Bradford “Big Brad” Whitewood Sr. (Christopher Walken, King of New York) is the leader of a rural Pennsylvania gang of career criminals and his son, Bradford “Little Brad” Whitewood Jr. (Sean Penn, State of Grace), is an unemployed teenager who decides he wants a taste of his father’s flashy lifestyle and the power that comes with it. Embarking on a budding life of crime with his brother Tommy (played by Sean Penn’s real life brother Chris Penn, True Romance), Little Brad gets arrested, sparking a tense showdown between father and son, and their family and friends who get caught in the middle.

Based on the real life Pennsylvania gang run by Bruce Johnston, from a script by Nicholas Kazan (Patty Hearst), At Close Range marks the sophomore feature for acclaimed American genre filmmaker James Foley (Glengarry Glen Ross; After Dark, My Sweet). Featuring an eclectic ensemble cast that puts the leads opposite Mary Stuart Masterson (Fried Green Tomatoes), Crispin Glover (River’s Edge), Tracey Walter (Repo Man), David Strathairn (Matewan), and Kiefer Sutherland (Stand By Me) with striking night time cinematography by regularly Foley collaborator Juan Ruiz Anchía (Glengarry Glen Ross, The Corruptor), Foley’s film is one of the great American crime films of the 1980s. Cinématographe is proud to present the world 4K UHD debut of James Foley’s masterclass in true crime drama in a brand new restoration from its original camera negative.

For thoughts on At Close Range, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required:

Video Quality

Cinématographe presents At Close Range with an astonishing 2160p/HDR transfer in its original 2.39:1 aspect ratio sourced from a 4K restoration of the Original 35mm Camera Negative. This film was most recently released on Blu-Ray courtesy of MVD Entertainment in 2022, which was derived from an older master that was used for the Twilight Time release in 2015. We thought that release looked pretty decent for the time, but you can see the stark improvements on every level with this new presentation. The natural film grain remains lovingly intact without any indication of digital manipulation, as everything resolves to perfection. Brighter backgrounds avoid spiking, swarming, and other stray encoding issues. Black levels are deep with nothing in the way of crush present, and highlights are firm with no blooming emerging.

The implementation of Dolby Vision for refined color output is a major win for this title with its stunning display of the rural locales. The lush backdrop is represented with a level of precision that can only be achieved with HDR. Director of Photography Juan Ruiz Anchia offers some haunting compositions within the frame, which genuinely excel with this disc. There is a world of fine detail to explore thanks to the care taken with the restoration. The texture present in the rugged costumes and within the environment allows this film to feel more tactile than ever. We did not spot any lingering print damage or stray specks that would dampen the restoration. The encoding appears to be clear of any digital anomalies such as compression artifacts, banding, or other such shortcomings. Cinématographe has pulled out the big guns with this one.

Audio Quality

Cinematographe brings us this new 4K UHD Blu-Ray with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that holds up ideally. The Patrick Leonard score adds a formidable thematic undercurrent to the feature as it permeates the room. The dialogue comes through without issue as it works in harmony with the score and environmental effects. Environmental effects are precisely delineated from the closing chatter in the courtroom to some of the hefty car sounds. Even during the most harrowing moments, this track maintains its fidelity without any noticeable instances of age-related wear and tear. This track offers a great representation of the film. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided.

Special Features

The Limited Edition version of At Close Range comes beautifully packaged in a hard outer slipcase that opens up to a MediaBook that includes a bound booklet featuring new text essays by film programmer Cristina Caccioppo, film critic Matt Lynch, film historian Adrian Martin, and writer and filmmaker Dan Mecca, as well as photo reproductions. These essays delve into the film from multiple angles and provide a great analysis in a thoughtfully written style. The on-disc special features are as follows:

Disc One (4K UHD)

Audio Commentaries: There are two new commentary tracks with the director and film historians, which allow you to dig into the film from a personal perspective and an analytical angle. There are some great insights into the production of the film, challenges faced along the way, the thematic underpinnings, details about the shooting locations, the background of the performers, filmmaking in the ‘80s, and much more that put things into context.
- Audio Commentary #1 (New): Film historians Bill Ackerman and Jim Laczkowski
- Audio Commentary #2 (Archival): Director James Foley, moderated by film historian Nick Redman, recorded in 2015

Disc Two (Blu-Ray)

Audio Commentaries
- Audio Commentary #1 (New): Film historians Bill Ackerman and Jim Laczkowski
- Audio Commentary #2 (Archival): Director James Foley, moderated by film historian Nick Redman, recorded in 2015

Hillbilly Lucifer – Interview with Christopher Walken: A new nearly eight-minute interview with the legend in which he reflects on his experience making the film, what it was like shooting in Tennessee, the joy in improvising, and more.

Controlling Your Destiny – Interview with Sean Penn: A new 19-minute interview with the star in which he discusses his involvement in ushering the project to the screen, the process of finding a directing partner, the casting of various characters, memorable moments from the production, and much more.

Casting Badasses – Interview with Casting Directors Risa Bramon Garcia and Billy Hopkins: A new nearly 14-minute interview with the two casting directors in which they discuss getting into the casting business, their approach to filling the roles, what the performers brought to the movie, and more.

Archival Interview with Director James Foley: A nearly 32-minute interview with the filmmaker from 2018, in which he discusses learning about the film from Sean Penn, learning more about the real events, the thematic depth of the film, the stylistic intention of certain sequences, the score of the film, and more.

Archival Interview with Composer Patrick Leonard: A nearly 40-minute interview with the composer from 2016, in which he discusses the process of writing music, his inspiration for the sound of At Close Range, working with Madonna, and more.

Crime in Pennsylvania, The Real Johnston Gang – An Archival Interview with Former Reporter and Author of Jailing the Johnston Gang Bruce Mowday: A nearly 45-minute interview with the writer in which he discusses the real-life events that inspired the film, how the real events were even more deadly, and more.

It’s Blood, Don’t Break It – A New Video Essay by Film Historian Chris O’Neill: A nearly 14-minute visual essay that analyzes some of the stylistic and thematic elements within in the film.

Badlands – A Location Video: A nearly three-minute video that looks at the Pennsylvania locales where the events depicted in the film took place.

Theatrical Trailer (2:59)

Final Thoughts

At Close Range is a really impactful crime drama that unfolds with a terrific pace as the characters get consumed in this lifestyle, which quickly pulls them under like quicksand. The key to this narrative is the performances, especially that of the very menacing Christopher Walken, who knows how to modulate his demeanor between inviting and sinister. Sean Penn holds his own in an equally complex portrayal that makes you long for the days when these types of roles were more common for him, such as his recent return to form, One Battle After Another. The film is unsparing in its brutality, but it really delivers something special in the end. Cinématographe has delivered a 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring a first-rate A/V presentation and a nice assortment of special features. If you are a fan of the film, it is worth owning in the best quality possible. Recommended

At Close Range is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD + Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Cinématographe has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.