Wrath of Man 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

Wrath of Man 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Follow the money... again.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III January 22, 2023

A year and a half after the release of Warner Bros.' Blu-ray, Shout Factory finally offers Guy Ritchie's Wrath of Man on 4K UHD... an option that annoyingly didn't exist the first time around. The resolution boost and HDR10 enhancement make this native 4K production look even better, and the addition of a new and exclusive Dolby Atmos mix is another check in the win column. Yet a major complaint about the earlier WB disc -- its complete lack of bonus features -- has barely been addressed here, resulting in an improved home video package that's still not definitive.

For a synopsis and review of the film, see below; otherwise, just go straight to the A/V section.

Wrath of Man continues Guy Ritchie's recent return to form that started with 2019's The Gentlemen. This stylish and smartly constructed thriller stars Jason Statham as Patrick Hill, a recent hire at Fortico Security Group whose excellent credentials outshine his first week of training, where he skates by with a rating just barely good enough to pass. During his first assignment, "H" -- a code name given to him by training officer Haiden "Bullet" Blaire (Holt McCallany) -- shocks his partner Dave "Boy Sweat" Hancock (Josh Hartnett) with expert marksmanship and quick thinking, both of which saves his team's life from armed robbers. The higher-ups at Fortico are obviously surprised at his abilities -- enough to warrant a little background investigation, of course -- but they're just happy for the help, as a violent robbery several months ago left two Fortico guards dead along with at least one innocent civilian.

What starts off as a linear story turns out to be anything but, as Wrath of Man unfolds in four successive chapters that, among other things, depict that fateful robbery from several different perspectives, including a group of ex-soldiers led by platoon sergeant Jackson (Jeffrey Donovan). To discuss any of these separated but connected perspectives at great length would spoil the way in which Wrath of Man weaves its interesting narrative, but one thing's for sure: "H" is not who he appears to be, and he's not the only one with skeletons in the closet. It's the kind of film that almost demands a second viewing, and if you're like me you'll probably watch it again as soon as the credits roll. It's visceral enough to make a strong impact the first time through and accessible enough to follow, but successive viewings reveal early clues and subtle hints that reveal Wrath of Man as more than a simple, straightforward narrative chopped up just for show. There's a sense of purpose to its technique and, combined with its strong fundamentals, make Wrath of Man feel like a durable production that recalls modern heist films like The Town, Ronin, and of course, Michael Mann's Heat.

Performances here are mostly top-notch. Statham obviously leaves quite an impression (most of us forgot how good he is in "serious mode"), although a handful of supporting performances steal more than a few scenes as well. Perhaps the biggest standout is Holt McCallany (Fight Club, The Losers), who's perfect in his role and really gets a chance to shine during the film's lengthy and violent climax, a highly organized heist of several Fortico "cash trucks" on Black Friday. The least impressive showing was Scott Eastwood, a prominent member of the ex-soldier mercenary group who, like Holt McCallany's character, proves to a major factor in the film's home stretch. (He's fine enough, I guess, but just doesn't seem like a perfect fit for top-level villainy.) Even so, Wrath of Man is loaded with characters and, considering the film's non-linear narrative, most of them make a solid impact and are strongly represented enough to make this a film that's not "action first, emotion second". At the root of it all is "H" and a personal tragedy that's revealed slowly and surely, building to a very satisfying end point that, while not necessarily upbeat, feels like a fitting end to what comes before. It's all tied together with excellent cinematography by Alan Stewart and a terrific original score by Chris Benstead, a frequent collaborator of Ritchie; these elements and several more help to separate Wrath of Man from its contemporaries while not feeling like too much of a departure from what made them great to begin with.

