Detective/Private Eye movies available on 4K Blu-ray, ranked by transfer quality.
dir. Scott Frank
Private investigator Matthew Scudder is hired by a drug kingpin to find out who kidnapped and murdered his wife.
Walt Disney Studios
dir. Paul Schrader
Julian makes a lucrative living as an escort to older women in the Los Angeles area. He begins a relationship with Michelle, a local politician's wife, without expecting any pay. One of his clients is murdered and Detective Sunday begins pumping him for details on his different clients, something he is reluctant to do considering the nature of his work. Julian begins to suspect he's being framed. Meanwhile Michelle begins to fall in love with him.
Arrow Video · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. William Friedkin
S-Tier Arrow Video 4K. Friedkin's controversial leather bar thriller with Pacino. Arrow gave it the boutique treatment.
dir. Kenneth Branagh
S-Tier StudioCanal 4K. Branagh's Poirot on the Nile. StudioCanal's Christie franchise.
StudioCanal · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. Guy Hamilton
S-Tier StudioCanal 4K. Agatha Christie with Peter Ustinov as Poirot. StudioCanal's Christie releases have been consistently good.
dir. Bong Joon Ho
S-Tier Curzon Film 4K. Bong Joon Ho's serial killer masterpiece. The 4K remaster has a reputation for being too dark and green compared to the original South Korean Blu-ray, which has the more natural color timing. Multiple versions exist across regions. The Curzon release is the one most English-speaking collectors are buying, though the import shipping is steep.
Curzon Film · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. Joe Carnahan
S-Tier Arrow Video 4K. Joe Carnahan's undercover cop film with Ray Liotta and Jason Patric, scoring a perfect 5.0 overall. The Arrow limited edition was not expected to sell out during pre-order, and it didn't. People who attended a preview screening with the cast in 2002 are now buying the 4K.
dir. James Wan
Two men wake up chained in a grimy abandoned bathroom, left with cryptic instructions from the sadistic Jigsaw killer who has forced them into a gruesome game for their freedom.
Lionsgate · Steelbook
dir. Matt Reeves
S-Tier Warner Bros. 4K. The disc menus load straight to the play screen with no ads or warnings, which is something every 4K should do. Amazon returns are a known issue with this title, people opening the shrinkwrap, taking the 4K disc, and returning it resealed.
Warner Bros. · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. Mathieu Kassovitz
Two French policemen, one investigating a grisly murder at a remote mountain college, the other working on the desecration of a young girl's grave by skinheads, are brought together by the clues from their respective cases. Soon after they start working together, more murders are committed, and the pair begin to discover just what dark secrets are behind the killings.
dir. Walter Hill
The Driver specializes in driving getaway cars for robberies. His exceptional talent has prevented him from being caught yet. After another successful flight from the police a self-assured detective makes it his primary goal to catch the Driver. He promises pardons to a gang if they help to convict him in a set-up robbery. The Driver seeks help from The Player to mislead the detective.
dir. Steven Soderbergh
The Limey follows Wilson, a tough English ex-con who travels to Los Angeles to avenge his daughter's death. Upon arrival, Wilson goes to task battling Valentine and an army of L.A.'s toughest criminals, hoping to find clues and piece together what happened. After surviving a near-death beating, getting thrown from a building and being chased down a dangerous mountain road, the Englishman decides to dole out some bodily harm of his own.
Lionsgate · 4K + Blu-ray
Jane Marple solves the mystery when a local woman is poisoned and a visiting movie star seems to have been the intended victim.
dir. Orson Welles
A border-town bombing draws Mexican investigator Miguel Vargas into a corruption-ridden police investigation led by crooked captain Hank Quinlan, setting off a deadly struggle over power, justice, and truth.
Eureka Entertainment · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. Bilall Fallah, Adil El Arbi
Marcus and Mike are forced to confront new threats, career changes, and midlife crises as they join the newly created elite team AMMO of the Miami police department to take down the ruthless Armando Armas, the vicious leader of a Miami drug cartel.
dir. David Lynch
A-Tier Criterion Collection 4K. David Lynch's small-town nightmare. One person's 4K disc was mislabeled as Trainspotting, which is either a quality control issue or the most Lynchian thing that's ever happened to a physical disc.
Criterion Collection · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. Rian Johnson
Kino Lorber's A-Tier 4K of Rian Johnson's debut. Too small for streaming to care about, but the disc-buying audience loves it.
Kino Lorber · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. Eli Roth
A-Tier Kino Lorber 4K. The original Charles Bronson vigilante film. Kino has the 4K.
dir. Don Siegel
A-Tier Warner Bros. 4K. Clint Eastwood's first Dirty Harry. The San Francisco photography looks good on a modern display.
dir. Larry Cohen
A-Tier Blue Underground 4K. Larry Cohen's NYC genre film. Blue Underground has been bringing their catalog to 4K.
Blue Underground · 4K + Blu-ray
A-Tier Lionsgate 4K. Rian Johnson's murder mystery with Daniel Craig's southern accent. The steelbook had a famous Easter egg slipcover that reveals plot details when flipped backwards, and it caused near-panic when it first released. The steelbook's distressed design means scratches and dents blend right in. Reprints are available through Lionsgate for around $71 USD plus shipping.
dir. Jackie Chan
Eureka A-Tier 4K. Part of the Police Story trilogy set that collectors say is worth the upgrade. The theatrical cut transfer is a real improvement over previous releases.
The StudioCanal steelbook has great embossing and showed up in European sales for around 15 EUR. Region B locked on the Blu-ray side, which annoyed a few Region A collectors who wanted the full package. Purely a fun 80s action night pick.
