Relentless Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Relentless Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 14, 2026

On its surface, Relentless doesn't appear to be anything noteworthy. The film, from Director William Lustig (Maniac, Vigilante ), blends two very familiar narrative threads that are often intertwined together: a serial killer and the dedicated cop (or cops as in this case) on his trail. But under the surface is a near masterful film of dark emotional currents and disturbing thematic details that truly intertwine the two threads, spearheaded by a darkly authentic performance from Judd Nelson. Lustig is in his wheelhouse with this one, and despite core similarities to other films, this one stands above most of the rest of the pack for its deep dive into the psychology of the killer and the cops who are obsessed with getting him.

On the hunt.

Relentless is sort of like a reverse revenge story. Arthur "Buck" Taylor (Judd Nelson) was once a candidate to follow in his father's footsteps on the police force, but he's ultimately denied an opportunity to serve, deemed psychologically unfit for duty. He's emotionally broken over the failure and sees himself as a failure, in large part because of his abusive father's (Beau Starr) disappointment in him. So, Buck decides to take out his anger on anyone -- literally anyone -- by murdering random people who are listed in the phone book. As the bodies pile up, two detectives are assigned to find the killer: veteran Bill Malloy (Robert Loggia) and newcomer Sam Dietz (Leo Rossi). Both cops share a desire to catch the killer, but both approach the case with very different skillsets and emotional responses. Soon, it becomes clear that the cops themselves may very well be Buck's next targets.

Far and away the main draw here is Judd Nelson's work as Buck. Nelson delivers a nuanced performance that opens up a troubled psyche with remarkable definition and detail, going far beyond the typical knife-wielding madman and finding a depth of dark humanity that is rare on the screen. The motivating driver behind his bloodlust is not entirely original, not is it entirely trite, but no matter the motivation: Nelson makes the character real, dangerous, and very dark. The psychological terror lurking beneath the surface, and manifesting in the character's expressiveness (or sometimes lack thereof), is infinitely more frightening than the murders themselves. Nelson's work teeters on worthiness for award consideration. The film also benefits from the quality work that both Loggia and Rossi bring to the table. One of the film's underlying strengths is the duality of their own methods, convictions, and approaches. Each actor plays a radically different character but with a shared goal of catching the killer, and the film only benefits from the excellence on both side of the police tape, finding scary depth and intensity to Nelson's work and extreme but balanced contributions from Loggia and Rossi.

Lustig certainly seems to realize the gift he's been given by the script and Nelson's work in particular, and he only seeks to support his actors' work rather than overshadow it with heavy-handed direction. He builds a dark and brooding atmosphere that really allows Nelson to shine, but never to the point of overwhelming the character. Nelson's work and Lustig's direction (along with Cinematographer James Lemmo's photography) make for a formidable one-two punch that elevate the movie quite a bit above where one might think it would exist in a vacuum. While the film is definitely beholden to some level of narrative cliché and, at times, a bit on the predictable and structurally rote side of the ledger, it is nevertheless well worth watching for Nelson's tour de force portrayal of a deeply troubled soul and egregiously bruised psyche.

Relentless Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Relentless doesn't just look better than I've ever seen it, it looks far better than I anticipated it looking. This one of those Mill Creek (now Alliance) releases that could've dropped onto the market with a relatively low effort 1080p transfer, but thankfully that is not the case. The 1080p, 1.78:1-framed transfer sees the material maintain an authentic, filmic, gritty look without appearing artificially scrubbed, needlessly over-sharpened, or anything of the sort. Location details are excellent, with audiences able to take a deep dive into location details (especially dense areas like police station interiors) while also featuring terrific detail on the usual suspect sort of surfaces, like period clothes and facial details, the latter really impressing in medium and close up shots where hairs and pores and other skin details really stand out for clarity and visual complexity and richness. The image certainly benefits from the 1080p resolution, but greatest asset here is the authentic film-like imagery that has not been tampered with, at least not to the point of a noticeable reduction in a natural film-quality look. Colors aren't bold but fit into the film's darker atmosphere quite nicely. Black levels are suitably deep, white balance is solid, and skin tones look natural. There's not much in the way of true tonal vividness at work, and color expression is a bit flatter than it is dynamic and dizzying, but it appears authentic within the film's timeframe and mood. There are smaller examples of print wear, but it's never overly intrusive. Overall, this is a rock solid presentation from Alliance.

Relentless Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Alliance releases Relentless to Blu-ray with a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack. As expected given the film's age and the channel configuration, this is not a dynamic listen by any means, but it's stable and generally accurate to the source. Sonic details are clean and efficient, with satisfying musical engagement and decent front-end spread. Light atmospheric elements aren't all that well pronounced or highly detailed, but their presence is evident as the track inserts them. There isn't much in the way of dynamic action, but what's here finds enough power and engagement to satisfy basic needs. Dialogue is crisp and images well enough to the center. Again, this is not a rip-roaring modern track, so the 2.0 channel configuration suits it just fine. Expect the audio to get the job done without any major issues, and you'll be satisfied with the experience.

Relentless Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

No extras are included, and no digital copy code has been bundled in, but this release doe ship with the famous Mill Creek/Alliance "retro VHS slipcover."

Relentless Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Relentless terrified me when I watched it as a child, and it's still a chilling, dark, and very effective genre film today. Decades later, I better appreciate the film for its nuances and Nelson's work, but that overpowering darkness and unsettling emotional currents still prove very frightening all these years later. Nelson delivers superb work, and Lustig's direction is appropriately moody but ultimately stays out of the way of his actors. Alliance's Blu-ray delivers adequate video and audio. Recommended largely on the strength of the film.