Road Film movies available on 4K Blu-ray, ranked by transfer quality.
dir. James L. Brooks
S-Tier 4K. Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt. Clean catalog transfer.
Sony Pictures · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. Luca Guadagnino
S-Tier Shout Factory 4K. Luca Guadagnino's cannibal love story. The American road trip photography works well in HDR.
Shout! Factory · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. Alex Garland
Lionsgate's 4K is a reference-quality transfer with the kind of audio mix that makes the final battle feel like the snipers are on your roof. Amazon regularly drops the standard edition to $12.99 USD, which is the cheapest S-tier buy in the catalog right now. The steelbook has lenticular slip art if you want the premium version.
Lionsgate · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. Sam Peckinpah
S-Tier StudioCanal 4K. Peckinpah's trucker film with Kris Kristofferson. StudioCanal's catalog releases are often Region B only, which frustrates US buyers who need to import.
StudioCanal · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. Terry Gilliam
S-Tier Arrow Video 4K. Terry Gilliam's Hunter S. Thompson adaptation. Arrow's extras package is strong.
Arrow Video
dir. Menahem Golan
S-Tier Capelight Pictures 4K. Stallone's arm wrestling film, and the Capelight German mediabook is well-loved. People immediately started requesting Cobra, Cop Land, and Tango & Cash get similar treatment. A US release hasn't happened yet, so importing the German version is the move.
Capelight Pictures
dir. Peter Bogdanovich
S-Tier Criterion 4K. Bogdanovich's black and white father-daughter con artist film. There was no US Blu-ray of this for years, so people were importing the Eureka disc. The Criterion 4K announcement was a big deal, and Walmart had it under $20 USD. People who love this film also tend to love The Last Picture Show.
Criterion Collection · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. Wim Wenders
S-Tier Curzon Film 4K. Wim Wenders' film about a man wandering out of a Texas desert. The Criterion 4K generated huge excitement just from people posting about seeing it in a theater. The Curzon encoding is slightly better than Criterion's, but both look great. People watched this for the first time and couldn't stop thinking about it for days. Breaking Bad fans keep spotting the influence.
Curzon Film · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. David Lynch
Retired farmer and widower Alvin Straight learns one day that his distant brother Lyle has suffered a stroke and may not recover. Alvin is determined to make things right with Lyle while he still can, but his brother lives in Wisconsin, while Alvin is stuck in Iowa with no car and no driver's license. He then has the idea of making the trip on his old lawnmower, thus beginning a picturesque and at times deeply spiritual odyssey.
StudioCanal
dir. Henri-Georges Clouzot
In a run-down South American town, four men are paid to drive trucks loaded with nitroglycerin into the jungle through to the oil field. Friendships are tested and rivalries develop as they embark upon the perilous journey.
dir. Ridley Scott
Taking a break from their dreary lives, close friends Thelma and Louise embark on a short weekend trip that ends in unforeseen incriminating circumstances. As fugitives, both women rediscover the strength of their bond and their newfound resilience.
Capelight Pictures · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. Martin Scorsese
A-Tier Paramount 4K. Scorsese's underseen ambulance film. Paramount announced the 4K and it was a surprise to most people.
Paramount Pictures · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. Dennis Hopper
A-Tier Sony 4K. Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper on motorcycles. The counterculture photography looks good from the scan.
dir. David Mackenzie
A-Tier Lionsgate 4K. Jeff Bridges and Chris Pine in a modern Texas crime film. The West Texas photography works well in HDR.
dir. Barry Levinson
A-Tier MVD Entertainment 4K. Hoffman and Cruise on a road trip, with the $49.95 USD price having people wait for a sale. Viavision also has a limited edition of 2000 copies.
MVD Entertainment · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. Rob Reiner
Sony A-Tier 4K. The steelbook reissue added Dolby Vision, which sparked a debate about whether the DV upgrade is worth double-dipping for. The consensus leans toward marginal improvement unless you're really looking for it, but the transfer itself is strong and the Pacific Northwest summer photography has the kind of natural lighting that benefits from HDR.
Sony Pictures · Steelbook
dir. Michael Cimino
Capelight A-Tier 4K. Eastwood and Bridges in a Cimino road movie that got lost in the shuffle of 70s Americana. The Montana location photography is the visual draw, and the film is a hidden gem for anyone who likes the era.
dir. Hal Ashby
Two Navy men are ordered to bring a young offender to prison, but decide to show him one last good time along the way.
dir. Bob Rafelson
Robert Dupea spends his days doing various odd jobs, drinking and womanizing until an encounter with his sister makes him revisit his past.
Criterion Collection · 4K + Blu-ray Special Edition
dir. Howard Franklin
Motivational Speaker Jack Corcoran is determined to get his career off the ground, but the biggest gigs he can get are the ones nobody wants. One day, he receives a telegram that his circus clown father has passed away and left a "huge" inheritance: an elephant that was his father's pride and joy. His main intention to sell the pachyderm off, Jack must choose between loud and rude zookeeper Mo or attractive animal show owner Terry. As the two trek through the country Jack and the elephant develop a bond, and it changes his approach to life for the better.
dir. F. Gary Gray
In 1987, five young men, using brutally honest rhymes and hardcore beats, put their frustration and anger about life in the most dangerous place in America into the most powerful weapon they had: their music. Taking us back to where it all began, Straight Outta Compton tells the true story of how these cultural rebels—armed only with their lyrics, swagger, bravado and raw talent—stood up to the authorities that meant to keep them down and formed the world’s most dangerous group, N.W.A. And as they spoke the truth that no one had before and exposed life in the hood, their voice ignited a social revolution that is still reverberating today.
dir. Oliver Hermanus
In 1917, two young music students attending the Boston Conservatory bond over a mutual love of folk music. They reconnect a few years later, embarking on a song-collecting trip in the backwaters of Maine.
Universal Pictures · 4K Ultra HD
A 4K theatrical screening was announced this week and the r/criterion thread lit up. Even people who rank it lower in Lynch's filmography are in, and several are hoping this leads to a Criterion release. The Straight Story is the other Lynch title people want on disc, and Dune remains disowned.
