‘Jade’ 4K UHD Blu-Ray Review – Erotic Thriller Gets New Life With Rare Director’s Cut

When prominent businessman Kyle Medford is found murdered and horribly mutilated at his massive estate, Assistant District Attorney David Corelli is brought in to investigate. After discovering that Medford had photos featuring the governor and a high-class prostitute, Corelli begins to uncover a complicated web of blackmail and perversion connecting the business and political elite, and all leading back to illicit encounters they shared with a mysterious call girl known only as “Jade.” The deeper Corelli delves into the twisted details surrounding Murphy’s lifestyle, the closer he comes to unmasking a sophisticated killer who will do anything to hide the truth, including perpetrating additional acts of violence… 

Long one of the most difficult to find films from acclaimed and Academy Award-winning director William Friedkin (The Exorcist, The French Connection), JADE is an ultra-stylish erotic thriller with an outrageously clever screenplay from genre master Joe Eszterhas (Showgirls, Sliver). Starring David Caruso (TV’s CSI: Miami), Linda Fiorentino (Vision Quest, After Hours), Michael Biehn (The Terminator), and Richard Crenna (First Blood), and featuring a legendary car chase through the streets of San Francisco, as well as a score by multi-Academy Award winner James Horner (Aliens), this over-the-top and steamy whodunit at last makes its way to 4K UHD and Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome, newly restored from its 35mm camera negative for this release and presented in both its extended director’s cut as well as its original theatrical version, in addition to featuring an extensive array of interviews with cast and crew.

For thoughts on Jade, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required: 

Video Quality

Vinegar Syndrome presents Jade with a sterling 2160p Dolby Vision/HDR transfer in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio sourced from a 4K restoration of the Original 35mm Camera Negative for both the theatrical and Director’s Cut versions of the film. As is stated on an opening text screen, the Director’s Cut has been meticulously constructed from various elements since no complete picture element has ever existed. Footage unique to this cut was sourced from a 35mm Interpositive reel and a 35mm Interpositive of the European version. While most of the film elements were able to be located, two shots have been sourced from an SD video master.  

Having the Director’s Cut available in good quality has been a holy grail for fans of the film, so it is heartening to see Vinegar Syndrome go above and beyond to make this happen. There are small variances in quality when comparing the theatrical footage to the unique footage in the longer cut, but the label has obviously put a lot of care into making the experience as seamless as possible. The aforementioned SD inserts are somewhat jarring, but it is less jarring to have a momentary downturn in quality than it is to have the footage excised altogether through choppy editing. Everything largely blends very well. Fans are in for a treat with this one. 

The film grain presents completely naturally and consistently without any tell-tale signs of unwanted manipulation as everything resolves well. The texture present in the clothing and within the production design is eye-popping. There are no traces of print damage or stray specks throughout this splendid restoration. When it comes to encoding, there do not seem to be any digital anomalies such as compression artifacts, banding, or any other such distractions. The utilization of Dolby Vision for expanded color output benefits this production immensely. There is a depth to the locales that bursts through the screen. Bold and complex colors saturate the screen and reveal a level of accuracy that is appreciated. The contrast is robust with deep black levels free of crush and stellar highlights with no blooming. Vinegar Syndrome continues to be one of the best in the business when it comes to rescuing difficult projects. 

Audio Quality

The 4K UHD Blu-Ray of the film comes with the original DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track and a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio stereo track that capably delivers on the promise of the soundscape. The soundtrack and the evocative score from James Horner establish the appropriate tone for this feature and have never sounded better in its fidelity. The environment is brought to life with a collage of sound that sleeks through to provide some terrific ambient details. All of the assorted sounds in the mix seem accurately rendered so that nothing ever feels out of place. This presentation is free from any hiss or other age-related wear and tear. Dialogue comes through clearly without being drowned out by the sound effects or music. Nothing ever gets too frenetic outside of some key confrontations, but every noise is delineated with meaning and precision. Vinegar Syndrome has delivered first-rate work here. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided. 

Special Features

• Theatrical Cut (1:35:02) and Director’s Cut (1:47:41) 

• Audio Commentary (Theatrical Cut): Author Jennifer Moorman provides a very informative commentary track that is conformed to the theatrical cut of the film, yet can be accessed during the director’s cut by toggling through the audio tracks. By doing this, you have sort of a built-in way to identify the footage unique to the longer cut, as the audio will stop and pick back up during the theatrical footage. 

• Eszterhas, Friedkin and Jade – An Interview with Screenwriter Joe Eszterhas: A new seven-minute interview with the screenwriter in which he discusses the complicated journey of the script, his early impression of William Friedkin, the changes made by Friedkin, his feelings about the end product, and more. 

• Hysterical Blindness – William Friedkin at Paramount: A new 22-minute featurette with editor Augie Hess and assistant editor Darrin Navarro in which they discuss working with William Friedkin, the influence of Robert Evans, complications that emerged during filming, inspirations taken from real-life peculiarities, editing techniques preferred by Friedkin, abandoning the final scene of the script, creating the “director’s cut”, and more. 

• Director William Friedkin – Interviewed by Television Personality Charlie Rose: A 13-minute excerpt of a vintage interview with Friedkin during his press tour of Jade. 

• Original Trailer (2:53)

Final Thoughts

Jade is far from the apex of erotic thrillers, but it is far better than its reputation would lead you to believe. Some of the negativity comes from only having the theatrical cut easily available for years, as this version is much more confusing and lacking in character development. This latest release brings back the Director’s Cut, which does make everything coalesce a bit more favorably without fundamentally changing the film. The narrative is still baffling in many respects, yet things flow together for a more engaging, kinky mystery of corruption and power. Vinegar Syndrome has delivered a 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring an awe-inspiring A/V presentation and a vital assortment of special features. If you are a fan of the film, this is a dream release. Recommended

Jade 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: Vinegar Syndrome 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.