Eagle Pictures
dir. David Fincher
The 4K theatrical rerelease renewed attention right before the disc hit. The Zavvi "What's In The Box?" edition at $98 USD was roasted immediately, with one comment offering to put their DVD in a cardboard box with Walmart air fresheners instead. The standard 4K packaging also took heat for the case design, prompting custom case inserts. None of that matters because the A-Tier transfer on this film is exceptional. The dark interiors and rain-soaked exteriors test any display setup. Fincher's 30th anniversary restoration is the definitive home version.
Warner Bros. · 4K Ultra HD
dir. Guy Ritchie
A-Tier 4K. Ritchie's steampunk Holmes aged well and the fight scene photography in HDR is the selling point. Occasionally turns up unopened in $2 USD bins.
A-Tier 4K. HDZeta Silver Label did a WWA steelbook and Zavvi had UK preorders. The sequel's warmer color palette and darker Moriarty scenes both look better than the old Blu-ray.
dir. John Huston
A private detective takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a beautiful liar, and their quest for a priceless statuette.
dir. Shane Black
A private eye investigates the apparent suicide of a fading porn star in 1970s Los Angeles and uncovers a conspiracy.
dir. Tony Scott
Arrow Video A-Tier 4K. Tarantino-written and Tony Scott-directed, with an Arrow disc that does both of them justice. Hans Zimmer's 'You're So Cool' theme still hits.
dir. Peter Weir
While protecting an Amish boy – the sole witness to a brutal murder – and his mother, a detective is forced to seek refuge within their community when his own life comes under threat.
Paramount A-Tier 4K. Fincher fans waited years for this and the October 2024 release delivered. The digital sheen translates to HDR in ways that catch you off guard for a 2007 film shot on early Viper cameras.
Paramount Pictures · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. Michael Winner
C-Tier Vinegar Syndrome 4K. Bronson sequel. Vinegar Syndrome picks up the titles nobody else will.
Vinegar Syndrome · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. Charles Band
The 4K exists, but the consensus is rough. The Blu-ray actually rates higher than the 4K on bestblurays. Most of the problems are baked into the source material, a sub-500K production shot on film short ends with cheap equipment. 101 Films put out a UK limited edition with a solid extras package, same transfer though. People buy Trancers because the movie is genuinely great, not for the picture quality.
101 Films · Limited Edition
dir. J. Lee Thompson
Warren Stacy, an office equipment repairman, begins murdering women after they reject his advances. To minimize the evidence, Stacy always kills while naked, wearing nothing but gloves, and further evades the law with his strong alibis. Veteran detective Leo Kessler is convinced of Stacy's guilt and begins using questionable methods to catch him.
dir. Richard Berry
A retired mobster goes on a revenge spree after being left for dead with 22 bullets in his body by his former childhood friend.
After watching their respective partners die, a cop and a hitman form an alliance in order to bring down their common enemy.
dir. Kenji Kodama
Ran’s secret past revealed! Ten years ago, something happened between her mom and dad. Now, plagued by nightmares, Ran is starting to remember… Meanwhile, a murderous card dealer breaks out of jail to seek revenge. His target: Ran’s father. Can Conan stop him in time and save his girlfriend’s family?
Imprint · Limited Edition
dir. Chika Nagaoka
A message has arrived from Kid the Phantom Thief, that he will steal a Japanese sword belonging to wealthy Onoe Family in Hakodate, Hokkaido. Conan and Heiji Hattori, who happened to be in Hakodate, are on the case to capture Kid. Coincidentally the family lawyer of Onoe is found murdered in the warehouse district, apparently slaughtered by a Japanese sword. The suspect is an investor/arms dealer who is said to be after Onoe family’s hidden treasure. In the North among cherry blossoms, the exciting hunt for treasure begins!
dir. Christopher Nolan
Second Sight 4K of the 1997 Norwegian original, not the Nolan remake. The thread noticed immediately and several people pointed out this is the superior film. 'Second Sight be killing my import budget.'
dir. Paul Bogart
Mysterious Orfamay Quest hires Los Angeles private investigator Philip Marlowe to find her missing brother. Though the job seems simple enough, it leads Marlowe into the underbelly of the city, turning up leads who are murdered with ice picks, exotic dancers, blackmailed television stars and self-preserving gangsters. Soon, Marlowe's life is on the line right along with his case.
Arrow Video · Limited Edition
dir. Russell Mulcahy
A jaded homicide detective has been put on the case of a ruthless killer in the city of Chicago, who leaves a trail of horribly mutilated and dismembered corpses along with perversely ironic biblical quotes.
Criterion Collection · 4K + Blu-ray Special Edition
dir. Akira Kurosawa
A bad day gets worse for young detective Murakami when a pickpocket steals his gun on a hot, crowded bus. Desperate to right the wrong, he goes undercover, scavenging Tokyo’s sweltering streets for the stray dog whose desperation has led him to a life of crime. With each step, cop and criminal’s lives become more intertwined and the investigation becomes an examination of Murakami’s own dark side.
dir. Blake Edwards
Kino Lorber 4K. Early impressions are positive, though some shots remain grainy due to the source material. The Henry Mancini score in lossless is the draw for Pink Panther fans.
Kino Lorber · 4K Ultra HD
dir. Tomas Alfredson
Kino's announcement has a problem. The disc says 'new 4K master from the original 35mm camera negative' but the film was shot on Arri Alexa, digitally. The community caught it within hours. Whether that's a typo or something stranger, nobody's pre-ordering until there's clarification.
dir. Sammo Hung Kam-Bo
Cousins Thomas and David, owners of a mobile restaurant, team up with their friend Moby, a bumbling private detective, to save the beautiful Sylvia, a pickpocket.
Arrow Video · 4K Ultra HD
