‘The Package’ (1989) (Special Edition) Blu-Ray Review – Gene Hackman Lifts Up Capable Conspiracy Thriller

From the great Andrew Davis, director of The Fugitive, Under Siege and Code of Silence, comes a brilliant, explosively entertaining action/thriller featuring powerful performances by screen legends Gene Hackman (Mississippi Burning, Narrow Margin) and Tommy Lee Jones (Black Moon Rising, Blown Away). Featuring a superb supporting cast that includes Joanna Cassidy (Blade Runner), Dennis Franz (Dressed to Kill), Pam Grier (Foxy Brown) and John Heard (Cutter’s Way), The Package delivers top-notch excitement! Sergeant Johnny Gallagher (Hackman) thinks he’s been given a routine assignment: to escort a rebellious American soldier (Jones) from Europe to the U.S. for a military court martial. Gallagher soon learns, however, that the assignment is anything but routine, when he uncovers a terrifying military conspiracy. The clock is ticking down to a historic superpower summit, and Gallagher must stop the deadly plot before it’s too late…for him and his country.

For thoughts on The Package, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic: 

[youtube https://youtu.be/Bx4vP5G81XY?t=1733]

Video Quality

This new Blu-Ray from Kino Classics gives The Package an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1 that represents the movie favorably. The film was released on Blu-Ray back in 2014 by the label, although it appears to have been out of print for a little while. The new disc is derived from the same master, but this release utilizes a new BD-50 disc instead of the more compressed BD-25 from before. We do not have that disc to compare the two experiences, but this looks solid enough despite being from an older source. That being said, this new release does make you wish that this had been given a fresh master. The disc is not a major disappointment, but there is obvious room for improvement across the board.

There are no major signs of damage to be found in this presentation, but you do contend with a light sheen of dirt and specks throughout. The feature has a passable grain structure that maintains the filmic look of the picture, but some of the grain can shift into digital noise and some moments appear to be lightly managed. The transfer does reveal some details in the uniforms and environmental backgrounds. This wintery setting does not set this up to be a colorful film, but the hues on display are saturated well. Black levels hold up okay with some depth to the image, but there are clear signs of crush present. We are thankful Kino Classics brought this back into the rotation, but a new master would have been nice. 

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a passable DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that executes its sonic ambition even without a refresh. This track reveals only fleeting moments of age related wear and tear. A handful of elements briefly verge on distortion and the score can sound the slightest bit weak, but this holds up well enough. The bold score from James Newton Howard maintains great fidelity and does not overwhelm the dialogue or other important information. The dialogue comes through clearly and balances well with background noises and other competing elements. The audio track does what it needs to do without any frills. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film. 

Special Features

• Introduction From Director Andrew Davis: A two-minute introduction is provided with Davis in which he discusses how he convinced the production company to change the shooting location, his relationship with Tommy Lee Jones and more. 

• Audio Commentary: Director Andrew Davis and Actress Joanna Cassidy provide a fine commentary track in which they discuss the production of the film, shooting overseas and in locations that doubled for Russia, the various performers who show up on screen (many background players were crew members), the execution of various moments and more. 

• Interview with Actress Joanna Cassidy: A six-minute interview with the actress in which she discusses why she wanted to take on this role, the challenges of working with Andrew Davis, her look in the film and more. 

• TV Spots: A minute-long collection of TV spots is provided here. 

• Trailers: The two-and-a-half minute trailer for The Package is provided here. There are trailers for Prime Cut, Mississippi Burning, Narrow Margin, Company Business, The Park Is Mine, Black Moon Rising, Blown Away, Bank Shot and Code Of Silence. 

Final Thoughts

The Package is a capable conspiracy thriller which has some exciting twists and turns even if it cannot rank near the top of the career of anyone involved. The story is not bad, but it feels as if it is lacking a fresh take on any of the developments. The ensemble is the key to things working as well as they, specifically Gene Hackman and Tommy Lee Jones. This is a fun weekend time waster if you are a fan of the genre, but newcomers may want to start with more of the established classics first. Kino Classics has delivered a Blu-Ray release that shows off a fair A/V presentation and a small but welcome selection of special features. If you have missed this one until now, this is a good addition to your collection. Recommended 

The Package (Special Edition) is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray. 

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

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