Jade - Imprint Limited Edition 4K UHD

So, count me among those who aren't particularly enthusiastic about William Friedkin's Jade. Either cut. It’s part of why, when Vinegar Syndrome released their 4K UHD edition a few months back, Billy Russell got the job to review it. He actually wanted to cover it and had some nice things to say. But when the opportunity to cover this edition came, he passed, so I picked up the baton and got to run with it. 

For what this film attempts and actually accomplishes, I’d say it’s not as bad as I remembered, but it isn’t great. It's not the worst of the 1990's Er.otic Thriller boom, but it's not close to the best either. It’s got some of the salacious Eszterhas qualities of his best works, but it’s a tragically underplotted film that leads to a confoundingly bizarre climax. Worse, it just doesn't really use its fantastic cast to the best of their abilities. Linda Fiorentino’s star was on the rise after John Dahl’s terrific Neo-Noir The Last Seduction, but she's left with a tepid character and doesn't get to deliver the same wattage of a performance. David Caruso was hot after his brief time on NYPD Blue and ready to prove himself in the majors, but he’s often left standing with little to do beyond repeating plot points we already know. It’s a film with an oddly sluggish first act (considering that murder scene aftermath), a decent and tantalizing second act, but it has nowhere left to go in the third but to wrap it all up. And that wrap-up, again, is just bizarre. I think that’s why neither ending for each cut works - especially when the big twist isn’t so much of a twist  as it is a “no duh.” But, if for nothing else, Friedkin can sure as hell shoot a car chase! 

At any rate, I’ll call the film “watchable,” at the very least. Not the first one I’d ever pull off the shelf, but if it’s on, I wouldn’t change the channel…not that we channel surf much these days. I’m calling this one a tepid but respectable 3/5

For a different take, check out Mr. Russell’s Jade 4K UHD from Vinegar Syndrome Review

I was a kid when Jade came out and, man, I remember the negative buzz so clearly. My mom was working at the local, small-town video store, and I remember customers coming in, saying things like, “Gosh, what a terrible movie! I can’t believe David Caruso ruined his career by leaving NYPD Blue to be in this thing! What was he thinking?!” Or, they’d say, “It’s too dumb to be a thriller, but it’s not sexy enough to be a porno!” But despite how much everyone seemed to loathe Jade, they couldn’t rent it fast enough. If people weren’t complaining about it, they were asking when it would be back in stock. Hell, I even remember a big cardboard display in the lobby of the shop!

Jade. It’s funny the things you remember. It took me years to finally get around to seeing it. I got a bug up my butt on some '90s erotic thriller kick, and I saw it for sale on VHS for about two bucks (yes, I still have a functioning VCR), so I gave it a watch. I wasn’t sure what to expect going into it. For years, I’d been told it was somewhere between the worst movie ever made and the worst "experience on this planet." So, I was a little nervous. I know William Friedkin doesn’t have a spotless record or anything, but c’mon. The French Connection, The Exorcist, and Sorcerer, all in a row? Three stone-cold classics back-to-back-to-back? Plus all his other hits throughout the years, like To Live and Die in L.A. Sure, he’s made some… interesting choices, like that movie about the babysitter who feeds kids to an evil tree, but he’s earned his status as a legendary filmmaker.

David Caruso plays ADA David Corelli, who finds himself up to his waist in sex, lies, videotape, and intrigue when he stumbles into a brutal murder case involving his close friend Matt (Chazz Palminteri) and Matt’s wife Katrina (Linda Fiorentino), who used to be Corelli’s lover. The screenplay by Joe Eszterhas was apparently rewritten extensively by Friedkin, so I’m not sure who’s exactly to blame, but the issue with the movie, by and large, is simply a lack of coherence.

Jade is a lot of things all at once, somewhere between a Chinatown-flavored Neo-noir (both due to its Chinatown, San Francisco setting and homage to the '70s film) and a sleazy softcore Cinemax flick, but a lot of things that happen don’t make a lick of sense. A lot of what happens feels required by the plot, so the answer to “Why is this happening?” is usually “Because the movie needed it to.” And far too often, the plot twists and turns simply to pull the rug out from underneath its audience again and again. It’s disorienting, but not in an exhilarating way, where we’re taken along with the filmmakers on this journey through the dark sexuality of the human spirit; it’s just exhausting.

