8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Runaway lovers Clarence and Alabama play a dangerous game when they come to possess a suitcase of mob contraband. They head for Los Angeles, where they'll sell the goods and begin a new life. But both sides of the law have other ideas.
Starring: Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Gary OldmanCrime | 100% |
Dark humor | 82% |
Thriller | 71% |
Drama | 70% |
Romance | Insignificant |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
4K Ultra HD
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
The vagaries of licensing and/or releasing in various territories has meant that I've sometimes received Blu-rays meant for the UK and Region B
before they're brought out for us on "this side of the pond". That's exactly what happened with Arrow's release of True Romance, which
debuted in the UK last year. I typically just insert a link like True Romance Blu-ray review to let readers matriculate over to whatever review might be relevant, but in this case,
I'm simply going to repeat some aspects of that review here, for convenience sake, while adding the perhaps salient point that Arrow's UK PR firm
never sent the UK 4K UHD version for review purposes, so I'm coming to the film in that format for the first time. The linked review is however still
a good resource for additional
(1080) screenshots of
both the director's and theatrical cuts.
Quentin Tarantino's films tend to evoke widely disparate reactions, and in that regard, while Tarantino is "only" the screenwriter of True
Romance,
one need only contrast the opinions of, say, my colleague Ken Brown, who reviewed the old Warner Brothers Home Entertainment Blu-ray of
the
film (a Region A
release) way back in 2009, with Tim Lucas, whom Arrow has added to this new release as a commentator (joining the previously released
commentaries by director Tony Scott, Tarantino himself, and stars Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette, also included on this release). While it
would
probably be downright easy to find two people who disagree more virulently than Ken and Lucas do, Ken confesses
he's been a diehard Tarantino fan since his teen years, but still found True Romance a bit of a slog and not at the level of some other
Tarantino films actually helmed by Tarantino. Lucas on the other hand wastes little time in his commentary proclaiming True
Romance
one of the best films of the late 20th century, and one whose perceived deficits may actually be positives, at least at times. If you tend more
toward Lucas' frame of mind, this release from Arrow should be a welcome addition to your library, as it boasts excellent technical merits and
Arrow's
usual supply of outstanding supplements.
Note: Screenshots are sourced from Arrow's 1080 release. Note that this edition does not include a 1080 disc, though breaking
their recent tradition, Arrow does include both 1080 and 2160 discs in a couple of the alternate packaging offerings, which I've provided
links to in the supplements section.
True Romance is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Arrow Video with a 2160p transfer in 2.35:1. Unless I've once again mixed up insert
booklets (which I admittedly did a while back with Arrow's 4K release of RoboCop), both of the Limited Edition versions from Arrow (in 1080
or 2160) contain the same insert booklet, which provides the following verbiage on the transfer:
True Romance is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1 [sic] with stereo 2.0 and 5.1 sound. The film is presented in both the original Theatrical and Director's Cut versions.As I mentioned in the original review of the UK version, I frankly didn't notice the (relatively slight) difference in aspect ratio between the old Warner 1080 release and the stated original aspect ratio of 2.39:1 until I measured the screenshots for the UK Arrow release and noticed the variance. That possible stumbling point aside, this is another really impressive 4K effort from Arrow, one which noticeably if subtly at times ups the fine detail ante, especially in some of the more sun drenched outdoor moments where close-ups are employed. But HDR and/or Dolby Vision also aid some of the darker material, with at least marginal improvements in shadow definition. The grading did strike me as just slightly cooler looking at times in this version, notably (again) in some of the darker moments, which tend to highlight blues and greens a bit more prominently to my eyes than in the 1080 version. Grain resolves really nicely throughout, though it can attain a slightly chunky and yellow appearance in passing. I was a bit more aware of some differences in grain resolution in the Director's Version this time in terms of some of the "new" interpolated material, with these passing moments' grittiness probably only increased in the 4K UHD rendering, but, again, I really didn't see anything I'd term as problematic.
The original 35m negative and 35mm intermediary elements were scanned in 4K resolution at Illuminate Labs, Hollywood. The film was restored and graded in 4K HDR/Dolby Vision at Silver Salt Restoration, London.
The stereo and 5.1 mixes were sourced from the original sound mix masters.
All original materials supplied for this restoration were made available by Revolution via Park Circus.
Ken also wasn't overly enthused about the Warner Brothers audio presentation on that now long ago Blu-ray release, even if relatively speaking the audio was evidently better than the video. I found nothing major to complain about with regard to this disc's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 tracks. I spent most of my time on the surround track, but toggling between tracks I noticed no major differences in general amplitude and fidelity. The surround track very noticeably opens up the glut of source cues, while also providing good immersive opportunities for an onslaught of both ambient environmental effects as well as a number of other effects which include everything from rubber being laid on the streets of Los Angeles by a certain purple Cadillac to overwhelming eruptions of gunfire. Dialogue is delivered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.
- Commentary by Tony Scott
- Commentary by Quentin Tarantino
- Commentary by Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette
- Commentary by Tim Lucas is new to this edition and features unabashed fan Lucas proclaiming the virtues of the film.
- Dennis Hopper (2002) (HD; 11:16)
- Val Kilmer (2002) (HD; 4:06)
- Brad Pit (2002) (HD; 5:47)
- Michael Rapaport (2002) (HD; 34:38)
- Bronson Pinchot (2021) (HD; 16:25)
- Saul Rubinek (2021) (HD; 6:56)
- You're So Cool (HD; 10:05) is an interview with costume designer Susan Becker.
- Relentless Romance (HD; 12:50) is an interview with co-editor Michael Tronick.
- Amid the Chaos of the Day (HD; 11:59) is an interview with composers Mark Mancina and John Van Tongeren.
- A Hunger for Mayhem (HD; 7:51) is an overview of Tony Scott's life and work featuring interviews with Scott biographer Larry Taylor.
- Cadillac Man (HD; 7:51) is a fun piece featuring Dan Storm, a superfan who ended up with the iconic purple Cadillac from the film, who started a whole festival celebrating the film which has attracted participants from all around the globe.
- US Featurette 1 (HD; 5:35)
- US Featurette 2 (HD; 5:38)
- International Featurette (HD; 7:46)
- Behind the Scenes (HD; 15:17)
- Interview with Tony Scott (HD; 4:17)
- Interview with Christian Slater (HD; 1:50)
- Interview with Patricia Arquette (HD; 1:58)
- Interview with Dennis Hopper (HD; 1:46)
- Interview with Gary Oldman (HD; 2:58)
- US Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:17)
- US TV Spots (HD; 1:04)
- International Trailer (HD; 2:27)
- Production Stills (HD)
- Poster & Video Art (HD)
Director's Cut
1993
Director's Cut
1993
Limited Edition
1993
Limited Deluxe Edition
1993
1993
1993
1994
1997
2012
Collector's Edition | Theatrical on BD
1994
1990
2006
Straight Up: The Director's Cut | Special Collector's Edition
1999
2009
2005
2011
2007
Collector's Edition
1990
2008
2012
1990
2006
2000
1999-2007
2017
30th Anniversary Edition
1992