The Grifters appears in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. (The opening credits opted for 1.66:1.) This became a watchable but lackluster presentation.
Sharpness was adequate but inconsistent. Most shots offered fairly positive delineation, but bouts of mild softness occurred as well.
I saw no jagged edges or moiré effects, but edge haloes became a moderate distraction. Print flaws were a more intense concern, as I saw more than a handful of specks, marks, streaks, and lines.
The palette of Grifters leaned amber – and a little heavy. The colors occasionally showed reasonably good vivacity, but they often came across as a bit heavy.
Blacks were mostly dark and firm, and low-light shots offered reasonable clarity. This felt like a pretty disappointing image.
We got a decent DTS-HD MA stereo soundtrack of Grifters, as its audio quality seemed dated but fine. Music showed positive stereo presence, while effects offered decent breadth and movement to the sides.
Scenes at racetracks or bars added some impact. These used the side/rear channels to bolster the soundscape in a moderate manner.
Speech appeared reasonably natural and concise, with minimal edginess. Some iffy looping appeared but that wasn’t a substantial issue.
Music presented more than adequate range and depth, and effects showed good clarity and accuracy. Nothing here excelled, but the soundtrack held up well enough.
A handful of extras appear, and we open with an audio commentary from director Stephen Frears, screenwriter Donald Westlake, and actors John Cusack and Anjelica Huston. All four sit separately for this edited take on the source and its adaptation, story/characters, cast and performances, sets and locations, costumes and visual design, editing and deleted scenes, and connected domains.
Some don’t like the edited format, but it works well here, as the track integrates the four participants well. They offer lots of insights and allow this to become an informative and enjoyable piece.
Two featurettes follow, and The Making of The Grifters runs 16 minutes, 24 seconds and offers info from Frears, Westlake, Cusack, Huston, and production designer Dennis Gassner.
“Making” looks at the movie’s path to the screen, cast and performances, the source and its adaptation, costumes and visual design, sets and locations, Frears’ approach to the project, and the flick’s release/reception. Some of this repeats from the commentary, but “Making” nonetheless becomes a decent overview.
The Jim Thompson Story fills seven minutes, 59 seconds with notes from Westlake and biographer Robert Polito. They reflect on novelist Thompson and his work, with an emphasis on Grifters. This ends up as an acceptable view of Thompson.
On the surface, The Grifters feels like it should opt for Ocean’s Eleven-style antics, but instead, it prefers semi-Oedipal melodrama. These choices don’t work especially well and they make the movie drag. The Blu-ray comes with flawed visuals, acceptable audio and a few bonus features. This becomes a weak Blu-ray for an erratic film.