Point Blank 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		2.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		2.0

Point Blank 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 26, 2026

John Boorman's "Point Blank" (1967) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include new program with John Boorman and critic Geoff Dyer; archival program with Lee Marvin; archival audio commentary by John Boorman; archival documentary on the making of the film; vintage trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Where is Reese?

93 grand. This is how much it is going to take to get Walker (Lee Marvin), who is supposed to be dead, to disappear again. Or maybe not. Reese (John Vernon), Walker’s former partner, has to die. At Alcatraz, where the two had successfully robbed a courier making a routine cash drop for The Organization, Reese shot Walker in the chest, assuming that he would never see him again. Walker’s share of the loot was 93 grand, and he wants it back, but he also wants his cheating partner to pay for his betrayal.

In Los Angeles, after tracking down his former wife (Sharon Acker), another cheater who had hoped to start a new life without him, Walker learns what Reese has been up to. Shady car salesman Stegman (Michael Strong), a man connected to The Organization, is helping Reese pay a monthly allowance to Walker’s former wife. After destroying one of Stegman’s fancy cars, Walker also learns that Reese is now in a relationship with Chris (Angie Dickinson), his former wife’s sister, and The Organization protects him.

Walker’s inevitable encounter with Chris leaves the latter deeply impressed by his sense of justice and intrigued by his personality. Shortly after, the two hatch a plan to get to Reese, now fully aware that he has become a target for his resurrected partner and barricaded in a posh high-rise apartment guarded by soldiers of The Organization. While Chris acts as a decoy, Walker outsmarts the soldiers and then hears directly from Reese why he was cheated and left for dead at Alcatraz -- his former partner had to repay a large debt to The Organization, and Walker’s share made it possible. Reese then involuntarily jumps off the balcony and dies, while Walker begins moving up The Organization’s corporate ladder to recover his 93 grand.

Directed by John Boorman, Point Blank was part of a massive trend that began in the 1950s and peaked during the 1960s, when various directors adjusted the classic identity of film noir. For example, Don Siegel shot multiple film noirs drenched in sunlight and color, and traded noirish elegance for raw action that documentaries produced. As TV sets became increasingly popular in American households, other directors, like Buzz Kulik and Paul Bogart, went even further with hybrid films whose content was not even relatable to the classic identity of film noir.

In Point Blank, the adjustment is already quite advanced as well. For example, Marvin’s character is placed in a chic environment that could have just as easily been created by Frenchman Jean-Pierre Melville. Numerous close-ups are treated like stills from a trendy magazine. Several sections of Point Blank use similarly chic atonal harmonies that could have been composed by Arnold Schoenberg or John Cage. Needless to say, the classic black-and-white film noirs seem like relics from another century.

However, despite everything that makes it a very different film noir, Point Blank leaves a lasting impression because of Marvin’s performance. This performance charges Point Blank with remarkable energy and, most importantly, legitimizes its creativity in the best way possible. (Perhaps unsurprisingly, Alain Delon’s performance in Le Samouraï, which was released at the exact same time on the other side of the Atlantic, accomplishes the same).

*For more on the massive trend that redefined film noir during the 1950s and 1960s, see the recent article about Christian-Jaque's The Second Twin, now available on Blu-ray, courtesy of Kino Lorber.

Point Blank 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Criterion's release of Point Blank is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-A "locked".

Please note that some of the screencaptures included with this article are taken from the Blu-ray. We have not provided screencaptures from the 4K Blu-ray.

The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this release:

"Spervised and approved by director John Boorman, this new 4K restoration was created from the original 35mm camera negative, with 35mm separation masters used for some sections. A 35mm archival print provided by Warner Bros. was used as a color reference. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered from the magnetic track.

Mastering supervisors: Lee Kline, Giles Sherwood.
Colorist: Greg Fisher/Company 3, London.
Image restoration: Prasad Corporation, Burbank, CA.
Audio restoration: The Criterion Collection."

In native 4K, the 4K restoration can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I chose to view it with HDR. Later, I also spent time with its 1080p presentation on the Blu-ray.

The new 4K restoration is impossible to describe as anything other than a disaster. Indeed, the entire 4K restoration is very poorly graded, destroying the native period appearance of Point Blank in an almost grotesque manner. For example, very harsh teal wipes out numerous primaries and entire supporting nuances, and in multiple areas even destabilizes the dynamic range of complete sequences. (See the nightclub sequence). As a result, the shift in the overall color temperature is dramatic, giving Point Blank a most bizarre appearance that would have been suitable for a brand new streaming production. This is how other recent similarly bad 4K restorations destroyed the native appearances of Eyes Wide Shut, Night Moves, Sorcerer, Network, and Testament. This time, what is new is the intensity of the tealing, which is as damaging as that observed on French lab Hiventy's 4K restoration of Red Sonja. Having spent time with the native 4K and 1080p presentations of the 4K restoration, I can confirm that the massive damage is even more pronounced in native 4K, where the expanded color gamut exacerbates its effects and makes viewing Point Blank a true endurance test.

Fortunately, in 2014, Warner Archive produced this Blu-ray release, which offers a very strong, very faithful presentation of Point Blank. On this Blu-ray release, Point Blank also has a very healthy appearance.

Point Blank 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The audio is clear, nicely rounded, and very sharp. However, I pulled out my Blu-ray release of Point Blank, performed a few quick tests in several different areas, and I could not hear any meaningful discrepancies in quality. The nightclub sequence is probably the best place to test the quality of the two tracks, but there are a few fine action sequences as well. I did not notice any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

Point Blank 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary was recorded by John Boorman in 2005.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary was recorded by John Boorman in 2005.

• Boorman & Dyer - in this new program, John Boorman and critic Geoff Dyer discuss the conception, production, and unique style of Point Blank. The program was produced in 2023. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles. (42 min).

• Harris - in this new program, author Mark Harris discusses John Boorman and Point Blank. The program was produced in 2026. In English, not subtitled. (35 min).

• Jarmusch - in this new program, Jim Jarmusch discusses Point Blank and Lee Marvin. The program was produced in 2026. The program was produced in 2026. In English, not subtitled. (18 min).

• Martino - in this visual essay, Alison Martino, creator of the online community Vintage Los Angeles, visits some of the key locations seen in Point Blank. In English, not subtitled. (9 min).

• The Rock - this archival documentary was shot on location on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay during the production of Point Blank. The documentary is newly remastered. In English, not subtitled. (17 min).

• Marvin & Cavett - in this archival episode of The Dick Cavett Show, Lee Marvin discusses what it felt like to win an Oscar statuette and shares various stories about the film industry and his past life. The episode was broadcast on October 9, 1970. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles. (23 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a remastered vintage trailer for Point Blank. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles. (3 min).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leafelt featuring critic Geoff Dyer's essay "A Dream of Full-Color Noir", as well as technical credits.

Point Blank 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Some years ago, various very big films from Fox's catalog were restored and then completely regraded, made to look like odd contemporary productions. Among these films are The Girl Can't Help It, Niagara, and River of No Return. To get somewhat decent presentations of these films, one has to dig up various DVD releases. It appears that this practice has returned, only now the targets are various films from Warner and Paramount's catalogs, after Criterion licenses them. Fortunately, we now have Warner Archive and Paramount Archive doing great restoration work, ensuring that older films look as their creators shot them. Criterion's combo pack presents a very disappointing 4K makeover of Point Blank, so if you want this terrific film noir in your library, grab Warner Archive's excellent Blu-ray release.