Jean Bouise

dir. Mikhail Kalatozov

S-Tier Criterion 4K. Kalatozov's Cuban propaganda film with those impossible long takes that Scorsese says would have changed his career if he'd seen them earlier. Criterion licensed this from Milestone's fine-grain positive kept in the US, which matters because the Russian trade embargo means no more Mosfilm titles are coming for the foreseeable future.

Criterion Collection · 4K + Blu-ray

dir. Luc Besson

Fred, a raffish safe blower, takes refuge in the Paris Metro after being chased by the henchmen of a shady businessman from whom he has just stolen some documents. While hiding out in the back rooms and conduits of the Metro, Fred encounters a subterranean society of eccentric characters and petty criminals.

dir. Luc Besson

A-Tier Sony 4K. Luc Besson's assassin film with Anne Parillaud. Sony and StudioCanal both have steelbook versions, and the consensus is that StudioCanal's is the better package if you're region-free. The Sony version dropped the Spanish subtitles and audio track that StudioCanal kept.

Sony Pictures · Steelbook (4K + Blu-ray)

dir. Luc Besson

Childhood friends Jacques and Enzo share a passion for the danger of free diving. Professional diver Jacques opted to follow in the footsteps of his father, who died at sea when Jacques was a boy; to the bewilderment of scientists, Jacques harbors a remarkable ability to adjust his heart rate and breathing pattern in the water, so that his vital signs more closely resemble that of dolphins than men. As Enzo persuades a reluctant Jacques to compete against him in a free diving contest -- determining who can dive deeper and longer without scuba gear -- Jacques meets Johana, a beautiful American insurance investigator, and finds that he must choose between his love for her and his love of the sea.

StudioCanal