Subway 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

Subway 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 23, 2025

Luc Besson's "Subway" (1985) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal. The supplemental features on the release include new program with Jean-Hughes Anglade; new program with screenwriter and editor Sophie Schmit; new program with assistant director Didier Grousset; documentary on the making of the film; and more. In French, with optional English and German subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Punk euphoria

Note: The text below was initially used in our review of the first Blu-ray release of Subway, produced by StudioCanal in 2009.

In 2004, Hungarian director Nimród Antal dazzled audiences at the Cannes Film Festival with Kontroll, a dark and very atmospheric film about a group of “kontrollers” shot entirely in Budapest’s old subway system. Kontroll because one of the biggest hits at the prestigious event and went on to win the coveted Award of the Youth.

Twenty-four years earlier, Luc Besson’s Subway, shot on location in the Paris Metro, had a similar effect on those who saw it. Wild yet incontestably stylish, brilliantly emphasizing the best of Cinema du Look, Subway became one of the quintessential '80s films. Today, many rightfully speculate that it could be Besson’s best work.

Fred (Christopher Lambert, Highlander), a thief who makes ends meet in the Metro, has stolen some important documents from Helena (Isabelle Adjani, Deadly Circuit) a beautiful young woman married to a rich but exceptionally obnoxious businessman (Constantin Alexandrov). Hoping to finally get rich and walk away from his risky profession, Fred instructs Helena to meet him in the Metro, where he will give her back the documents in exchange for a substantial sum of money. However, when Helena arrives at the meeting spot, Fred runs away because another of his victims, accompanied by his goons, unexpectedly appears.

While hiding in the Metro, Fred then befriends several strange characters -- the Roller Skater (Jean-Hugues Anglade, Betty Blue), a thief specializing in purse-snatching; the Florist (Richard Bohringer, Diva), a man with a drinking problem; the Drummer (Jean Reno, Ronin), a passionate musician trying to put together a rock band; and Big Bill (Christian Gomba), a giant bodybuilder. Fred also meets Batman (Jean-Pierre Bacri, Let It Rain) and Robin (Jean-Claude Lecas, Franck Spadone), two crazy cops on a mission to nab the Roller Skater.

What Besson attempted to capture in Subway twenty-four years ago were moods, vibes, and the atmosphere of a place with a unique identity. Unsurprisingly, though certainly entertaining, the story of Subway, as well as most of its characters, seems inconsequential. As a result, Subway is likely to thrill just as many viewers as it is likely to frustrate.

From start to finish, Subway resembles a giant ambient painting. It enthusiastically plays with rich colors, bright lights, and various types of shadows, producing exasperating chaos but also beauty that is impossible not to admire. Also, different parts of it pulsate with a rhythm of their own, making it impossible to profile as a romantic story, drama, or action film.

The dialogue is quite unusual, too. It often feels like it is used to pay homage to the work of the Nouvelle Vague directors, but it has a fluid quality that creates different vibes, infusing certain visuals with a distinct contemporary poetic quality. Interestingly, it was very carefully scripted, not improvised.

Fred and Helena's relationship has a very similar fluid quality. It feels like it often heads in opposite directions at the same time, and it takes quite a bit of time before it finds its rhythm and focus. For this reason, it could frustrate those accustomed to the type of transparency Hollywood films favor.

Subway has a terrific music score, courtesy of Eric Serra, who has collaborated with Besson on many of his best films, including The Big Blue, La Femme Nikita, and Léon: The Professional. Serra has a small part in Subway, too. He plays the Bassit of the Metro band.

Subway 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

StudioCanal's release of Subway is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the two Blu-ray discs are Region-B "locked".

Please note that some of the screencaptures included 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 #1-24 are from the Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #29-40 are from the 4K Blu-ray.

In the United Kingdom, Subway made its high-definition debut with this Blu-ray release in 2009. This combo pack introduces an exclusive new 4K restoration of Subway, sourced from the original camera negative.

I have a couple of different Blu-ray and DVD releases of Subway in my library. However, the Blu-ray release linked above has the best technical presentation of it, so it is the only one I used for comparisons.

