The Score 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Score 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 19, 2022

Frank Oz's "The Score" (2001) arrives on 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include archival audio commentary by Frank Oz and cinematographer Rob Hahn; archival production featurette; promotional materials; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Professional thief Nick Wells (Robert De Niro) has done well over the years, but not well enough to permanently walk away from the business and retire in style. His jazz club in the heart of Montreal has been successful and he has enjoyed seeing the place earn a solid reputation, but he still owes money to the bank. It is a lot of money too, which is why he is still doing risky jobs.

Nick’s mentor and business partner, Max (Marlon Brando), has just told him about another job, so big that if they pull it off it will be his last. But the job is in Montreal, the city Nick calls home, and he does not work on his home turf. It is a rule he has not broken in decades. Max knows about his rule, but this is a job worthy of an exception. Truth be told, it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for people like them, and if they do not act on it, in a few weeks, maybe even sooner, it will be gone forever.

At first, Nick refuses to consider the job, but after Max reveals that if agrees to do it his cut would be six million dollars, he changes his mind. Six big ones will be more than enough to pay off the bank and then start enjoying life with his girlfriend, Diane (Angela Bassett), who has stuck with him for years. He has been thinking about Diane and their relationship a lot lately. They could start a family and just live life the way it is supposed to be lived.

Nick will have a partner, Jack Teller (Edward Norton), who works at the Montreal Customs House, where someone has just delivered an ancient royal scepter from France. The job would be to steal the scepter from a giant vault in the heavily guarded basement of the Customs House. Max already has a buyer for the scepter, so all he must do is hand it to him and collect the payment.

In 2001, Frank Oz’s The Score was a direct competitor of David Mamet’s Heist, which is about another very risky job handled by professional thieves looking to exit the business. The latter is unquestionably the better-scripted, better-directed, and better-acted film.

While enjoyable, The Score is a notably uneven film with a trio of stars that lack the chemistry of their rivals in Heist. In fact, a few of the crucial sequences in The Score where De Niro and Brando meet look a bit like competitive tests, so the feeling that there are actors before Oz’s camera playing parts rather than seasoned criminals is always in the air. In Heist, there is a great deal of competitiveness as well, but it feels very organic and infuses the action with a completely different ambience. (While his notorious card-playing tricks are not used, Ricky Jay’s expressions alone do quite a lot to strengthen the authenticity of Heist).

The greatest strength of The Score is the quality of its visuals. Oz and cinematographer Rob Hahn give The Score a very classy European appearance that often feels like it was intended for a serious romantic drama. Could this have been the winning blueprint for The Score? A very laidback crime thriller that switches personalities and becomes a very serious romantic drama? Hahn’s cinematography suggests so, and Bassett looks right for that kind of film, so the potential was undoubtedly present.

The final act does not work at all. After the intense middle section where De Niro and Norton go to work, it looks oddly rushed and even incomplete. One of the three stars, in particular, is very badly mismanaged and exits The Score in the most underwhelming way imaginable.

*Kino Lorber’s 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo release presents an exclusive new 4K restoration of The Score that was completed at Paramount Pictures. The 4K restoration was approved by the film’s cinematographer.

The Score 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Kino Lorber's release of The Score is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray disc is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray disc is Region-A "locked".

Please note that some of the screencaptures that appear 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 #1-20 are from The Score Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #23-30 are from The Score 4K Blu-ray.

4K BLU-RAY DISC

The 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray are sourced from an exclusive new 4K master that was prepared at Paramount Pictures under the supervision of cinematographer Rob Hahn. I viewed the entire film with Dolby Vision and only tested a few areas of the 1080p presentation. I thought that the 4K makeover was brilliant. The entire film looked simply stunning on my system and I did not identify anything that could have been handled better. The 4K makeover just looked rock solid and offered a seemingly endless supply of reference quality material. Daylight footage, indoor footage, nighttime footage, everything looked superb on my system. The grading job was especially impressive, so I tried to get various screencaptures demonstrating how well it was done. Fluidity was excellent, too. Needless to say, the entire film looked spotless. (Note: This is a Region-Free release).

BLU-RAY DISC

The 1080p footage that I tested looked very, very impressive as well. It is possible that a few of the very dark areas could have a tiny bit of crush, but what I saw on my system looked glorious. I cannot imagine how anyone would be unhappy with the new 1080p presentation given how poor the previous 1080p presentation was. Also, in 1080p the color scheme looked outstanding as well. To be honest, I would consider this 4K makeover one of the most effective upgrades done for a catalog title from Paramount Pictures' vaults. I was very impressed with the quality of the work. (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 Score 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 subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

I viewed the entire film with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. This is an excellent track. It boasts terrific clarity, sharpness, and depth. Its range of nuanced dynamics is excellent as well. While there is quite a bit of action in The Score, there are plenty of quiet scenes where subtle nuances do a lot to strengthen the desired atmosphere. The lossless track handles them beautifully. There are no technical anomalies to report in our review.

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

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary was recorded by director Frank Oz and cinematographer Rob Hahn. It was also included on the previous Blu-ray release of The Score that Paramount Home Media Distribution produced in 2010.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary was recorded by director Frank Oz and cinematographer Rob Hahn. It was also included on the previous Blu-ray release of The Score that Paramount Home Media Distribution produced in 2010.

• Trailer - an original trailer for The Score. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• The Making of The Score - an archival featurette with raw footage from the making of The Score and clips from cast and crew interviews. In English, not subtitled. (13 min).

• Additional Footage - in English, not subtitled. (8 min).
  
  1. Brando/De Niro Improvisations
  2. Coffee Shop
  3. Mose Allison

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

In 2001, Frank Oz's The Score emerged as a direct competitor of David Mamet's Heist, but the latter is a vastly superior caper thriller. While enjoyable, The Score is a notably uneven film that does not quite deliver the quality entertainment you would expect given the talent that made it. Kino Lorber's 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo release is sourced from an exclusive new 4K master that was prepared at Paramount Pictures under the supervision of cinematographer Rob Hahn. I thought that the 4K makeover was a genuine stunner, one of the best that I have seen done for a catalog title to date. If The Score is one of your favorite films, give yourself an early Christmas present with this release. RECOMMENDED.