The Replacement Killers Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		2.5
Audio		2.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.0

The Replacement Killers Blu-ray Movie Review

Mill Creek has released the 1998 film 'The Replacement Killers,' directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Chow Yun-Fat and Mira Sorvino, to Blu-ray. The film has been released twice before, first by Sony in 2007 and later by Mill Creek exclusively in a two-film collection which also contained 'Truth or Consequences, N.M..' I did not review, nor do I have access to, either of those releases. While it is very possible that this standalone release contains very similar, if not nearly identical, video compared to the Mill Creek double pack, in this review I will offer thoughts strictly on this release's video alone without comparing it to the others. However, it is vital to note that, unlike the previous Mill Creek issue, this release does not include a 5.1 lossless soundtrack; instead it offers only a 2.0 lossless soundtrack. Like the original Mill Creek issue, this release contains no special features

The Replacement Killers Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Mill Creek's standalone Blu-ray presentation of The Replacement Killers does not hold up to scrutiny. At its core is the evidence of a decent filmic presentation. However, what is here is neither organic nor filmic. The image has a very processed, chunky look to it. Rather than naturally grainy, the image looks a bit clumpy and struggles to present the sort of tight, effortless details that the film and Blu-ray resolutions should provide. Instead, the image looks fairly flat, not scrubbed down to death, but it's clear that beyond the very core facial pores and hairs is a flatness and some evidence of a smoothing process. The image, at best, scrapes by as 1080p worthy but often looks a bit closer to a good upscaled DVD. Colors are flat. There's very little spring to the palette here. Tones are depressed, weary, lacking more than very cursory punch, which includes the would-be most vivid colors in the film, like a drink machine at a car wash partway through the film. The image gets a little bit of life out of red lipstick and some other choice tones, but viewers should not expect a deluge of bright, bouncy, and brilliant tones. Skin tones look pasty, black levels are so-so, and whites lack brilliance. The image holds to some stray fibers and speckles, but the print is in decent shape overall. Mild compression issues are evident as well. The movie deserves much better.

The Replacement Killers Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Why Mill Creek decided to ditch the 5.1 lossless soundtrack in favor of a 2.0 lossless soundtrack is a mystery. The opening club scene would certainly seem to suffer. The front-heavy elements of the blaring Dance music and the gunfire action feels its constraints. It's almost jarringly absent those surround channels, and while I cannot make any direct comparisons, as noted above, that back-channel vacuum is very evident to the ears. To be sure, the track offers a fair amount of punch to gunfire and intense musical cues, but the action lacks the more fluid dynamics and beefier response that surround channels and a subwoofer would provide. The movie's style screams for a 5.1 configuration, and the two-channel mix only limits the sense of engagement and, of course, immersion. This is evident in places where the immersion should be much more pronounced, like the club in the opening minutes or in a car wash at the 37-minute mark. At least clarity is decent enough, whether considering music or action extravaganzas; it's just the lack of fullness that disappoints. Dialogue is fairly clear and robust, always intelligible, and well prioritized with very good front-center imaging.

The Replacement Killers Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Like the previous Mill Creek issue of the film, there are no extras on this disc. The menu screen offers a static image with no sound and options only to play the film and toggle subtitles on and off. The old Sony issue, by contrast, included a couple of featurettes. Also notable is that the Sony release included the longer 96-minute cut of the film while both Mill Creek releases include the theatrical 88-minute cut. This release is part of Mill Creek's "Retro VHS" collection which includes a slipcover made to resemble an old VHS box and cassette: what things might have looked like at the local video store when the film released to home video in the late 1990s, albeit right after the dawning of the DVD era.

The Replacement Killers Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Replacement Killers holds up as a really solid Action movie with a couple of great lead performances. Antoine Fuqua knows how to make an Action movie, and this one is streamlined, efficient, and a lot of fun. Unfortunately, the Blu-ray is not befitting the film. The picture quality is middling at best and the 2.0 lossless soundtrack is a configuration downgrade from Mill Creek's past effort. No supplements are a shame, too. The film is worth owning, but the Sony release is probably the best bet. Hopefully, someone will release a UHD version somewhere down the line.