Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		5.0

Risky Business 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 12, 2024

Paul Brickman's "Risky Business" (1983) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new program with producer Jon Avnet; archival audio commentary by Paul Brickman, Tom Cruise, and Jon Avnet; new program with casting director Nancy Klopper; screen tests; vintage trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The dream is always the same

Highland Park is a suburb on the north side of Chicago that many of the area’s multimillionaires call home. It is a lot like Glencoe, Wilmette, and Winnetka, a picturesque bubble that has always been immune to the urban reality of Chicago. It is where teenager Joel Goodsen (Tom Cruise) lives in a perfect house that nowadays costs a small fortune. A million at least, but more than likely well over two.

Joel is at a crossroads in his life. Joel has been taught by his parents (Nicholas Pryer, Janet Carrol) that a degree from an Ivy League school will instantly place him on the path to being a winner, which is why he has worked hard to earn the proper grades to get him into one. His father likes Princeton, but admission to any of the remaining ones would be fine too because they all breed winners. Joel has never had legitimate reasons to question the value of winning, so he has never questioned his parents’ plan to send him to an Ivy League school. There is just one thing about their definition of winning that he has not been perfectly comfortable with. Could there be a different path to it? One where the future winner gets to do plenty of meaningful things in his life and enjoy it, too?

Because according to his best friends a winner, even a future one, cannot be a virgin, shortly after his parents go on vacation, Joel books a date with a call girl. But the call girl turns out to be a black call guy (Bruce A. Young), so before they part ways, Joel is handed a phone number that can put him in touch with Lana (Rebeca De Mornay), who is “what every white boy off the lake wants”. Despite fighting several loud voices in his head urging him to be a good boy first and then a winner, Joel calls the phone number and gives Lana his address.

The date with Lana delivers the fireworks Joel has been fantasizing about. While under her spell and feeling like a real man capable of making important decisions, Joel agrees to let Lana and a few of her working girlfriends use the house to entertain some of his friends and their best friends. It is a risky business, but also a great practical training for a future winner, so shortly after the perfect suburban home evolves into a perfect luxury brothel. However, Lana’s troubles with her pimp (Joe Pantoliano) and several other unexpected developments force Joel to begin improvising in ways that threaten to compromise his parents’ plan for him irreversibly.

Paul Brickman’s directorial debut, Risky Business, was conceived as a comedy and is very effective as one but is even better as a witty political film that satirizes the American Dream’s relationship with materialism. It came out in the early 1980s, so plenty of people link it directly to Reaganism as well.

Ironically, Risky Business offers ample evidence that materialism, and by default Reaganism, was the alternate path to success that its main protagonist ponders. The best comes from Joel himself as he declares, Sometimes you just gotta say, what the fuck, make your move, and then begins to make the money that can allow him to be free. Joel’s risky business is not to be commended, but there is a crucial point behind its existence. The American Dream’s relationship with materialism, which is largely defined by the desire and ability to buy and own more, produces opportunities. Those who take advantage of these opportunities understand that in America financial freedom has always been synonymous with freedom. This is exactly what Reaganism preached. Bold pragmatism, materialism, and freedom. It is how it won the Cold War, too. It was not by employing brilliant geopolitical strategies that reset the balance of power, it did it by selling the American Dream’s relationship with materialism. The ability to purchase Blue Levi’s jeans with a Made in America sticker, Big Mac, and Coca-Cola in a can successfully changed many more minds on the other side of the Iron Curtain than conventional diplomacy did. In Risky Business, Joel’s thought process is supposed to be indicative of a lot that was supposedly wrong with the 1980s, but it is not. The clarity with which he sees the big picture by the time its final credits roll is actually pretty darn impressive. Of course, it is still relevant, too.

Cruise and De Mornay share an incredible chemistry that produces many memorable moments. However, they are surrounded by terrific supporting actors as well. For example, Bronson Pinchot is outstanding as the trusted and intelligent nerdy friend who gets a surprising lecture on the meaning of “boffing”. Pantoliano is predictably excellent as the outraged pimp. Richard Mazur has only a few minutes in front of the camera but leaves a lasting impression as the man from Princeton who unexpectedly appears to do a crucial interview.

A first-class soundtrack featuring classic tunes by the likes of Bob Seger, Phil Collins, Jeff Beck, Prince, and German ambient rockers Tangerine Dream creates quite a special atmosphere.

*Cirterion upcoming 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack presents two versions of Risky Business, Director's Cut (01:39:15) and Theatrical Version (01:39:14). Both are newly restored in 4K.

Risky Business 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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

The following text appears inside the booklet that is provided with this release:

"Supervised and approved by director Paul Brickman and producer Jon Avnet, this new 4K restoration of the director's cut and the original theatircal release were created from the 35mm original cameranegative and a 35mm interpositive. The 5.1 surround soundtrack was remastered from the original magnetic tracks.

Mastering supervisor: Lee Kline.
Colorist: Gregg Garvin/Roundabout Entertainment, Burbank, CA.
Restoration: Resillion.
Additional restoration: Prasad Corporation."

Please note that some of the screencaptures that appear with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc, including the actual color values of this content.