Wrath of Man 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

After refreshing my memory with a quick skim of Wrath of Man's Blu-ray transfer -- which looks identical on both this included 1080p disc and WB's 2021 Blu-ray -- it's readily apparent how much darker the 4K disc's 2160, HDR-enhanced transfer can be at times. That's not a bad thing, of course: the darker moments really enhance Wrath of Man's moody atmosphere in an effective way, not to mention make a handful of scenes feel more natural in direct comparison. Two scenes that immediately stood out are H's nighttime meetings with Fortico guard Dana Curtis (Niamh Algar) and... well, a high-ranking villain whose revealed identity might be something of a spoiler. On the Blu-ray, the darkened rooms they meet in are actually bathed in more medium-grays and somewhat washed-out shadows, which only change slightly in overall tone when a few small lamps are turned on. On the 4K disc, the rooms are much darker but still readable, and when the lamps are turned on the resultant mood change feels much more natural. The extends to shadow detail and black levels across the board: Wrath of Man's image now looks overall more solid and organically deeper, thanks to the increased dynamic range afforded by HDR10's richer blacks, better color, and of course brighter whites.

This being a native 4K production, Wrath of Man's fine detail and textures enjoy a natural bump as well, although it's not quite as much of a night-and-day difference as the colors and black levels. Wide shots benefit the most, largely in the form of outdoor establishing shots and city fly-overs, with no perceivable striping or compression artifacts on even the most complex of structures and textures. Depth is slightly increased, and color saturation is now much closer to the familiar "punchy" appearance of modern HDR with deeper blues, warmer oranges, and more natural skin tones, which unavoidably stand out more strongly from their surroundings (particularly darker backgrounds) while never succumbing to bleeding or crush. Overall it's a solid treatment of a great-looking film, and one that gets a full triple-layer (100GB) disc all to itself with no apparent encoding issues. Fans will be pleased for sure, and even those who thought WB's initial Blu-ray looked great -- including myself -- will be pleasantly surprised at the improvements here.

Wrath of Man 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

One nagging complaint about WB's 2021 Blu-ray was the fact that the film's theatrical 7.1 mix was downgraded to DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio, which obviously isn't the case here: Shout Factory's 4K disc sports a full Dolby Atmos mix, which obviously deepens Wrath of Man's sonic intensity at key moments, with tighter and more enveloping use of the rears as well as occasional use of the height channels, particularly in three major shootout sequences including the extended climactic invasion of Fortico and its fallout. But, for the most part, my comments about the previous surround mix apply here and can be found at the linked review; just consider this mix a slightly more beefed-up version of an already-great track, and one that will be of interest to anyone set up for Atmos or 7.1 surround. Separate 5.1 and 2.0 Master Audio mixes are also offered, which seems redundant given that most receivers fold down mixes automatically.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are offered during the main feature only.

Wrath of Man 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This two-disc release ships in a dual-hubbed keepcase with poster-themed cover artwork and no inserts. It's basically identical to WB's Blu-ray except for the disc art, which is disappointing. Shout Factory is known for both their packaging and extras, which are easily the weakest elements of this premium-priced, virtually barebones release.

• Trailers (2 clips, 4:47 total) - Found on the Blu-ray disc only, the lone new bonus features here are the general release (green-band) and restricted (red-band) theatrical trailers for Wrath of Man. It's very interesting to see the CGI blood removed and stricter cutting on the former, but it's still plenty violent for something hilariously advertised on the press release as "G Rated".

Wrath of Man 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Guy Ritchie's Wrath of Man doesn't quite reach "modern classic" status, yet it's a cracking heist thriller with a twisting (but slightly convoluted) structure, plenty of tough-guy dialogue, loads of kinetic action, and moody cinematography that ties everything together with style. Sadly, we're now two releases in and still don't have a definitive edition yet: Shout Factory's new 4K combo pack finally offers a true 2160p / HDR-enhanced transfer and Atmos audio, but there still aren't any (real) extras and the packaging is disappointingly basic. (Not even a Steelbook option?) Factor in the full one and a half-year delay since WB's Blu-ray and you've got a very sneaky double-dip indeed. But if you're a fan of the film, this solid technical upgrade is probably worth the money... whether you buy it now or wait for a sale.