The Sisters Brothers 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

The Sisters Brothers 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman March 15, 2023

The Sisters Brothers never really seemed to connect with audiences when it was first released for theatrical exhibiton in 2018, and it frankly also didn't seem to cause much of a stir when what was then known as 20th Century Fox released it on Blu-ray in 2019 for the Region A market (a release I reviewed, and will link to below). As Brian Lowry's visual essay included on this Arrow release mentions, perhaps it's time for this interesting film to have a reassessment, and this release at least will allow it easy access in Region B for Arrow's 1080 version, and worldwide for their 4K UHD release (per Arrow's standard operating procedure, they're releasing the separate formats as standalones).

As indicated above, The Sisters Brothers received a release on Blu-ray for Region A several, and for those interested, my The Sisters Brothers Blu-ray review contains both a plot recap and my reactions to the film. I will say The Sisters Brothers has despite its relatively recent provenance aged rather well and it was an enjoyable film to revisit despite its often viscerally disturbing content, something that is not always the case in my personal experience. Some of my comments below are duplicated from my original review, as appropriate.

The Sisters Brothers 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from Arrow's 1080 release of the film. Per Arrow's standard operating procedure, a 1080 disc is not included with this 4K UHD release.

The Sisters Brothers is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Arrow Video with a 2160p transfer in 2.39:1. Arrow's insert booklet contains only the following fairly generic information on the transfer:

The Sisters Brothers is presented in its original 2.39:1 aspect ratio with 5.1 surround sound. The high definition master was provided by Universal Studios.

As I mentioned in my review of the 20th Century Fox Blu-ray, Arri Alexa cameras were used and while this particular data point wasn't yet on the IMDb when I published that review, so I guessed, it's since been confirmed this had a 2K DI. While there are some arguable minor differences in the Arrow and 20th Century Fox 1080 presentations, I'd argue they're virtually interchangeable, but this 4K UHD iteration does provide some interesting variances, especially in some of the improved shadow detail. While I wouldn't claim the frame is suddenly magically transformed into something completely visible, the opening vignette that takes place at nighttime, for example, does show noticeable upticks in the ability to make out what's going on in some very dimly lit moments, and that improvement continues throughout several other less than brightly lit sequences in the film, including both outdoor nighttime material as well as some supposedly naturally lit (i.e., candles) interior sequences. HDR and/or Dolby Vision have added some really nice luster to the scenic vistas of the countryside in particular, but there's also a more pronounced amber tone now in some of the yellow graded material. Detail levels enjoy at least a marginal uptick from the 1080 version. This is another 2160 presentation where I personally suddenly became more aware of a digital grain field that was perhaps more subliminally present in the 1080 version, and there are a few passing moments when it can look slightly noisy against brighter blue skies.

The Sisters Brothers 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Sisters Brothers features a nicely forceful sounding DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix which I personally found indistinguishable from the DTS- HD Master Audio 5.1 track on the old 20th Century Fox Blu-ray, and so I'll repeat some of my comments from my older review here. I'd bet that the sound design team had a blast (figuratively and literally) adding a bit of "oomph" to the recurrent gunshots that populate the film, because they really erupt with considerable energy almost all of the time. There's good directionality in the shootout scenes, and other crowd scenes, like the brothers' stop at the Mayfield inn and brothel, also provide excellent surround activity. Alexandre Desplat's fun score resides in the side and rear channels very winningly, and dialogue is always rendered cleanly and clearly throughout the presentation. Optional English subtitles are available.

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

• Audio Commentary by C. Courtney Joyner and Henry Park


• Barry Forshaw on The Sisters Brothers (HD; 21:03) is an interesting visual essay which contextualizes the film within a certain subgenre of the western.


• His Own Private Wild West (HD; 1:04:18) is a fun archival making of featurette, evidently of French origin. It's kind of interesting that this wasn't included on the Region A release for whatever reason.


• Online Ads - Trailers and Reviews (HD; 2:15)


• Online Ads - "How To" (HD; 1:36)

Additionally, Arrow provides its typically nicely appointed insert booklet, this one with essays by Howard Hughes (not that one) and Dr. Gemma King, along with the usual supply of cast and crew info, original production notes and disc credits. The keepcase features a reversible sleeve (the obverse side looks very similar to the cover of the 20th Century Fox Blu-ray release for Region A). Additionally, a folded mini poster is included. Finally, packaging features a slipcover.

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

As is discussed in some of the supplements on this release, the very title The Sisters Brothers may have led some to believe they were going to see some kind of satiric romp a la Blazing Saddles or some such entry. That's hopefully obviously not the case, but The Sisters Brothers is still a rather "unusual" western, and one that is rife with almost Freudian undertones at times. Arrow provides a release with solid technical merits and some very enjoyable supplements. This 4K UHD version does up the shadow detail ante nicely, and adds some interesting highlights courtesy of HDR. Recommended.