The Kitchen appears in an aspect ratio of 2.40:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. The transfer lived up to expectations.
Overall sharpness appeared good. A little softness crept into the occasional interior, but those instances stayed modest.
The movie usually seemed solid, and I noticed no shimmering or jagged edges. Edge haloes and print flaws remained absent.
Despite the movie’s period setting, it opted for a heavy orange and teal orientation that felt typical for 2010s movies. Because they went to an extreme, the colors could become almost comical, but the disc reproduced them as intended.
Blacks appeared dark and deep, and shadows showed good delineation. Low-light shots offered nice clarity. In the end, I felt pleased with this appealing presentation.
As for the movie’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack, it added a bit of zip to the proceedings. A fairly chatty affair, the mix lacked a ton of zing, but it blasted music from all the channels and let the effects fill the spectrum.
A few violent scenes used the soundscape to the most impactful degree. These moments occurred infrequently, though, so street atmosphere became the most consistent element, and those moments created a satisfying sense of place and setting.
Audio quality worked well. Speech was concise and natural, while music – which mixed score and period songs – boasted fine range and vivacity.
Effects gave us accurate, dynamic elements without distortion. Though not an especially ambitious track, the movie’s mix seemed more than acceptable.
Only a few extras appear here, and Running Hell’s Kitchen fills nine minutes, one second with notes from writer/director Andrea Berloff, producer Michael De Luca, graphic novel writer Ollie Masters, graphic novel illustrator Ming Doyle, production designer Shane Valentino, costume designer Sarah Edwards, and actors Melissa McCarthy, Brian d’Arcy James, Elisabeth Moss, Domnhall Gleeson, Tiffany Haddish, Common, and James Badge Dale.
“Running” examines the source and its adaptation, story, characters and themes, the depiction of violence and visual design, the movie’s crew, cast and performances, costume/production design and period details, sets and locations. Though we get a few insights, much of the reel feels fairly superficial.
Taking Over the Neighborhood lasts five minutes, 22 seconds and features Berloff, Haddish, McCarthy, Moss, Common, Dale, James, Edwards, Valentino, Masters, De Luca, Doyle, and producer Marcus Viscidi.
“Over” looks at shooting in New York as well as reflections on the setting circa the late 1970s and the movie’s representations of these. It becomes another competent but thin featurette.
One Deleted Scene spans one minute, 25 seconds and shows a scene between Ruby and Kevin after his return to the community. It reminds us of tensions between the two, but we already sense their estrangement, so it seems redundant.
The disc opens with ads for Shaft (2019) and Joker. No trailer for Kitchen appears here.
A gangster flick with a heavy Scorsese influence, The Kitchen fails to discover its own identity. Despite a good cast and a feminist twist, the film never becomes more than a collection of clichés. The Blu-ray boasts very good picture and audio along with minor bonus materials. Kitchen comes with potential but disappoints.