Mixed Blood 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Mixed Blood 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf October 1, 2025

Paul Morrissey, the director of “Flesh for Frankenstein” and “Blood for Dracula” looks to understand the strange community of Alphabet City in “Mixed Blood,” taking viewers back to a much different time in New York City. The 1984 release follows rising violence between two gangs, tracking the concerns of their leaders and personal relationships as turf conflicts and all kinds of trouble come for the characters during a particularly heated season. “Mixed Blood” is all about locations, with Morrissey trying to remain as authentic to the situation as possible, delivering a sobering examination of urban decay and destruction. The movie has atmosphere. What it doesn’t have is a sense of thespian polish, as the helmer hopes to get raw with a mostly amateur cast, ending up with an ensemble where most of the performers can’t act, while the rest struggle to make sense of Morrissey’s semi-ridiculous screenplay.

Rita (Marilia Pera) is the leader of the Maceteros gang in NYC, out to protect her turf from outside interests as she builds a drug-dealing empire. She keeps her son, Thiago (Richard Ulacia), close, dealing with the Master Dancers, a rival gang led by Juan (Angel David), who’s growing more ruthless as the weeks go by, looking to take down the Maceteros while ex-cop Hector (Marcelino Rivera) and The German (Ulrich Berr) seek to maintain order in Alphabet City. Carol (Linda Kerridge) is a lost soul who finds her way to the Maceteros, tempting Thiago with her beauty, which upsets Rita. Violence escalates in the area as Juan and Rita go to war, exposing both sides to major losses, upsetting the order of the community as Thiago tries to protect his loved ones and dominate the Master Dancers.

Morrissey doesn’t care about character introductions. He drops viewers into the middle of “Mixed Blood,” showing limited interest in establishing gang rivalry and position, heading right to moments of escalation between the warring sides, including Juan’s order to drop a teen Maceteros off a roof to send a message. The only character who receives any kind of dramatic care is Rita, a maternally minded drug lord who’s extremely protective of her son and ambitious with turf conflicts, unafraid to kill to help preserve her business. And what a moneymaking machine she has, putting Morrissey to work detailing the ruination of the area, which allows characters to work around abandoned, crumbling buildings to sell junk to junkies. Police aren’t interested in doing anything, leaving control to the corrupt, and “Mixed Blood” spends a lot of time soaking up the strange blend of power plays, also making sure some form of gunplay erupts periodically, keeping viewers interested in what little here passes for a story (dramatic clarity isn’t valued).

Mixed Blood 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Screenshots are taken from the Blu-ray.

The visual presentation (1.85:1 aspect ratio) for "Mixed Blood" is listed as a "new 4K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative, presented in HDR." The Dolby Vision viewing experience is lively, working between the flashiness of fashion and decorative elements, and a colder sense of street life, examining the concrete and brick wasteland. Primaries are distinct, with heavier reds and blues on clothing choices. Makeup additions are also vivid, along with the blondness of Carol. Skin tones are natural. Detail is excellent, with a fine sense of skin particulars on the cast, picking up on the range of ages and fine facial hair. Costuming is fibrous. Exteriors are defined, highlighting the roughness of Alphabet City, with its bombed out appearance. Interiors share such decay, maintaining depth. Blacks are deep, preserving shadowy events. Highlights are tasteful. Grain is fine and film- like. Source is in good condition.

Mixed Blood 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 1.0 DTS-HD MA mix delivers a straightforward listening event for "Mixed Blood." Dialogue exchanges are clear, handling all sorts of accents and thespian abilities, though one might want to keep the subtitles on for Richard Ulacia's sometimes incomprehensible line-readings, which isn't a sound issue. Music supports with appealing instrumentation, spending time on softer scoring cues and more alert soundtrack selections. Sound effects are blunt but appreciable.

Mixed Blood 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Booklet contains essays by Madelyn Sutton, Erica Schultz, and Paul Attard.

• Commentary features film historians Steven Mitchell and Howard Berger.

• "Tremendous Drama" (15:51, HD) is an interview with casting director Leonard Finger, who really hit his career stride in the 1980s, reflecting on his days in New York City, which was an incredibly dangerous place at the time. Appreciation for co-writer/director Paul Morrissey is provided, as Finger identifies the helmer's intelligence and creative vision, heading in a "West Side Story" direction for "Mixed Blood," requiring unique faces for the picture. Casting stories are offered, putting the interviewee into contact with Richard Ulacia, who needed plenty of work to help fit into the production, while Marilia Pera was a true talent, though one unable to remain in American cinema. Finger recalls the effort to build a community for the movie, laboring to find city kids to use as extras, only to learn these young hires were more interested in walking away with equipment.

• "Nothing as Wild" (18:41, HD) is an interview with editor Scott Vickrey, who shares his collegiate achievements, drawn to the cutting room experience, eventually finding work on "Saturday Night Live" during its first season. Building a career, Vickery tracks his professional challenges, eventually receiving a lead editor credit on 1981's "They All Laughed" (though he doesn't get into the details on that troubled picture). Hired on "Mixed Blood," the interviewee reflects on his experience with co-writer/director Paul Morrissey, handling a film with an unusual tone and set in troubling areas of New York City. Vickery shares his favorite scenes from the endeavor, noting the strange comedy that carries throughout the offering. Technical challenges are analyzed, tasked to cut a movie with limited footage and untrained actors.

• "The Real Pieces" (19:04, HD) is an interview with Steven Fierberg, who was responsible for additional photography on "Mixed Blood." The interviewee shares his career growth, taking some hits before finding his way to co-writer/director Paul Morrissey, who eventually came up with the idea for "Mixed Blood," tangling with Andy Warhol over the concept. Financial issues are highlighted, putting Fierberg in charge of questionable cash to get the movie made. Tales from the New York City shoot are provided, dealing with uncontrollable areas filled with dangerous people, often doing whatever they could to complete shots.

• Archival Interview (17:16, SD) is a 1994 episode of "The Joan Quinn Profiles," with special guest co-writer/director Paul Morrissey.

• Image Gallery collects BTS snaps, marketing materials, publicity shots, continuity Polaroids, and script pages.

• "The Brazilian on Avenue B" (17:48, HD) is a video essay by Chris O'Neill.

• A Theatrical Trailer has not been included on this release.

Mixed Blood 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Mixed Blood" has its highlights in tours of the city, feeling the roughness of the area, also discovering its quirks, including a store completely devoted to the group Menudo. Morrissey has his vision for urban destruction and a sense of family that develops in gang life, also trying to use Carol as some type of disruptor to this loose feel for control. The helmer creates a reasonably interesting first half, even when little is explained about anything, but things fall apart in the second half of "Mixed Blood," which turns to formula to find a conclusion, losing its modest sense of exploration. And there's the acting. My goodness, the acting. Pera tends to dominate with her enthusiasm for the part, but the rest of the cast is lost here, making "Pink Flamingos" look like a Royal Shakespeare Company production by comparison, with special attention paid to Ulacia. Hired for his looks, Ulacia struggles with a speech impediment (which isn't a character choice) and complete professional inexperience, perfectly capturing Morrissey's directorial interests for "Mixed Blood," as he pays little attention to anything but surface appeal.