Pete and Terry Nessip (Wesley Snipes, Passenger 57; Malcolm-Jamal Warner, TV’s Malcolm & Eddie) are two U.S. Marshals escorting Earl Leedy (Michael Jeter, Miller’s Crossing), a computer criminal being transferred to a maximum security prison, when the plane they’re traveling on is hijacked by terrorists, resulting in the death of Terry and Earl’s daring escape from the law at 30,000 feet. The hijacking turns out to be the plot of ex-DEA agent turned skydiver Ty Moncrief (Gary Busey, Point Break) who plans to break into the DEA mainframe in Washington DC, with the help of Leedy, to get back at the government that failed him. Pete Nessip, looking to avenge his brother’s death and get back his prisoner, teams up with skydiving instructor Jessie Crossmann (Yancy Butler, Hard Target) to chase down Ty’s crew from the Florida Keys to Washington DC, before the fireworks go off on the 4th of July.
An inspired late-career entry in the unpredictable oeuvre of British born, but American based, New Hollywood iconoclast John Badham (Saturday Night Fever, Blue Thunder), DROP ZONE meshes Badham’s penchant for strong character work with impressive practical stunts and hand-to-hand combat, resulting in one of the better, and oft-overlooked, studio action films of the 1990s. Executive produced by Badham himself and featuring production design by Joe Alves (Escape from New York, Jaws), a thunderous score by Academy Award winner Hans Zimmer (Interstellar) and kinetic photography by Badham collaborator Roy H. Wagner (Nick of Time). Cinématographe is proud to present the world 4K UHD debut of the most action packed film in John Badham’s career, newly restored from its original camera negative.
For thoughts on Drop Zone, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required:
Video Quality
Cinématographe presents Drop Zone with a jaw-dropping 2160p Dolby Vision/HDR transfer in its original 2.39:1 aspect ratio sourced from a 4K restoration of the 35mm Original Camera Negative. The lush film grain appears wonderfully organic and consistent without any semblance of unwanted manipulation as everything resolves beautifully. There has been obvious care taken to clean this up as much as possible as there are no signs of print damage or stray specks lingering. Thankfully, there do not seem to be any digital anomalies such as compression artifacts, banding, or any other such shortcomings.
The texture present in the costumes and the production design is marvelous. The utilization of Dolby Vision for enhanced color output is a notable benefit for this production. There is incredible depth to the stunning Florida Keys locale that flourishes with HDR. Vivid colors saturate the screen and unleash a level of complexity that you will not soon forget. The contrast is ideal with deep black levels free of crush and firm highlights with no blooming. Cinématographe has knocked it out of the park.
Audio Quality
The 4K UHD Blu-Ray of the film comes with the original DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that brings a visceral touch to the action. The movie delivers a thrilling kidnapping on an airplane early in the film, and things rarely let up from then. The movie is filled with gunshots, explosions, and skydiving action throughout. This is not simply a wall of noise, though, as every sound is delineated with the utmost precision. The bombastic Hans Zimmer score sets the tone of the story as it flows with crisp fidelity. Dialogue comes through clearly without being trounced by the sound effects or music. Every environment is brought to life with a din of sound that flows through to provide some immersive ambient details. All of the various sounds in the mix seem carefully rendered so that nothing ever feels out of sorts. This presentation is free of any hiss, humming, or other age-related wear and tear. Cinématographe has done impeccable work here. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided.
Special Features
The Limited Edition version of Drop Zone comes beautifully packaged in a hard outer slipcase that opens up to a MediaBook that includes a bound booklet featuring new essays by film critics Simon Abrams and Bilge Ebiri, culture historian Mark Edward Heuck, and Cinématographe’s Justin LaLiberty, plus select archival 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 Commentary #1: Director and executive producer John Badham and cinematographer Roy H. Wagner provides an informative new commentary track moderated by Cinématographe’s Justin LaLiberty in which they discuss the origins of the film, the production process, the casting decisions, the shooting locations, the challenges of shooting the sky diving sequences, and more that is well worth a listen.
- Audio Commentary #2: Film journalist Max Evry provides a fun new commentary track that takes a more historical approach as he explores the production history of the film, where this fits into the career of John Badhamn, details about the shooting locations, the background of the performers, how this fits into the work of the actors, and much more that puts things into context.
Disc Two (Blu-Ray)
- Audio Commentary #1: Director/Executive Producer John Badham and Cinematographer Roy H. Wagner, moderated by Cinématographe’s Justin LaLiberty
- Audio Commentary #2: Film journalist Max Evry
- Interview with Producer Wallis Nicita: A new 15-minute interview in which the producer discusses her background, her work as a casting director, collaborating with John Badham, being pitched a movie about skydiving, the research that went into the project, and more.
- A Symphony of Skydiving – Scoring Drop Zone: A new nine-minute interview with film music historian Daniel Schweiger about Hans Zimmer’s score in Drop Zone, how he elevated the action genre, his place in film composing, and more.
- Whose Films Are These Anyway? – A Video Essay by Daniel Kremer: A nearly 15-minute video essay goes into the work of John Badham, connections throughout his work, recurring themes, and more.
Final Thoughts
Drop Zone is a prime example of the fun that can be had from unfettered ‘90s action excess. Do we believe that the creatives cooked up a plot simply to feature a lot of cool skydiving stunts? Yes. Do we care? No! There is no reason for this narrative to revolve around a skydiving competition, but it tackles the proceedings so earnestly that we cannot help but have a blast. The performances are dialed in perfectly to what the material requires, and the action is directed with such style by John Badham that you will be cheering in your seat. Cinématographe has delivered a 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring an exquisite A/V presentation and a stacked assortment of special features. Recommended
Drop Zone 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.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
