracks sound similar. My impressions of the audio echo Casey's: "When the rear speakers do pipe up, they do so quietly, with softly blowing wind, buzzing crickets, or barroom chatter. Carter Burwell's score comes and goes as well, not making much of an impression, but it sounds okay, and the action that takes place up front at least has clarity and occasionally forceful dynamic presence. The key element to the mix is the dialogue, which is perfectly balanced and always intelligible."

Optional English SDH are available on both discs, accessible through the menu or via remote activation.

Kalifornia Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

DISC ONE: UNRATED VERSION

• Unrated Cut (1:58:15, 1080p)

• NEW Interview With Director Dominic Sena (24:36, 1080p)

• Original Featurette (5:22, 1080i/upconversion to HD)

• Cast Interviews (2:35, 1080i/upconversion to HD)

• Trailers and TV Spots (5:50, 1080i/upconversion to HD)

DISC TWO: THEATRICAL VERSION

• "R" Rated Theatrical Cut (1:57:27, 1080p)

• Unrated Cut (1:58:15, 1080p)

• NEW Interview With Director Dominic Sena (24:36, 1080p)

• Original Featurette (5:22, 1080i/upconversion to HD)

• Cast Interviews (2:35, 1080i/upconversion to HD)

• Trailers and TV Spots (5:50, 1080i/upconversion to HD)

Kalifornia Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Director Dominic Sena is perhaps best known for Gone in 60 Seconds and Swordfish but his first picture Kalifornia is also his best. However, it wasn't the commercial triumph that Polygram hoped. The Guardian (London) reported in March 1994 that sadly, some theaters in the US refused to show the movie at all due to the violence. However, the newspaper also noted that it performed much better on the small screen. A manager at a Blockbuster Video in California was interviewed and stressed the strong sales: "We can't keep it on the shelf. As quickly as it comes in, it goes out." The film holds up on second viewing, though not as impactful as the first time I saw it. A strong case can be made that this is Brad Pitt's finest performance and should be reason enough to get either the MGM combo pack or this two-disc set from Shout Select. The recently recorded interview with Sena covers how he cast Pitt, Lewis, Forbes, and Duchovny. (I wish that he had sat down for a commentary track too.) The EPK materials are rather brief. Because of the steep current price of $34.93, I'd advise waiting for it to dip to $24.99 or below. It's nice to finally have the theatrical version on Blu-ray but one hopes for a 4K scan someday. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.