Two women, a turquoise Thunderbird, the ride of a lifetime. With this pop-culture landmark, screenwriter Callie Khouri and action auteur Ridley Scott rewrote the rules of the road movie, telling the story of two best friends who find themselves transformed into accidental fugitives during a weekend getaway gone wrong—leading them on a high-speed southwestern odyssey as they elude police and discover freedom on their own terms. Propelled by irresistible performances from Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis (plus Brad Pitt in a sexy, star-making turn)—and nominated for six Academy Awards, winning one for Khouri—the exhilaratingly cathartic Thelma & Louise stands as cinema’s ultimate ode to ride-or-die female friendship.
For thoughts on Thelma & Louise, please check out our discussions on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
The Criterion Collection presents Thelma & Louise with a fantastic 2160p HDR/Dolby Vision transfer in its original 2.39:1 sourced from a 4K scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative that has been supervised by director Ridley Scott. The film was previously released over 12 years ago on Blu-Ray with an older transfer by MGM, but I do not have that disc to compare. Based solely on images and comparisons of the new restoration online, this new release is the premiere presentation of the film.
The new Dolby Vision transfer seems to capture the precise color palette that Scott always intended. All of the sepia desert colors are complemented by a cooler aesthetic in the interiors back at home and in certain environments. Every scene and location appears to be properly brought to life with this terrific new Dolby Vision grade. The landscapes are quite striking, but the film also provides splashes of colors in elements such as the neon lighting of the bar and in some of the clothing and production design.
One of the biggest benefits of this 4K UHD experience is how the film perfects its contrast. There are moments of unrelenting darkness and shadow, such as some of the nighttime drives and corners of specific interiors. The way in which this presentation maintains its depth and does not succumb to crush or noise is simply incredible. Highlights are likewise put to the test underneath the desert sun, but you never spot any blooming as whites radiate with brilliance.
This transfer retains the natural film grain which resolves flawlessly, allowing for so much fine detail to shine through. There is no evidence that any grain reduction has been applied, as you get a fine sheen that resolves evenly without veering into swarmy noise. Any minor moments of print damage have long since been eradicated. Elements of the production design and outfits reveal more subtle facets than ever before. This transfer is a 5-star effort for fans of the film, and we appreciate that the Criterion Collection brought it to life so capably.
Audio Quality
The 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc comes with a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio remaster which brings this film to life extremely well. The memorable score and other essential music is used perfectly to maintain the mood of the story, and this track delivers this without fail throughout the duration of the film. The dialogue largely stays anchored in the center channel as it flows through clearly, but there is an expansive soundscape which captures the distinct sound design of the film with perfect fidelity.
Environmental sounds are brought to life without fail alongside everything else. The low end response brings some life to the party when necessary, although it is mostly used to bring some texture to the proceedings. There is no threat of it overwhelming vital information, and it maintains a good balance so that dialogue comes through clearly. There does not seem to be any instances of age-related wear and tear. The Criterion Collection has given this film a top notch audio experience. There are English SDH subtitles provided.
Special Features
The Criterion 4K UHD Blu-Ray of Thelma & Louise includes a bound booklet featuring the essays “How The West Was Won” by film critic Jessica Kiang, “Bringing To Life” by writer Rachel Syme and “At The Wheel” by author Rebecca Traister. All of these pieces work together to explore how the film blends genres, the iconic performances, the feminist legacy and much more that is very illuminating. The on-disc special features are as follows:
- Audio Commentary #1: Director Ridley Scott delivers a cool and clear commentary track in which he takes you through his career up until this film, his desire to make a more human film, his collaboration with screenwriter Callie Khouri, his post production woes on other projects and how it contrasts with this experience, the themes of the picture, the performances and much more. Scott does not simply comment on what is happening on screen, which makes this a really illuminating listen.
- Audio Commentary #2: Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis, and Callie Khouri provide an equally great commentary track in which you get more detail about the development of the script and the thematic resonance, memories from the production, happy accidents on set, their relationship to the film, and more. This offers a great balance of reflection on the film and camaraderie between the participants.
- Ridley Scott – Beginnings
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- Interview: A new 23-minute interview with Scott conducted by film critic Scott Foundas in which the director discusses his early life and career, the importance of his time in art school, his work in advertising and the transition into film, the design of Thelma & Louise, bringing Callie Khouri’s script to life, the film’s legacy and more.
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- Boy and Bicycle: Ridley Scott’s first 28-minute 16mm short film from 1965 is provided here which features his brother Tony Scott as a young boy who skips school and rides around town on his bicycle as if he is the only person in town. There is a consistent narration throughout. This is a really solid early effort which shows signs of the director’s promise.
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- Ploughman: A 33-second ad from 1977 for Guinness that was directed by Ridley Scott.
- Callie Khouri: A new 20-minute interview with the screenwriter in which she discusses her history with this story, her motivation for writing the script, drawing on inspiration from her friendship with musician Pam Tillis, what draws her to write about Southern women, the background of the characters, her satisfaction with the performances, the film’s legacy and more.
- Thelma & Louise – The Last Journey: An hour-long documentary from 2001 featuring interviews with director Ridley Scott; screenwriter Callie Khouri; actors Geena Davis, Susan Sarandon, Michael Madsen, Christopher McDonald, Brad Pitt, Stephen Tobolowsky, and Jason Beghe; producer Mimi Polk Gitlin; and composer Hans Zimmer. This is a really great archival piece which takes you throughout the entire process while filling in every detail you could possibly want to know.
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- Part One – Conception and Casting (19:57)
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- Part Two – Production and Performance (24:50)
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- Part Three – Reaction and Resonance (14:49)
- Original Theatrical Featurette: A nearly six-minute vintage piece in which the cast and creatives briefly discuss the production of the film in less detail than the previous featurette.
- Extended Scenes: Eight scenes of unused material totaling 33 minutes is provided here including one scene with audio commentary from director Ridley Scott. There are some good additions in here, but it is hard to argue that anything should be changed about the movie as it is.
- Storyboards – The Final Chase: Two pieces are provided which explores the importance Scott places on storyboards with some commentary about his process.
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- Ridley Scott: Storyboarding The Ending (5:50)
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- Storyboards (4:37)
- Deleted Scenes: Ten scenes of unused material totaling 14 minutes is provided here which once again shows some unique moments that could have fit well in the film, but the movie was cut down to the appropriate length.
- Trailer and TV Spots: This disc provides the Original Theatrical Trailer (2:02), the “Wanted” TV Spot (1:02), the “Call of the Wild” TV Spot (0:32) and a TV Promo Spot (0:32).
- Music Video – “Part of Me, Part of You”: A four-and-a-half minute music video from Glenn Frey is provided here.
Final Thoughts
Thelma & Louise is one of the finest films from the great Ridley Scott, and it is one that has sadly not gotten any less relevant. There is a strict reading of this film which might lead you to be frustrated by the choices these women make once things start going downhill, but the film becomes a lot more powerful when you place it into the context of frustration being unleashed on behalf of all women. There is a heartbreaking power to someone choosing to be free rather than living under the thumb of their oppressor. The titular performances are absolutely flawless, and the somewhat lengthy runtime never feels less than spritely paced. This is a dynamite piece of American cinema. The Criterion Collection has delivered a new 4K UHD Blu-Ray that offers a fantastic A/V presentation and top notch array of new and archival special features. If you are a fan of the film, this is a must-buy. Highly Recommended
The Criterion Collection edition of Thelma & Louise will be available to purchase on 4K UHD and Blu-Ray on May 30, 2023.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: The Criterion Collection 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.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.