Snitch 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Snitch 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Maybe there’s a parlor game someone can create to explain the linkage between a trifecta of catalog items Lionsgate has chosen to release in tandem in the 4K UHD format. Dredd 3D, Snitch and Ex Machina (the links point to the original 1080p releases) would seem to have relatively little in common, but for 4K UHD aficionados, there are both visual and aural pleasures to be had.

Snitch 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc. Watch for 4K screenshots at a later date.

Snitch is presented on 4K UHD courtesy of Lionsgate Films with a 2160p transfer in 2.40:1. Snitch kind of frankly feels like the odd man out in the trio of 4K UHD releases Lionsgate is bringing out simultaneously. While the IMDb lists the film as having been captured at 5K (with Red cameras), it was then downrezzed to a 2K DI from which this 4K UHD version was assumedly sourced. That in itself may seem a little odd, but even at a baseline level, Snitch doesn't seem to offer the same kind of visual allure that Dredd 4K and Ex Machina 4K do. While perfectly competent and certainly displaying the same levels of detail uptick noticed in other 4K UHD upgrades sourced from 2K DIs, this is a film that simply doesn't "scream" the need for ultra high definition, and as such I grade this number three of the three new Lionsgate 4K UHD offerings. All of that said, there are some of the same kinds of fine detail improvements here that have been seen in other releases I've reviewed, with (to cite one example) the many close-ups of Dwayne Johnson now showing more precise facial pores. HDR has added some interesting new tones, many of them in the green arena, notably in some of the interior prison sequences and later in the warehouse monitoring sequence. Fine detail at least occasionally pops quite impressively even in midrange and wide shots, as in the added texture of the stately brick building where John has a showdown with Joanne in the parking lot.

Snitch 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Like the other 4K UHD releases Lionsgate is bringing out in tandem, Snitch is graced with a Dolby Atmos upgrade which, while perhaps not quite as showy as Ex Machina and (especially) Dredd, certainly offers excellent immersion and some extremely forceful LFE in action moments. Some of the surround activity is considerably more subtle, as in the ping ponging string sounds as the film opens, or another later orchestra cue where a stinging electric guitar hovers in midair toward the left side of the soundstage. Snitch, for all its perceived action adventure elements, is at its core a family drama, and as such it's a bit talkier than some other Rock-based adrenaline fests. That said, in big set pieces like the SWAT team sequence toward the end of the film, LFE is often astounding and discrete placement of effects continually impressive.

Snitch 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The 4K UHD disc contains all of the supplements detailed in our Snitch Blu- ray review.

Snitch 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I'm not sure I personally would be running out to upgrade Snitch to 4K UHD, at least before the other two Lionsgate 4K UHD releases coming out at the same time as this one, but there are noticeable improvements in both video and audio on this release, however subtle they may be. Johnson acquits himself quite admirably in a role that doesn't necessarily continually play to his strengths as an action adventure hero. Recommended.