The Bone Collector - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

You gotta love the serial novelist. With so many stories to choose from, studios have been nipping at the heels of literary heroes like Jesse Stone, Alex Cross, Jack Reacher, and Longmire, among numerous others, for decades. Sometimes it’s a TV or streaming series. Sometimes it’s a film, but these pulpy yearly-released novels are fodder for Hollywood stars and ace filmmakers looking for an easy hit with audiences. For novelist Jeffery Deaver, the hero is bedridden quadriplegic forensic expert Lincoln Rhyme. The man in the bed is Oscar-winning superstar Denzel Washington, and his cohort is Angelina Jolie when she was a wee up-and-coming actress. 

Phillip Noyce directs this adaptation with style. Maybe not much grace, his visual thematic interludes are quite clunky, but some style nonetheless. As Washington’s Rhyme is content with his plan to exit this world, a killer is on the loose in New York, abducting and murdering people seemingly at random while leaving cryptic clues for the police. As Rhyme works through the tantalizing evidence with his new protege, Officer Donaghy (Jolie), he slowly finds a new purpose in life: saving lives. But when the killer’s clues start to hit closer to home, Rhyme may be playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse that he can't escape.

Without getting deep into it, The Bone Collector is a pretty ridiculous movie. I vaguely (and I mean very vaguely) remember reading the novel and found both versions of the story to be a bit outlandish, with the novel being quite a bit different in some respects, but entertaining all the same. The premise is basically a retelling of Rear Window, with our clever-minded hero, who can’t be directly involved in the action, but has a plucky accomplice ready to do the grunt work and gather evidence. And like the Hitchcock classic, The Bone Collector leads to a terrifying final confrontation. The only difference between the two films is that here the identity of our killer is an obvious flag that was waved around very early and doesn't hold up when you pick at the details.

The other knock I have against a film like The Bone Collector is that our hero seems to be the only smart one in a room full of accomplished people. You have a forensic chemist expert, like Luis Guzman, analyzing all of the chemical compounds, but can’t make a simple deduction. You’ve got Michael Rooker as the forensic captain who doesn’t like to look at obviously important evidence for no other reason than being a dick. Likewise, you have Ed O’Neil as a seasoned homicide detective who can’t put simple evidence together. Because of that, the film frequently stops to let the cast watch Denzel Washington think, as he’s the only one who can put two and two together to actually get four. 

But, shortcomings aside, I have to credit the film as a fun, gnarly piece of thriller pulp. As I’ve had to cover two Denzel Washington thrillers in as many days, where I like The Bone Collector better than The Little Things, this film knows what it is. This film knows it’s a silly serial killer thriller that shouldn’t be taken too seriously and is content delivering on those expectations. It’s a classic example of late ‘90s murder porn where the plot and story mechanics are held together just tightly enough to move the audience to the next grisly murder scene. And even if you can spot the killer a mile off, the conclusion is at least a satisfyingly gnarly final confrontation.  

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray 
The Bone Collector adds 2160p to its physical media collection with a two-disc 4K UHD + Blu-ray release from Kino Lorber Studio Classics. The 4K is pressed on a BD100 disc with a Region A BD50 serving up the 1080p. The discs are housed in a sturdy two-disc black case with identical slipcover artwork.

After a pretty rough Blu-ray release, The Bone Collector arrives on 4K UHD with a satisfying 2160p Dolby Vision transfer sourced from a new scan of the 35mm negative and supervised by director Phillip Noyce. Given the fall-like season and the grim nature of the story, this isn’t exactly a poppy, colorful film, but it’s beautifully grim. Details are sharp and clean with nice fine lines. Clothing patterns, facial features, and the little intricacies in the crime scene all look spot on with a nice veneer of cinematically appropriate film grain. The little CGI flourishes and some scene extensions still stand out as they did in the theater; a CGI rat is an example where the VFX didn’t quite land. That’s only more apparent now with the higher resolution. The Dolby Vision grading doesn’t radically alter colors; primaries are still a bit muted outside of daytime scenes. Most of the film takes place at night or in dark, shadowy, creepy locations, and that’s really where this new transfer excels. More depth, inkier blacks, better shadow separations. All around, a better home viewing experience for fans.

On the audio side, it sounds like the same DTS-HD MA 5.1 track has been carried over - which isn’t a problem at all. The noise from the busy downtown city fills the atmosphere of any given scene. If we’re in the relative quiet of Rhyme’s lux apartment, there’s usually some outside noise or some extra background effect to keep the mix moving. Anytime we have boots on the ground processing a crime scene, you get the full range of scuttling shoes, mumbling voices, or distant sirens to keep that immersive soundscape active. The dialogue is clean and clear without issue. It might not be Craig Armstrong’s best score, but it’s appropriately moody music for the grim visuals. There is also a DTS-HD MA 2.0 track, but I didn’t spend much time with it. It sounded fine but a bit thin, and since I was happier with the 5.1 experience, I stayed with it through the viewing.

For this release, we get a nice selection of new and archival commentary tracks to enjoy. The very good Phillip Noyce commentary returns; if you haven’t heard it before, it’s a very informative listen as he gets into a lot of the nitty-gritty about the production, even if he avoids discussing the obvious plot pitfalls. After that, we have two new commentaries. One features film historians Steve Mitchell and Edwin Samuelson, the other features Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw. Both are worthwhile. Then the same old EPK Spotlight on Location featurette returns alongside the standard assortment of KLSC trailers.

• Audio Commentary featuring Phillip Noyce
• Audio Commentary featuring Steve Mitchell and Edwin Samuelson
• Audio Commentary featuring Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw
• Theatrical Trailer
• KLSC Trailer Gallery
• The Inside Man
• The Manchurian Candidate
• Mo’ Better Blues
• Cry Freedom
• Blind Fury

Good or bad are terms that don’t necessarily apply to a movie like The Bone Collector. "Is it or is it not entertaining?" is the question you should ask yourself. I find it entertaining. A bit daffy, a bit obvious with its plot reveals, but otherwise a gnarly bit of serial killer fun for a cold, dark night that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Washington in his prime, Jolie before she really broke out big, Michael Rooker being Michael Rooker; it’s a fine piece of late ‘90s murder porn entertainment. On 4K UHD, the film scores a very welcome upgrade over the iffy VC-1 Blu-ray of old with this new 4K Dolby Vision transfer while utilizing the same great audio mix. Extras aren’t the most plentiful, but if you like commentaries, you’ve got three of them to enjoy. Recommended