Law Abiding Citizen 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Law Abiding Citizen 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Law Abiding Citizen came out on Blu-ray quite some time ago, and would seem to be yet another kind of random entry in Liongate’s 4K UHD release queue. In his Law Abiding Citizen Blu-ray review , my colleague Martin Liebman compared this at times fairly gonzo outing to both Saw and Prison Break, two salient analogs, to which I might add a third: Death Wish. That particular comparison might only be apt if one widens a quest for vengeance after some horrifying deaths of family members to those beyond “mere” perpetrators, out to include a wider system that is perceived as being corrupt and driven by motives other than pure justice. Law Abiding Citizen has some stomach churning moments on any number of levels, but it’s often viscerally exciting if also more than occasionally disturbing.

Law Abiding Citizen 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080p Blu-ray.

Law Abiding Citizen is presented on 4K UHD courtesy of Lionsgate Films with a 2160p transfer in 2.40:1. Shot on film and finished at a 2K DI, this 4K iteration shows the typical kinds of detail and fine detail upgrades often seen in similar technical situations, though to my eyes Lionsgate's sometimes spotty "relationship" with grain resolution on its 4K UHD releases looks nicely resolved here, even if things can look fairly heavy at times, especially in some of the interior shots. What struck me more than some noticeable if slight fine detail upticks in items like the fabric seen in the very opening shot or, later, some of the gruesome imagery during a horrifying attack in prison, were some very noticeable improvements in shadow detail throughout this presentation. So much of the second half or so of the film takes place in shadowy or outright dark environments that there is kind of surprisingly consistent new information in the "nooks and crannies" of several interior locations, notably some of the "solitary" scenes that kind of ironically feature both Butler and Foxx. Dolby Vision also invests some of the film's rather aggressive grading with new highlights. I was especially struck by some really interesting new tones in the green and blue spectrum. The greens are rather subtle but show up several times in various prison settings, and there are some cool and almost aquarmarine tinted blues in some of the police scenes that are at least a little more vivid looking than on the 1080p Blu-ray. Browns are also quite prevalent throughout this feature, and there's a really appealing burnished appearance in the 4K UHD version.

Law Abiding Citizen 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Marty gave a solid 4.0 to the original 1080p Blu-ray audio presentation delivered via Dolby TrueHD 5.1. I echo Marty's comments from his Law Abiding Citizen Blu-ray review, especially his comment about the track not being especially "flashy", something that may contribute to my "less than perfect" 4.5 score for the 4K UHD presentation's Dolby Atmos track. Everything here is spot on in terms of fidelity and especially dynamic range, but there simply aren't that many opportunities to really fully engage the Atmos channels, at least in any over the top, hyperbolic way that's often associated with action adventure thrillers. Aside from expected moments like the appearance of a helicopter or the devastating explosion at the film's climax, the overhead effects tend to be intermittent. That said, general surround activity is typically excellent, as Marty detailed in his review, and some of the panning LFE effects are also quite impressive.

Law Abiding Citizen 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This is a bit of an odd duck in terms of supplements, at least in terms of comparing them to how they were originally released. As Marty details in his Law Abiding Citizen Blu-ray review, the original 1080p Blu-ray release actually contained two discs (kind of weirdly enough), the first with the so-called extended cut of the film and several supplements, and a second disc featuring the slightly shorter original theatrical version, whose sole supplement was an audio commentary (see the Supplements section of Marty's review for complete details). This 4K UHD version provides only Disc One of the original 1080p Blu-ray release (down to and including "Disc One" silkscreened on the disc label), but the 4K UHD disc contains all of the supplements detailed in Marty's review, including the commentary that was evidently available on Disc Two of that original 1080p Blu-ray release. Therefore, while you do get both versions of the film in this release, the extended version is on a 1080p Blu-ray disc and the theatrical version is the one on the 4K UHD disc. The packaging here incorrectly states that the commentary is available only the Blu-ray (by which I assume it means the 1080p Blu- ray), when the opposite is actually true.

Law Abiding Citizen 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As Marty mentioned in his review of the original 1080p Blu-ray release, Law Abiding Citizen doesn't just stretch credulity, it downright twists and bends it into a veritable pretzel, but that still doesn't materially affect how viscerally unsettling much of the film is. This is one of more enjoyably intense performances I've personally liked by Butler, and Foxx anchors the film with a kind of understated seriousness. Technical merits are solid, and at least for those who can stomach some of the visuals, not to mention the underlying plot mechanics, Law Abiding Citizen comes Recommended.