Replacement Killers Blu-ray Screenshots (Patreon)

Video

Originally released on Blu-ray by Sony themselves, that master was outdated even near Blu-ray's inception. Then, Mill Creek released a double pack that included Replacement Killers and Truth or Consequences, N.M.. Mill Creek licenses that same master for this release, which in turn is the same as Sony's. Replacement Killers isn't an abomination, just in need of a fresh scan. Imagery never rises above soft, and the definition that results lacks clarity. Fidelity wanes everywhere. Texture sags, and Replacement Killers looks meant for DVD at best.

Grain sticks around, however menial it appears. Encoding leaves artifacts behind, especially visible in darker portions of the screen. So no, black levels don't hit their marks, or at least not often. Replacement Killers isn't pale, just lacking in certain parts of the frame.

Rudimentary color reproduction proves passable and not much else. Flesh tones reach a reasonable tier, and other primaries show decent saturation. Yet Replacement Killers exists in a flat haze. Saturation won't reach acceptable prominence, always faded and overcast.

Audio

It's one thing to license an older video master, but it's another for, whatever reason, to drop the 5.1 audio mix and replace it with a stereo track. That's the case here, and while not lacking in dynamics (the opening techno track works the subwoofer heartily), the diminished spacing is a loss. Stereos perform minimal separation, leaving this heavy actioner without the now expected bullet trails, debris scattering, and other such effects. Gunshots need added pop, but won't get it.