Watching Jade again for the purpose of this review, I don’t believe it’s anywhere near as bad as its reputation would have you believe, but it’s still a mess. This release of the film also includes the extended Director’s Cut, which does flesh out some of the story, adds some clarification here and there, and improves the film but not by any substantial margin. I don’t like the ending as much, either. I preferred the theatrical cut’s final twist, which had a nasty, biting edge to it. The Director’s Cut dulls that edge by adding yet another twist which ironically brings a sort of closure to the story. I preferred the open-ended vibe of the original, which almost felt like a sort of horror movie thriller ending.

Jade is an interesting entry into a very specific genre made during a very specific time. It’s not a great movie, but it’s also not a bad one. It’s a solidly fine, messy entry into the catalog of 90s erotic, twisty thrillers. This being a William Friedkin film, you can expect at least one awesome car chase in the movie. Friedkin knows how to film vehicular carnage. He just inherently understands it, somehow. He understands how to convey a sense of geography to the audience, and it’s not all swerving, crashing, and burning rubber. There’s a lot of cat-and-mouse tension in the thrill of the chase. But as far as delivering a tantalizing edge-of-your-seat erotic thriller, he stumbles through. 

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray 
Imprint Films takes us back to the salacious world of William Friedkin's Jade with a two-film, three-disc limited edition set. Jade proper enjoys a BD100 disc for the 4K, and a Region Free BD50 for the 1080p and the bulk of the extras. Also included is another Region Free BD50 disc reserved for the very tangentially related documentary The Kid Stays in the Picture. The two discs for Jade are housed in a black two-disc case, while The Kid Stays in the Picture gets its own clear case. Included is a hardcover book with cast and crew information and production stills. The whole set is bound together in a hardstock box with a removable top.

Flipping between releases, I didn’t spot anything too different between Vinegar Syndrome’s 4K edition of Jade and this run from Imprint. The only difference of note is shifts in encoding and bitrate; depending on the scene in question, the Imprint Films disc might be a little higher or a little lower, but nothing to move the needle on overall quality. It’s still a solid-looking release for fans aiming to add to the flick to the collection. 

Here’s what Mr. Russell had to say from our previous review:

According to the team at Vinegar Syndrome, when Jade was initially released in theaters, it was not in accordance with William Friedkin’s approved color timing. The color timing used for this release was based on director-approved home video releases, which more closely resembled his vision. The film was scanned in 4K from its original 35mm camera negative and graded in Dolby Vision HDR. This thorough, labor-of-love process was also extended to the director’s cut, although certain extended sequences could not be obtained from the original negative, so multiple sources were used, including a 35mm interpositive and an SD video master. Overall, for the extended cut, the results are mostly seamless. There are a few jarring inserts, but I have to applaud the effort and the painstaking work that went into this restoration process.

As for the overall look of the films, I do think Friedkin’s wishes for the color timing do skew toward the garish. Thankfully this isn't in line with the color timing changes he unleashed for the first Blu-ray of The French Connection or The Boys in the Band. I understand that Jade is going for a very stylized, exaggerated look, but it’s not always successful. When it is, the details are sharp, crystal clear, and with an amazing color realization, aided by the Dolby Vision HDR grading to allow a much wider color spectrum. A lot of the time, though, it just looks oversaturated, like someone switched your TV’s video setting to “Dynamic.” I’m still going to grade this video section a bit higher, because Vinegar Syndrome has put in some amazing work in using reference video to mimic the filmmaker’s wishes.

On the audio front, we have the same combination of DTS-HD MA 5.1 / 2.0 for the Theatrical Cut while the Director’s Cut maintains the DTS-HD MA 2.0 track. Again, doing the flippies with the discs, these tracks sound the same as the domestic Vinegar Syndrome counterparts. Which isn’t bad. All things considered, the audio options for this film are solid offerings. Since I don’t have anything to add for this set, here’s what Mr. Russell reported in his review:

Jade has likely never sounded better on home video. The theatrical version has two audio options, both a 5.1 surround mix and a 2.0 stereo mix, both encoded in DTS-HD MA, while the extended cut only has the stereo option available. I gave both versions and both mixes a listen, and whichever option you choose, you’re in for a winner. The stereo option is nice and tight, with excellent leveling between dialogue, James Horner’s musical score, and the various action-packed sound effects. The surround option is a total blast. It’s a lot of fun, and it’s clear the sound designer on this mix is having a lot of fun. Rear-speaker activity is at a near-constant level–screeching tires during a chase scene, ambient effects like the dull roar of a crowded party–but most often is used for the score. During those first few moments, a piano BOOMS from the front of the soundstage, and the echo of the cacophonous bang makes its way to the rear. It’s the little things like that which make all the difference.

