Play Misty for Me - Kino Lorber Studio Classics 4K UHD

It's been hardly four years since I last reviewed Play Misty For Me and my thoughts on this thriller haven't changed a bit. As a Westerns fan, this film isn't always the first Eastwood adventure I pull off the shelf, but I do come back to it often enough that it's fresh in my mind without ever being tired of it. Here's what I wrote way back in 2020: 

Dave Garver (Clint Eastwood) is a disc jockey on the rise with a popular late-night show mixing smooth tunes with poetry. One fan calls in every night with the simple request - "Play Misty for me…" for which he obliges. One night after the show he meets his number one fan - Evelyn (Jessica Walter). Dave's hung-up on an old girlfriend but as a bachelor, he's not above playing the field. What he thought was a simple one-night outing with a fan turns deadly serious as Evelyn refuses to disappear from his life.

I always knew of the similarities between Play Misty for Me and Fatal Attraction. They're effectively the same story just with very different approaches. But now having reviewed both films within such proximity of their releases, fluffy bunny rabbits aside - I have to tip my hat to Eastwood's efforts as the better of the two. For starters, Dave Garver is actually a likable guy. Sure, a bit of a schmuck at times, but you can't fault the guy for being honest. Before anything happens he tells Evelyn flat out he's hung-up on another woman and whatever he's about to have with her is a one-off. In comparison, Michael Douglas comes off as a bit of a prick who deserved a far worse fate than the shocking finale of that 1987 thriller. This isn't to expunge Eastwood's Garver of responsibility, it's a simple measure of character. He's still a bit of a sleazeball but he was at least an honest sleazeball! 

First-time directorial efforts are a bit of a fascination for me - especially if that director is more famous as an actor. Actors moving behind the camera is nothing new, it's just how well they handle the workload that is of interest to me. Some pull it off with grand success - Ben Affleck with Gone Baby Gone, Kevin Costner with Dances With Wolves, and for a classic film example Paul Henreid with For Men Only. Others can fall flat on their ass. Even though it's considered a classic today Charles Laughton's one and only directorial effort Night of the Hunter was a famous flop. I point these examples out because it's anyone's guess how an actor is going to transition to the work. As an incredible catalog of features tells us, Eastwood took to it like a fish to water. 

Play Misty For Me has all of the hallmarks of Eastwood's signature style behind the camera. A small-scale intimate film that delivers big-scale thrills and chills. It's not flashy, it's not showy, but it's efficient and effective storytelling. While he may headline the film, Eastwood isn't the force driving the film. Jessica Walter easily overshadows everyone in the film. How she deftly pivots from charming and lovable to wounded and hurt to full-out rage-fueled madness makes this film the essential thriller that it is. In true Femme Fatale fashion, her Evelyn is an easy presence to fall for, but one you'll soon regret. For good reason, Walter earned a Golden Globe nomination for her efforts. Again, Eastwood is the headline star and director, but it's her movie and she controls every scene she's in. It's actually funny to see her in this knowing her time on Arrested Development and how her natural comedic charms were put to good use as a psychopath. 

Play Misty For Me is a movie I like to pull out for the Halloween season as an alternate for most of my scary movie watching. It's pegged as a Thriller, but it holds onto a number of Horror elements with a crazed unhinged individual becoming an increasingly lethal threat. I love how Eastwood paced this movie. It's all about the suspense and building that tension while giving the audience subtle release to believe everything is "safe" until it isn't. It's a hell of a show with one terrifying final act. Eastwood picked the perfect project to slip behind the camera for. All of his hallmarks as a director are on display and you can see how now he's into his 90s he's still making movies. 

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray 
Kino Lorber Studio Classics decides to Play Misty For Me one more time with a new 2-Disc 4K UHD + Blu-ray upgrade. The 4K version is pressed on a Region Free BD100 disc with a Region A BD50 serving the 1080p version and the bulk of the bonus features. The BD50 disc is the exact same disc from 2020 and has not been upgraded in the A/V department. The discs are housed in a standard black two-disc case with identical slipcover art and alternate insert art with the classic green theatrical poster. 

