At Close Range - Cinématographe 4K UHD

It’s funny that when I think of At Close Range, a film about a father and a son with a twisted dynamic, I think of my own father. It was on TV one day, flipping through the channels on some lazy Sunday. My dad had seen it when it was new, when I was just a baby, and he told me I should watch it. It was good, he told me. A one of a kind. He warned me, though, that it was scary. He was right on all accounts–the film swept me up, drew me into its story, and it scared the hell out of me.

Sean Penn and Chris Penn, brothers in real life, play on-screen brothers Brad and Tommy Whitewood, whose lives change forever when their father Brad Sr. (Christopher Walken) strolls back in. Brad Sr. has been absent for as long as either of them can remember, left to be raised by their mother while he was out stealing things for a living. Their mother, Julie (Millie Perkins), doesn’t bother trying to intervene or tell them their father is bad news. She knows that will only make him seem more exciting. She does worry, though, because she knows trouble is inevitable.

Brad Sr. takes Junior under his wing, pointing out expensive things along the way, and says the whole world is his for the taking. He’s got a larger-than-life attitude, a personality that’s infectious. He knows what he is–he knows he’s a criminal, and he loves it. Brad Jr. flies under his dad’s wing and learns the ropes, the tricks of the trade. It’s easy to see why he’s seduced by the lifestyle, because suddenly he’s flush with cash and a new car. It doesn’t take long for reality to settle in, when one night he sees his dad murder someone he suspects to be a snitch. 

After that, Brad Jr. wants nothing to do with his father and tries to talk his brother Tommy out of spending so much time with him. Their father takes his rejection out on his sons, their friends, and even his son’s girlfriend. Bodies begin piling up, and Brad Jr. makes plans to get out of Dodge before he’s next. 

At Close Range is a master class in acting from everyone in the cast. This is par for the course for Christopher Walken, who’s no stranger to playing unhinged lunatics, but here he reminds the audience why he’s been the go-to actor for those performances for decades. His personality can turn on a dime. One moment, he’s laughing and joking, and in the next, his entire face changes. His eyes are like a black void. He’s chilling. Sean Penn is terrific as the son, desperately seeking love from his father, or from anyone else who will give it to him. There’s a wounded sensibility to him, a sadness just under the surface, and while it boils to the surface, he rarely lets it out for anyone else to see.

The screenplay by Nicholas Kazan pulls no punches, inspired by the real-life story of Bruce Johnston, a career criminal who left a trail of bodies behind in his crime spree. James Foley’s direction is pitch-perfect. It’s almost dreamlike, which makes the nightmare of violence all the more horrifying. The film doesn’t shy away from violence, but it’s not overt in its portrayal of bloodshed. What makes these acts so terrifying is that we view them from the perspective of those closest to it.

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray 

At Close Range comes to 4K UHD Blu-ray courtesy of Cinématographe, Vinegar Syndrome’s label dedicated to unsung classics from American auteurs. The film is printed on two discs, both a 4K UHD Blu-ray and a regular Blu-ray, with the majority of special features found on the second disc. The two discs are housed in a specially designed, cloth-bound media book and custom-molded disc tray, with a slipcase featuring newly commissioned art. The media book features essays by film programmer Cristina Caccioppo, film critic Matt Lynch, film historian Adrian Martin and writer and filmmaker Dan Mecca.

At Close Range is presented in 2160p resolution, in a brand-new restoration from its original camera negative, and graded in Dolby Vision HDR. There are moments where the HDR grading looks a little overcooked–where actors’ skin color verges on a red-orange hue–but these moments are few and far between, and isolated to sequences that already have an overwhelming amount of red to them (like a dingy dive bar illuminated by neon). Generally, the color looks terrific. For reference, the film has also been included in 1080p/SDR on a second disc, and the difference is immediate. The color palette of the 4K/HDR version is wildly varied and deeply saturated, gorgeously realized, and brings out the brilliance of Juan Ruiz Anchía’s cinematography. Both versions have a deep, sharp focus, with fine details visible throughout, along with organic film grain. Aside from a few shots, the visual presentation is absolutely terrific.

For audio, there is a DTS-HD MA 2.0 stereo mix that’s stellar. Patrick Leonard’s score, a slowed-down, instrumental version of Madonna’s “Live to Tell” (which plays over the end credits), is eerie and hypnotic. Sequences without dialogue, driven only by the score, have a haunting beauty to them, bordering on the melancholic. Other effects, like atmospherics, or more bombastic effects like gunfire, pack a bunch without overwhelming the soundstage. Dialogue comes through crisp and clean without any mudiness or getting lost in the mix.

At Close Range comes packed with a ton of excellent features, both new and old, including new interviews with Christopher Walken and Sean Penn, plus an archival audio commentary with the late, great James Foley.

4K Disc

• Audio Commentary - Film historians Bill Ackerman and Jim Laczkowski
• Audio Commentary - Director James Foley, moderated by film historian Nick Redman

Blu-ray Disc

• Audio Commentary - Film historians Bill Ackerman and Jim Laczkowski
• Audio Commentary - Director James Foley, moderated by film historian Nick Redman
• Hillbilly Lucifer (HD 7:32) - Interview with actor Christopher Walken
• Controlling Your Destiny (HD 19:09) - Interview with actor Sean Penn
• Casting Badasses (HD 163:26) - Interview  with casting directors Risa Bramon Garcia and Billy Hopkins
• Archival Interview (HD 31:39) - Director James Foley, recorded in 2018
• Archival Interview (HD 39:31) - Composer Patrick Leonard, recorded in 2020
• Crime in Pennsylvania, The Real Johnston Gang (HD 44:17) - An archival interview with former reporter and author of Jailing the Johnston Gang, Bruce Mowday, recorded in 2020
• It's Blood, Don't Break It (HD 13:32) - Video essay by film historian Chris O'Neill
• Badlands (HD 2:29)  - Short location video of key geographic locations of actual events
• Theatrical Trailer

At Close Range is a masterpiece. It’s a movie about evil that’s all the more chilling because it understands the banality of evil. Brad Whitewood never sees himself as the bad guy–just as a guy who’s willing to do what so many people aren’t. He sees it as a positive feature, something to be proud of. He slyly winks at his son as he commits atrocities, a sort of “ain’t I a stinker” casualness to the horror. Cinématographe has put together an incredible release, with excellent A/V stats and a wealth of features. At Close Range on 4K UHD Blu-ray is Highly Recommended. 

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