Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

The Hot Spot Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 12, 2021

Dennis Hopper's "The Hot Spot" (1990) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include new video interviews with stars Virginia Madsen and William Sadler; new audio commentary with entertainment journalist and author Bryan Reesman; and remastered vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optimal English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

"Mr. Madox? I was wonderin' if I could ask you a teensy-weensy favor?"

Dennis Hopper’s The Hot Spot is one very, very hot film. As soon as its opening credits disappear you would begin feeling the heat coming off the screen, and if later on your significant other accidentally walks in while you have been viewing it alone, you could even get burned.

A handsome drifter who calls himself Harry Madox (Don Jonson) arrives in a sleepy Texas town and heads straight to a car dealership where he convinces a curious cowboy to buy a used automobile. The visibly perplexed but happy owner of the dealership, George Harshaw (Jerry Hardin), then offers him a job and he accepts it on the spot.

A few days later, the owner’s wife, Dolly (Virginia Madsen), makes a grand entrance with her pink Cadillac and borrows Harry to help her carry a heavy load back home. Dolly then makes sure that Harry sees plenty that will convince him to meet her again and, at the right time, he responds like any red-blooded male would. They agree to meet again.

Despite having a hard time rejecting Dolly’s repeated advances, Harry begins pursuing a meaningful relationship with Gloria Harper (Jennifer Connelly), a single girl who works as an accountant at the dealership. Then, just when Gloria warms up to him, Harry discovers that she is frequently bothered by a local troublemaker (William Saddler) who has some dirt on her. He decides to take care of the troublemaker for her, but not before he robs the local bank.

While courting Gloria and working on a strategy to empty the bank’s safe, Harry reluctantly continues to satisfy Dolly’s sexual needs, but eventually, his dedication begins to suffer and then becomes flat-out problematic. Unwilling to tolerate the situation, Dolly then goes to work to reclaim what she is convinced belongs to her.

Contemporary film noirs do not get any better than The Hot Spot. This film really does have everything that is needed to genuinely impress an adult mind that can appreciate that special dark allure that the classic American genre has been associated with for decades. Indeed, had it been shot in black-and-white and released sometime during the 1950s, right now it would have been praised as a minor masterpiece.

The original material comes from Charles Williams’ novel "Hell Hath No Fury" which was published in 1955, yet the film is awfully difficult to see as anything else but an authentic Hopper project. The main reason for this is the manner in which the violence, sex, dark humor, and ambience of the chosen locations are brought together to shape its identity. It reflects Hopper’s very particular understanding of how an American film noir ought to look, which essentially overshadows the story from the novel. Indeed, the exact decisions the main characters make, the exact ways in which they trick each other, and the exact evolution of their relationships are not what make the film as attractive as it is. The cinematic magic emerges from the positioning and movement of Hopper’s camera, which is like a brush that keeps painting on a very large canvas. This is why the richness and depth of the film’s visuals are far more impressive than the arcs of its characters.

Oddly enough, this particular concept of shooting a film noir ensures a great deal of cinematic authenticity as well. It happens because once the perfect locations that ought to appear on the canvas are identified -- see the troublemaker’s secluded shack or the old building where the town’s bank is located -- there is no need to craft a proper ambiance. It is already there and entirely authentic, and instantly becomes a key element of the film’s identity.

Further evidence that the film’s identity was of greater importance to Hopper than the original material from the novel is the very particular soundtrack that was created for it, which features terrific original tunes composed by Jack Nitzsche and performed by John Lee Hooker, Miles Davis Taj Mahal, and Roy Rogers. It is an essential element of the film's identity as well.

The Hot Spot Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Hot Spot arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The Hot Spot made its Blu-ray debut in 2013 as part of this double-feature release produced by Shout Factory. The first release was sourced from an older master that was supplied by MGM. This release is sourced from an exclusive new 2K master that was prepared on behalf of Kino Lorber.

The difference in quality between these releases is pretty dramatic, and while there are significant upgrades in various key areas, I think that the most striking improvements are in the area of color reproduction. Frankly, I think that this is the very first time The Hot Spot looks like the film I saw at my local theater and fell in love with all those years ago. On the previous release, which I have in my library, the large canvas I described in the review looks quite faded and often disappointingly anemic, which is exactly the type of presentation the old DVD release offered as well. The new 2K master boasts very lush primary colors with strong nuances that are essential for the film's identity. Clarity, depth, and fluidity are superior as well, so if you are viewing films on a larger screen, you should expect to have a completely different experience with The Hot Spot. This being said, the new 2K master isn't perfect. There are two areas where I felt meaningful improvements can still be made. First, it appears that the new master was struck from an interpositive, which is why overall the visuals tend to look a tad thicker and in certain areas even flatter than they should. In darker areas, this particular limitation becomes most obvious, but even well-lit footage can appear a tad more subdued. When the flatness becomes prominent, some native shadow details disappear, and heavier than usual blacks fill up the screen (see examples in screencaptures #15, 19, and 23). Also, while virtually all of the primaries are very convincing, there is a tendency for the blacks to disrupt the overall balance as well. (This particular issue is present on other newer 2K masters as well, so I assume that the grading is a factor). Image stability is very good. A few white specks remain, but there are no distracting large debris, cuts, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Hot Spot Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the film with the DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track because it is how I have always enjoyed the film. It is very good, but I feel that it could be even more open in areas where the terrific music is prominent (which is in a lot of areas). The rest is great. Clarity, sharpness, and balance are as good as I believe they can be. There are no age-related imperfections to report in our review.

The Hot Spot Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a fully remastered vintage trailer for The Hot Spot. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).

• Interview with Virginia Madsen - in this new video interview, Virginia Madsen recalls how she was contacted by Dennis Hopper and offered to play the character of Dolly Harshaw (described as a "ripe peach on the verge of rotting"), some specific idea he gave her before she began preparing for her role, what it was like to work with Don Johnson and the rest of the cast, and how her career evolved after The Hot Spot was completed and released. The interview was conducted exclusively for Kino Lorber. In English, not subtitled. (7 min, 1080p).

• Interview with William Sadler - in this new video interview, William Sadler discusses some of Dennis Hopper's directing preferences (and specifically his fondness of long takes), the character he plays in The Hot Spot, the shooting of the big fight with Don Johnson's character in the secluded shack, and the progression of his career over the years. The interview was conducted exclusively for Kino Lorber. In English, not subtitled. (7 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - an exclusive new audio commentary by entertainment journalist and author Bryan Reesman.

• Cover - reversible cover with vintage poster art.

The Hot Spot Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Between the late '80s and early '90s there was a period of approximately 6-7 years when film noir enjoyed a renaissance of sorts that produced some very special genre films -- Joel and Ethan Coen shot Blood Simple; John Dahl shot Kill Me Again, Red Rock West, and The Last Seduction; and then David Lynch delivered Blue Velvet. Dennis Hopper's The Hot Spot is the sexiest of them all. Some years ago, I went to see it at my local theater not knowing anything about Charles Williams' novel, and when its final credits rolled, I was convinced that it was a minor masterpiece. I have not changed my opinion of it, though I would like to mention something that always pops up in my mind whenever I revisit it. While the finale is great, I get the impression that Hopper played it safe, and likely because he had to. I always felt that there should have been a minor twist there that brings Virginia Madsen and Jennifer Connelly's characters together and they drive off into the sunset. Anyhow. Kino Lorber's release of The Hot Spot is sourced from a nice exclusive new 2K master and features two short but very good new interviews with stars Virginia Madsen and William Sadler. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.