Four years ago, we got an excellent new release of Play Misty for Me sourced from a new 2K master. I was a huge fan of it then, I still like it today. However... four years and four k's later, we now have a new 1.85:1 Dolby Vision 2160p transfer sourced from a new 4K scan of the negative and this film has taken another visual leap. While the film is still quite dark and shadowy, it's much cleaner looking now. Small instances of speckling or what looked like grit have been cleaned up, fine facial features and the 1970s decore is clearer and sharper looking than before. Fine film grain is apparent throughout but not quite as intrusive as the older disc. It's still there, and it's most notably visible during the optical transitions, but as a whole, it's a lot cleaner. I also noticed that some slight intermittent telecine wobble on the old disc is no longer present so chalk up another win in the stability department. The Dolby Vision/HDR10 grading wasn't too aggressively applied. Primaries have plenty of pop between the clothing and scenery. Skin tones are healthy and natural. Black levels have always been rather thick, some sequences still roll precariously close to crush, but they're more stable now and shadows feature more nuanced light and color gradience. For the bright daylight scenes I was really impressed with image depth. All around an excellent transfer. 

On the audio side, this 4K UHD disc offers the same DTS-HD MA 2.0 mono track with a new DTS-HD MA 5.1 track, which really doesn't enhance the experience much, but is pretty good. Both tracks are excellent listening options and you really can't go wrong with either option. The 5.1 does offer a little more channel spread, the sound of the waves crashing on the rocks or at the beach bleed into the surrounds nicely, but otherwise, so much of the film is Front/Center with only occasional drift into the other channels, it doesn't really call a lot of attention to itself in that regard. The best I can say is that I don't have much a preference one over the other. If you want to keep to the 2.0 mix, it does the job. If you want to try out the 5.1 it's a solid track too. You've got options. 

On the bonus features front, we have a mix of new and all of the old content from the previous disc. We get all of the old because that 1080p Blu-ray hasn't been reauthored. The same great set of informative extras carries over. But one notch in the belt for this 4K set is the 4K disc picks up a new audio commentary. Writer/Producer Alan Spencer drops by for this track and it's another very informative listen that works well parallel to the previous Tim Lucas commentary track. So if you snag this new 4K disc, give that a listen too. 

4K UHD Disc:

• NEW Audio Commentary featuring Alan Spencer
• Audio Commentary featuring Tim Lucas

Blu-ray Disc:

• Audio Commentary featuring film historian Tim Lucas
• Interview with Donna Mills (HD 11:31)
• Video Essay by Film Historian Howard S. Berger (HD 1:13:24)
• Play It Again… A Look Back at Play Misty For Me (SD 49:22)
• The Beguiled, Misty, Don, and Clint (SD 6:13)
• Trailers From Hell with Adam Rifkin (HD 2:08)
• Stills Montage
• Clint Eastwood Directs and Acts
• The Evolution of a Pster
• Teaser Trailer
• Theatrical Trailer
• TV Spots
• KLSC Trailer Gallery

As I mentioned in my initial review, Play Misty for Me is one hell of a debut directorial effort. Eastwood was already a star and could have rested there, but he proved himself as a capable talented director right from the start. Fifty-three years later we're still getting new Eastwood films to enjoy with Juror #2 delighting critics and the fans fortunate enough to live in an area that's actually showing it in theaters (the rest of us will have to stream it). A career spanning forty-plus feature films and four Oscar wins as a director all started with this gritty, exciting thriller. I've gone through this film a few dozen times now and it still packs a wallop - and now it looks even better in 4K. Boasting a new scan with Dolby Vision HDR, the film's best assets are on full display. Add in 2.0 and 5.1 audio and you've got great A/V viewing ahead of you. To cap off the effort, KLSC upgraded the bonus features with a new commentary track. Highly Recommended