Australian label Imprint Films has announced its April batch of 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray releases. They are: Dark Blue (2002), State of Grace (1990), and After Dark: Neo-Noir Cinema Collection Four (1990-1997). The three releases are scheduled to arrive on the market on April 29.
DARK BLUE
Neo-noir crime thriller Dark Blue comes to 4K Blu-ray for the first time worldwide, fully restored from the original 35mm negative.
Starring Kurt Russell, Ving Rhames, and Brendan Gleeson, director Ron Shelton helmed this tense tale of corruption and obsession, packed with explosive drama and twisted police brutality. Set in the Los Angeles Police Department in 1992, Dark Blue is a thriller that takes place just days before the acquittal of four white officers in the beating of black motorist Rodney King and the subsequent L.A. riots. In this racially charged climate, the LAPD's elite Special Investigations Squad is assigned a quadruple homicide. As they work the case, Detective Eldon (Kurt Russell) tutors SIS rookie Bobby (Scott Speedman) in the realities of police intimidation and corruption.
Limited Edition 4K Blu-ray & Blu-ray 2-Disc Hardbox with an exclusive 60-page hardback booklet, plus hours of Special Features.
STATE OF GRACE
Phil Joanou's neo-noir crime thriller State Of Grace comes to 4K Blu-ray for the first time worldwide, fully restored from the original 35mm negative.
Featuring an all-star cast of 90s icons, including Sean Penn, Ed Harris, Gary Oldman, Robin Wright, John Turturro, and John C. Reilly, director Phil Joanou has personally overseen this 4K restoration and grading, giving the project his seal of approval.
Hell's Kitchen is a tough New York City neighbourhood on Manhattan's Westside. Renowned for its brawling, hard-drinking Irish residents, this traditionally ethnocentric and fiercely loyal community is now threatened by the Italian mafia, outside developers, and a ruthless new generation of Irish gangsters. When Terry returns to the neighbourhood after a 10-year absence, he gets involved with mad childhood friend Jackie (Gary Oldman), Jackie's gang leader-brother (Ed Harris), and rekindles his love affair with Jackie's sister Kathleen (Robin Wright). Complicating matters: Terry's secret mission.
Written by playwright Dennis McIntyre, composer Ennio Morricone provided an original music score for the film, and actor Leonardo DiCaprio has cited Gary Oldman's performance in this film as one of his inspirations, noting that it "influenced an entire generation of actors".
Limited Edition 4K Blu-ray & Blu-ray 2-Disc Hardbox with an exclusive 60-page hardback booklet, plus hours of Special Features.
AFTER DARK: NEO-NOIR CINEMA COLLECTION FOUR
Wild At Heart (1990)
David Lynch's quintessential, surreal road movie Wild at Heart stars Nicolas Cage, Laura Dern, Willem Dafoe, Diane Ladd, and Harry Dean Stanton. Young lovers Sailor and Lula hit the road to start a new life together away from the wrath of Lula's deranged, disapproving mother, who has hired a team of hitmen to cut the lovers' surreal honeymoon short.
The winner of the Palme d'Or at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival, and an Academy Award nominee for Best Supporting Actress to Diane Ladd, Wild At Heart is a keystone of Lynch's filmography, and a defining entry in the gamut of 90s neo-noir thrillers.
Unlawful Entry (1992)
Kurt Russell, Ray Liotta, and Madeleine Stowe star in Unlawful Entry, a gritty mystery thriller directed by Jonathan Kaplan(The Accused).
Happily married, Michael and Karen Carr call the police after Karen is held at knife point during a failed robbery attempt in their home. Taking extra interest in the couple's case, the responding officer, Pete Davis, helps arrange the installation of a new security system. The grateful Carrs invite him to stay for dinner andstrike up an unexpected friendship. However, as the lonely policeman develops an intense fixation on Karen, his take on friendship soon develops into a dangerous obsession and becomes the Carrs' worst nightmare.
Landing on 4K Blu-ray for the first time worldwide, the film was praised on release by critics, awarded three out of four stars by Roger Ebert, and described as "a very effective victimisation thriller" by Variety.
The Getaway (1994)
Legendary director Roger Donaldson (Cocktail, Dante's Peak, Species) assembled a powerful assortment of stars for this classic neo-noir thriller, including Alec Baldwin, Kim Basinger, Michael Madsen, James Woods, Jennifer Tilly, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. An ex-con and his devoted wife must flee from danger when a heist doesn't go as planned.
With a script by Walter Hill and Amy Holden Jones (Indecent Proposal), The Getaway is an action-packed, pulse-pounding tale of criminal punts and violent double crossing.
Mulholland Falls (1996)
"This isn't America, Jack. This is LA."
An enormous ensemble cast came together for the neo-noir crime thriller Mulholland Falls, including Nick Nolte, Jennifer Connelly, Chazz Palminteri, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, Melanie Griffith, Andrew McCarthy, Treat Williams, John Malkovich, Bruce Dern, and Rob Lowe. In 1950s Los Angeles, a special crime squad of the LAPD investigates the murder of a young woman.
Adored by critics on release, Roger Ebert described the film as "the kind of movie where every note is put in lovingly. It's a 1950s crime movie, but with a modern, ironic edge", giving it three and a half out of four stars.
Freeway (1996)
Kiefer Sutherland, Reese Witherspoon, and Brooke Shields star in Freeway, a darkly comic neo-noir and bloody modern retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. Following her mother's arrest, young Vanessa Lutz decides to go in search of her estranged grandmother. On the way, she is given a ride by school counsellor Bob Wolverton. During the journey, Lutz begins to realise that Bob is the notorious I-5 Killer…
Now considered a cult classic, critic Roger Ebert gave the film three and a half out of four stars, saying "like it or hate it (or both), you have to admire its skill, and the over-the-top virtuosity of Reese Witherspoon and Kiefer Sutherland".
City of Industry (1997)
Wanting a man dead can be reason enough to live. Harvey Keitel, Stephen Dorff and Timothy Hutton star in neo-noir thriller City of Industry, directed by John Irvin. A retired thief swears revenge on the lunatic who murdered his brother and partner, while going on the run with the loot they stole.
Featuring appearances by Lucy Liu and Elliott Gould, this gruesome revenge flick features a killer soundtrack alongside the mean streets action of the criminal underworld.