The Peacemaker 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.0

The Peacemaker 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 6, 2025

Mimi Leder's "The Peacemaker" (1997) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson; new audio commentary by film journalist Laurence Lerman; archival featurette; vintage trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

This is not our guy.

The scenario that unleashes all the drama and action in The Peacemaker is not improbable because corruption has always been part of Russian reality. For the right amount of money, high-ranking Russian government and military officials will consider teaming up with criminal elements to sell a nuclear warhead to a party that desperately needs one. Like Iran, North Korea, or even Cuba. The problem with this scenario is that it assumes the bad and good guys see the world in fundamentally different ways, and that the latter always make decisions whose morality is impeccable. What if this scenario materializes because the so-called bad guys and the so-called good guys are not reading each other correctly, allowing a completely different group of players, determined to keep them divided, to create outcomes that work best for them? In other words, the complete scenario is very different, and the guys that inevitably emerge victorious are not on the public’s radar because they control everything that pops up there.

Instead of forcing the viewer to ponder such a bigger, more complex scenario, whose legitimacy is extremely easy to prove, The Peacemaker very quickly enters the same old playground where Russian characters in military uniforms are always bad guys. (Or German characters in military uniforms are always Nazis). Russian Army General Kodoroff (Aleksandr Baluev), assisted by various other Russian and international mercenaries, then steals ten nuclear warheads, one of which ends up with Serbian radical Dussan Gavrich (Marcel Lures), who plans to detonate it in New York City, where a massive peace treaty that will permanently redraw what was once Yugoslavia is to be ratified. U.S. Army Colonel Tom Davoe (George Clooney) and Assistant to the President and renowned nuclear specialist Dr. Julia Kelly (Nicole Kidman) begin searching for Gavrich, utilizing all resources of the U.S. military machine, but their target enters New York City with a diplomatic passport and then disappears with a backpack that can unleash Armageddon.

Mimi Leder directs The Peacemaker copying many of Michael Bay’s tricks. For example, there are plenty of fast cuts and zooms coupled with strategically positioned aerial shots, producing sequences that frequently resemble extracts from prolonged commercials. As in Bay’s flashy action films, there are many silly one-liners, too. (“Give me a man who knows how to take orders from a woman.” “The Russian couldn’t find snow in the middle of fucking winter”). However, the complete product Leder delivers is different. The action is tedious, not exciting, and the main characters never gain the respect of the viewer.

Clooney and Kidman are a very odd couple, too. The former, in particular, frequently looks like an impostor, rather than a legitimate military professional who can make crucial decisions on the fly or lead other people with special skills into dangerous situations. Kidman appears borderline neurotic.

Oscar-winner Hans Zimmer creates a lot of excitement with a predictably excellent soundtrack. Sadly, the quality of his music remains unmatched.

The Peacemaker 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Kino Lorber's release of The Peacemaker is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-A "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 #1-28 are from the Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #31-39 are from the 4K Blu-ray.

The Peacemaker made its high-definition debut with this Blu-ray release, produced by Paramount in 2015. The film does not look convincing on it. This combo pack introduces a new 4K makeover of it on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray. In native 4K, the 4K makeover can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I chose to view it with HDR. Later, I spent time with its 1080p presentation on the Blu-ray.

The 4K makeover brings a substantial upgrade in quality, which is very easy to appreciate. The entire film now produces visuals that have a much stronger, much more convincing organic appearance. The daylight footage from New York City reveals some of the most striking improvements, but elsewhere there is a lot to like as well. I did not see any traces of problematic digital corrections. However, I felt that in some areas, darker nuances could have been more convincing. (This is true for the native 4K and 1080p presentations). While I viewed the entire film with HDR, I tested a few of these areas with Dolby Vision, too. On my system, both grades produced the same visuals, so it appears that this is how the film was remastered in 4K. Color reproduction is convincing. All primaries and supporting nuances are properly set, so color balance and temperature are very accurate. The density levels of the visuals are outstanding. Finally, the entire film looks immaculate as well.

The Peacemaker 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this 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. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The 5.1 track is very active, and I suspect that it could test the muscles of some audio systems. There is a lot of diverse action material throughout the film, and some of it, especially the one that features shootouts, is very well mixed. Surprisingly, the explosions are somewhat underwhelming, or at least when compared to the shootouts. The dialog is always very clear, sharp, and easy to follow. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report.

The Peacemaker 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - in this exclusive new audio commentary, critics Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson explain why The Peacemaker was a very challenging film to make and how its "European feel" separates it from other similarly themed projects. Mitchell also shares some very interesting information about a real expert working for the U.S. government who apparently felt that a lot of what takes place in The Peacemaker are legitimate developments. According to Mitchell, initially, Annette Bening was the frontrunner for Nicole Kidman's part.

• Commentary Two - in this exclusive new audio commentary, film journalist Laurence Lerman shares a lot of information about the conception and production of The Peacemaker and relationship with the then-newly formed DreamWorks studio. (The Peacemaker was the first film the studio produced). Lerman also discusses the nature of the drama that is depicted in the film, as well as the dilemmas the main characters face as it intensifies.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - in this exclusive new audio commentary, critics Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson explain why The Peacemaker was a very challenging film to make and how its "European feel" separates it from other similarly themed projects. Mitchell also shares some very interesting information about a real expert working for the U.S. government who apparently felt that a lot of what takes place in The Peacemaker are legitimate developments. According to Mitchell, initially, Annette Bening was the frontrunner for Nicole Kidman's part.

• Commentary Two - in this exclusive new audio commentary, film journalist Laurence Lerman shares a lot of information about the conception and production of The Peacemaker and relationship with the then-newly formed DreamWorks studio. (The Peacemaker was the first film the studio produced). Lerman also discusses the nature of the drama that is depicted in the film, as well as the dilemmas the main characters face as it intensifies.

• Stunt Footage - presented here is some raw footage from the filming of key action sequences. In English, not subtitled. (6 min).

• From the Cutting Room - presented here are several bits of unused and cut footage with comments by Mimi Leder, screenwriter Michael Schiffer, and Nicole Kidman, among others. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for The Peacemaker. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

The Peacemaker 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Michael Bay is a master of popcorn entertainment precisely because he can make projects like The Peacemaker look great and excite in the best possible way. Mimi Leder copies many of Bay's tricks, but the end product is different. It is overwhelmed by clichés and the quality of its drama and action is very inconsistent, easily revealing Leder's inexperience. Kino Lorber's combo pack introduces a fine 4K makeover of The Peacemaker that looks good on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray.