Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Used Cars 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf December 2, 2022

1980’s “Used Cars” represents a “strike three” of sorts for co-writers Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis (who also directs). The pair were hot stuff in Hollywood for a short time, managing to befriend Steven Spielberg, using such partnership to make movies. However, nobody was particularly responsive to those movies, with Gale and Zemeckis’s careers hit with the failure of their first endeavor, “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” (a sublime comedy), and they accepted part of the blame for the underperformance of Spielberg’s “1941” (an underappreciated film), handling scripting duties. “Used Cars” was meant to build the boys back up (with assistance from Spielberg, here as an executive producer), handling a slapstick comedy about used car salesmen and their love of unscrupulous business practices, and while they provide a wild ride of one-upmanship and crazed antics, the feature’s dismal box office performance kept Gale and Zemeckis out of work for years, finally claiming industry success together in a major way with 1985’s “Back to the Future.” The fourth at-bat changed everything.

“Used Cars” is a wily creation, with Gale and Zemeckis working to push down on a hard R-rated viewing experience that plays like a live-action cartoon, detailing the misadventures and dedicated scheming of Rudy (Kurt Russell), a used car salesman locking horns with his rival, Roy (Jack Warden), for control of a Phoenix, Arizona strip of business real estate. “Used Cars” is like a “Looney Tunes” short at times, but it also deals with a healthy sense of darkness, playing up the writers’ love of absurdity, mischief, and complication, with Zemeckis in charge of bringing order to this chaos, delivering sharp timing and a healthy flow of high jinks superbly performed by the cast. Of special note is Russell, who’s absolutely perfect in the lead role, offering commitment to Rudy’s oiliness and the faint flickers of his conscience, which factor into the picture during its second half.

For additional information and analysis, please read Jeffrey Kauffman’s 2014 Blu-ray review.

Used Cars 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Screencaps are collected from the Blu-ray.

"Used Cars" was previously issued on Blu-ray with two separate releases, most recently in 2019 via Shout Factory. The company returns to the title with a UHD release, sourced from a "New 4K" scan, "remastered from the original camera negative." The Dolby Vision presentation brings decent life to the film's use of color, delivering bright primaries on automobile paint jobs and decorative signs. Richer hues are also found on costuming and lighting, and Arizona sights are handled with vivid desertscapes and big blue skies. Skin tones are natural. Detail captures facial surfaces and skin particulars, exploring age and illness, and costuming is fibrous, offering a tour of polyester suits. City tours retain depth, and office spaces are loaded with appreciable decoration. Highlights are decent, but a few blown-out areas of lighting are encountered. Delineation is satisfactory, retaining deep blacks with evening events. Grain is heavy and somewhat inconsistent, possibly reflecting original cinematography. Encoding also slips a bit from time to time. Source is in good condition, but there's one shot at the 9:13 mark that appears damaged. Perhaps this is an inherent issue.

Used Cars 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This "Used Cars" release defaults to a 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix, which seems to be the more appropriate option for the film. There's a 5.1 DTS-HD MA track as well, hoping to satisfy home theater fans, but the 2.0 handles with appealing clarity and frontal force, capturing sharp dialogue exchanges and excitable performance choices, with nothing slipping into distortive extremes. Scoring is distinct, delivering comedic support with sharp instrumentation, and orchestral swells for the big finale registers with authority. Sound effects are snappy, and atmospherics are appreciable.

Used Cars 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features co-writer/director Robert Zemeckis, co-writer/producer Bob Gale, and actor Kurt Russell.

• "Would You Buy a Used Car From These Men?" (27:11, HD) is an interview with co-writer/producer Bob Gale, who explains "the bad guys vs. the worst guys" premise of the feature. The interviewee explores the production's origin story, with John Milius hatching the car salesman idea, with plans to make a movie with Steven Spielberg. The material eventually fell back on Gale and co-writer Robert Zemeckis, who took charge of the writing, finally finding a home at Columbia Pictures. Research followed, with the screenwriters spending time at a dealership, collecting stories for the picture, including great knowledge of sales techniques, adding to the authenticity of the endeavor. Pre-production is analyzed, taking "Used Cars" to Phoenix for the shoot, and casting is highlighted, picking up Kurt Russell post "Elvis," while Jack Warden was the old pro helping his castmates. Gale goes into his producing duties, acting as a "second brain" for Zemeckis, and his shares anecdotes about the shoot, which ran into strange weather trouble in Arizona. Gale closes with a few words on Zemeckis and his on-set presence.

• "Kicking the Tires" (27:09, HD) returns to co-writer/producer Bob Gale, who focuses on stories from the "Used Cars" shoot, including a scene involving phallic noses that was immediately reshot via order from the head of the studio. Gale and co-writer/director Robert Zemeckis were hunting for some authenticity with pranks and schemes, searching for ways to juice up the shenanigans in the film. Stunt work is highlighted, examining dangerous car activity and the improvisational nature of a fist-fight scene. Stunt coordinator Terry Leonard's contributions to the picture are celebrated, including his "close shave" driving and use of children for one trunk dump shot. Gale details promotional efforts to generate interest in "Used Cars," with journalists sent an oil can that contained lemon tree seeds, and there was even a model car kit, with the interviewee displaying these items and more. Final thoughts are provided, with the feature enjoying highly successful sneak previews, but such success couldn't translate to box office, with the movie opening a week after "Airplane." Cult success developed with pay cable showings and home video, and Gale remains happy with the work.

• Radio Interview (5:04) is a 1980 chat with actor Kurt Russell, who shares his thoughts on the character and world of "Used Cars." He also details his time with Disney, the development of his acting career, and Russell endures some other pushover questions from the host.

• Outtakes and Gag Reel (4:25, SD) are included, featuring a scene involving joke glasses the studio objected to, triggering a reshoot.

• Radio Spots (7:54) offer multiple commercials for "Used Cars."

• Still Gallery #1 (6:19) collects film stills, BTS snaps, and publicity shots.

• Still Gallery #2 (4:32) collects poster art and lobby cards.

• Still Gallery #3 (7:30) collect press kit pages and promotional item pics.

• T.V. Spot (:33, SD) provides a single commercial for "Used Cars."

• A Teaser Trailer (1:18, HD) and an "Unrated" Trailer (1:53, HD) are included.

Used Cars 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Used Cars" carries on for a bit too long, but Zemeckis and Gale do manage to revive a slightly sagging feature with an energetic and heroically stunt- heavy final act, which involves a "cattle drive" of cars across the desert. The sequence delivers cheeky mayhem the writers are known for, but Gale and Zemeckis have a big imagination for their endeavor, sustaining a sense of goofiness and anarchy that's wildly appealing, even when it slips out of their control at times. "Used Cars" isn't quite as joyous as "I Wanna Hold Your Hand," but it's such a rascally, spirited demolition derby of egos, idiocy, and predatory behaviors.