Subway looks jaw-droppingly gorgeous now, in native 4K and 1080p. To be honest, I was quite overwhelmed by the upgrade in quality because I know the film very well and have never seen it look this lush and healthy. I viewed it in its entirety with HDR and never once felt that any of its darker footage from the subway, which is a lot, could have been managed better. All primaries and supporting nuances are wonderfully set and balanced, and all visuals have a terrific faithful appearance. Delineation, clarity, and depth are outstanding. I did various comparisons between the native 4K and 1080p presentations of the new 4K restoration and the previous 1080p presentation, and every single time the previous 1080p presentation looked inferior. (For what it's worth, I still think that it is pretty good). Simply put, there is just more to see after the film was restored in 4K, with visuals that clearly boast superior density levels, fluidity, and even stability. There are no traces of any problematic digital corrections. The entire film looks spotless as well. All in all, together with the recent 4K makeover of 36 Quai des Orfèvres, this is undoubtedly one of the best upgrades of a French color film that I have seen in a very, very long time.

Subway 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are four standard audio tracks on this release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (it is a 5.0 track), German DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, and German DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English and German subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The tested the French 2.0 and 5.0 tracks and both are remastered and sound great. I think I prefer the 2.0 track because I am used to it. However, there is quite a bit of action material, like the intense car chase in the beginning of the film, that sounds great with the 5.0 track. Also, the film has a lot of music that is very effective on both tracks. The dialog is clear and always easy to follow. The English translation is outstanding.

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

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• The Making of Subway - this long documentary follows closely Luc Besson as he begins working on Subway. Included in it are clips from interviews with Besson, cast and crew members, and plenty of raw footage from the subway, where various parts of the film were shot. In French, with optional English and German subtitles. (80 min).

BLU-RAY DISC ONE

• The Making of Subway - this long documentary follows closely Luc Besson as he begins working on Subway. Included in it are clips from interviews with Besson, cast and crew members, and plenty of raw footage from the subway, where various parts of the film were shot. In French, with optional English and German subtitles. (80 min).

BLU-RAY DISC TWO

• Jean-Hughes Anglade - in this exclusive new program, Jean-Hughes Anglade explains how he became involved with Subway, and comments on his interactions with Luc Besson and other cast members during the production process. Apparently, Besson told Anglade that if he laughed behind the camera, the audience would laugh too, so Anglade altered his acting a lot to get the desired effect. Also, there are some interesting comments about the film's cult status. In French, with optional English and German subtitles. (19 min).

• Sophie Schmit - in this exclusive new program, screenwriter and editor Sophie Schmit discusses the original concept for Subway and discusses the evolution of the screenplay that was ultimately used to do the film. Also, Schmit reveals that the screenplay was meant for Charlotte Rampling, but while meeting Luc Besson in London, with Sting present, who was also supposed to be in the film, Rampling turned it down. Shortly after, Isabelle Adjani was brought on board. In French, with optional English and German subtitles. (31 min).

• Didier Grousset - in this exclusive new program, assistant director Didier Grousset reveals that Luc Besson wrote the story for Subway before The Last Battle, and then rewrote several parts of the screenplay for it to enhance Isabelle Adjani's character. Grousset also addresses some of the more delicate footage that was shot in the Paris subway. Apparently, there were some quite interesting restrictions. The bulk of the material was shot at night, over the course of eight weeks. In French, with optional English and German subtitles. (21 min).

• Didier Naert - in this exclusive new program, set designer Didier Naert discusses his work with production designer Alexandre Trauner during the filming of Subway. Naert also addresses the editing of Subway and some particular choices that were made to make the underground footage look as authentic as possible. In French, with optional English and German subtitles. (29 min).

• Michel Jonasz - in this exclusive new program, author and composer Michel Jonasz discusses Arthur Simms, singer of It's Only Mystery. Jonasz met Simms thanks to Gabriel Yared, who created the soundtrack for Jean-Jacques Beineix's cult film Betty Blue. In French, with optional English and German subtitles. (17 min).

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

Only an exclusive new program with Isabelle Adjani could have made this combo pack release of Luc Besson's Subway even more spectacular. I suspect that the 4K restoration included on it was closely supervised and approved by Besson because it is very accurate and jaw-droppingly beautiful. Needless to say, I could not be happier to create a spot for the combo pack in my library. Hopefully, StudioCanal and Gaumont will soon team up for similar, equally impressive releases of Besson's The Last Battle and The Big Blue. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.