Screencaptures #1-26 are from the Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #31-35 are from the 4K Blu-ray.

The release introduces exclusive new 4K restorations of the Director's Cut and Theatrical Version of Risky Business. In native 4K, both can be viewed with Dolby Vision or HDR grades. I viewed the Director's Cut with Dolby Vision. Also, I spent some time testing the 1080p presentation of the Director's Cut on the Blu-ray.

Like every other collector that likes Risky Business, I have in my library the original Blu-ray release of the film from Warner Bros. Despite its age, the original release offers a decent yet quite inconsistent presentation of the film, so it has always been easy to tell that there is plenty of room for meaningful improvements.

The native 4K presentation offers a pretty dramatic upgrade in quality that gives the entire film a healthy, very solid organic appearance. I am not exaggerating when I write that now certain areas of the film reveal qualities that are simply impossible to recognize on the previous release. For example, a lot of the nighttime footage with the Porsche boasts completely new darker nuances that strengthen its dynamic range with great efficacy. As a result, instead of looking flat and/or video-ish, the nighttime footage has wonderful depth and layered background information. The daylight footage is a lot sharper, not digitally sharpened, and reveals even better nuances with clarity and depth that are frequently striking. I sampled many of the same areas in 1080p, and they still look as impressive as they do in native 4K, so yes, the 1080p to 1080p improvements are pretty substantial as well. I think that the Dolby Vision grade tightens up the visuals pretty well and improves their fluidity, making them appear slightly more attractive, so if you have a very large screen, the native 4K presentation should look noticeably better on it. Color balance is very good. All primaries and supporting nuances look very healthy and are properly set. A few outdoor scenes can be just a bit cooler, but the overall color temperature is very, very convincing. The darker footage, and especially the one that features primary red, looks simply terrific. Image stability is excellent. The entire film looks immaculate, too. All in all, I think that the new 4K makeover of Risky Business will thrill fans of the film who have been hoping for a top-notch presentation of it to emerge on 4K Blu-ray or Blu-ray.

Risky Business 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

Risky Business has an outstanding soundtrack that mixes some quite diverse tracks. I particularly enjoy Tangerine Dream's tracks. In fact, I think that "Love on a Real Train" is one of the band's very best, so whenever I view Risky Business, I make sure to turn up the volume of my system as much as I can. The 5.1 track is terrific. It has a fantastic dynamic range that replicates all intended contrasts wonderfully well. The dialog is very clear, sharp, clean, and easy to follow. I did not encounter any troubling anomalies to report in our review.

Risky Business 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary, recorded for the theatrical version of Risky Business in 2008, features director Paul Brickman, Tom Cruise, and producer Jon Avnet. It has appeared on previous home video releases of Risky Business, including the original Blu-ray release of it, which Warner Bros. produced in 2008.

BLU-RAY DISC

• The Dream is Always the Same: The Story of "Risky Business" - this archival documentary examines the genesis, production, and lasting appeal of Risky Business. Included in it are interviews with director Paul Brickman, producers Jon Avnet and Steve Tisch, om Cruise, Rebecca De Mornay, Joe Pantoliano, Curtis Armstrong, Bronson Pinchot, and critic Peter Travers, among others. The documentary was produced for Warner Bros. in 2008. In English, not subtitled. (30 min).

• Jon Avnet - in this exclusive new program, producer Jon Avnet discusses his collaboration with Paul Brickman on Risky Business. Also, Mr. Avnet explains the greater significance the famous "What the fuck" line had in Brickman's life, as well as the impact Bernardo Bertolucci's The Conformist had on their approach toward the original material that inspired Risky Business. In English, not subtitled. (21 min).

• Richard Chew and Bobbie O'Steen - in this new program, editor Richard Chew and film historian Bobbie O'Steen discuss the decisions behind several sequences in Risky Business. In English, not subtitled. (31 min).

• Nancy Klopper - in this new program, casting director Nancy Klopper discusses her work during the casting process for Risky Business. In English, not subtitled. (19 min).

• Screen Tests - this archival program presents several screen tests with Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay. Included in it are clips from interviews with Amy Heckerling (Fast Times at Ridgemont High), producer Steve Tisch, Tom Cruise, Paul Brickman, and others. In English, not subtitled. (15 min).

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary, recorded for the theatrical version of Risky Business in 2008, features director Paul Brickman, Tom Cruise, and producer Jon Avnet. It has appeared on previous home video releases of Risky Business, including the original Blu-ray release of it, which Warner Bros. produced in 2008.

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Risky Business. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Leaflet -an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by critic Dave Kehr, as well as technical credits.

Risky Business 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Producer Jon Avnet reveals that there was a moment in director Paul Brickman's life when he rolled the dice exactly like Joel Goodsen does in Risky Business. Brickman was working hard, trying to meet expectations, and constantly getting turned down, so he used an F-bomb to destroy the right path to success and chose his own. This is why Risky Business is a great film. It speaks truths with clarity that cannot be misinterpreted, and often reveals a fierce sense of humor that makes it irresistibly attractive. Criterion's combo pack introduces a fabulous new 4K restoration of it that looks great on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray. Do not miss it. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.