This is where the rubber meets the road for this release. Most of the materials from the recent Viengar Syndrome domestic release return, while Imprint stacks the pack with a bunch of new exclusive materials. We’ve got two new audio commentaries: a new Theatrical Cut commentary from critic William Bibiani, editors Augie Hess and Darrin Navarro, and a new Theatrical Cut commentary with author Nina K. Martin and filmmaker Will Dodson. Both are nice additions, I liked the Bibiani, Hess, and Navarro track best because they offered more personal, hands-on experience anecdotes, but the Martin and Dodson track is worth a listen too. After that, we have two new interesting and insightful video essays, as well as a new interview with assistant editor Darrin Navarro. Now, because it is such a tangential addition in this set, I’m listing The Kid Stays in the Picture as an extra feature.

4K UHD Disc

• Audio Commentary (Theatrical Cut) featuring Jennifer Moorman
• Audio Commentary (Theatrical Cut) featuring Nina K. Martin and Will Dodson
• Audio Commentary (Theatrical Cut) featuring William Bibbiani, Augie Hess, and Darrin Navarro

Blu-ray Disc 

• Audio Commentary (Theatrical Cut) featuring Jennifer Moorman
• NEW Audio Commentary (Theatrical Cut) featuring Nina K. Martin and Will Dodson
• NEW Audio Commentary (Theatrical Cut) featuring William Bibbiani, Augie Hess, and Darrin Navarro
• NEW Friedkin’s Enigma - Video Essay by Chris O’Neill (HD 30:26)
• NEW The Subversive HEart of William Friedkin’s Jade - Video Essay by Michelle Kisner (HD 11:42)
• NEW Interview with Assistant Editor Darrin Navarro (HD 19:21)
• Eszterhas, Friedkin and Jade - Interview with Joe Eszterhas (HD 7:02)
• Hysterical Blindness: William Friedkin at Paramount - Interview with Augies Hess and Darrin Navarro (HD 22:07)
• Archival Interviews:
• Linda Fiorentino (SD 5:08)
• Chazz Palminteri (SD 4:00)
• David Caruso (SD 4:26)
• Michael Biehn (SD 4:52)
• Ken King (SD 7:49)
• Angie Everhart (SD 5:04)
• Theatrial Trailer

The Kid Stays in the Picture (HD 1:34)

• Audio Commentary featuring Brett Morgan and Nanette Burstein
• The Truth According to Bob Featurettes:
• The Film That Saved Paramount (SD 7:44)
• On the Red Carpet (SD 1:12)
• Up Close with the Kid (SD 5:12)
• Receiving the Spirit of Life Award (SD 15:18)
• Receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award (SD 12:35)
• The Truth According to Others - Featurettes:
• Showgirls on Evans (SD 1:26) 
• Evans Gag Reel (SD 8:39)
• On the Red Carpet (SD 11:07)

Jade is just one of those films that, no matter how many times I revisit it, doesn’t get much better. I don’t think of it as the disaster that I used to, but it certainly rests easy amongst the other rather mediocre William Friedkin ‘90s efforts. More frustrating than anything, it doesn't fully utilize its great cast, particularly Linda Fiorentino, who exudes a seductive energy with ease, but is stuck with a plot that wastes the effort. But, again, that car chase sequence is pretty awesome, so it’s not all lost, and despite his career falloff becoming a joke in the first episode of South Park, David Caruso certainly maintains an intense presence. On 4K UHD, Imprint delivers an A/V presentation that’s on par with our domestic release from Vinegar Syndrome, along with most of those extras, but packs on a pile of their own new features and commentaries. To sweeten the deal, this set includes the Robert Evans documentary The Kid Stays in the Picture. Aside from Evans being a producer, it’s a sort of odd inclusion for a box set release like this, but it’s a great doc to have if you don’t own it already. As a whole, I’m calling this set Recommended - I don’t love the film, but I know some diehard fans are out there, and this is probably the best all around physical media release of this film we’ll see.