[Updated Nov. 6, 2023] Michael Mann’s action/thriller Blackhat starring Chris Hemsworth is getting released on 4k Blu-ray Disc for the first time on May 30, 2023 Sept. 5, 2023 Nov. 28, 2023 (Nov. 27 UK). It has been confirmed by Arrow Video that the 4k Blu-ray is a 2-disc special edition that will include the US and International versions of the film on 4k Blu-ray with Dolby Vision (BD-100), along with the rarely seen Director’s Cut on 1080p Blu-ray (BD-50).
Update: Arrow Video has delayed the release of Blackhat to include a remaster of the Director’s Cut of the film. The cut was presented to an exclusive theatrical audience and for a limited time on DirecTV. Details about the specs of the Director’s Cut, remastered or remastered, are to be determined. However, Arrow’s comment below seems to indicate the Director’s Cut will only be in 1080p on Blu-ray. [Confirmed]
Update 2: In yet another delay, Arrow Video has announced a Nov. 28, 2023 release of Blackhat so that it includes the Director’s Cut on 1080p Blu-ray.
“We listened to your feedback about our release of Blackhat not including Michael Mann’s revised director’s cut of the film and we are very pleased to confirm that the original digital files have been found. It will now be included as a second Blu-ray Disc. To allow time for disc authoring and quality control, we have had to push the release date back to 4th September. We hope you understand the necessity for this delay and are as excited as we are to be able to feature this significantly different version of the film alongside the two previously announced cuts.” Via Twitter @DawnoftheDiscs
Directors Cut: The re-edited version (titled “revised version”) was supposedly only viewed once in public at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 2016 as part of a retrospective series of Mann’s films. The Director’s Cut, as it is now referred to, adds another 3 minutes to make the total run time 136 minutes. According to sources, the nuclear reactor attack was moved to the middle of the film, and some dialogue in certain scenes was either shortened or added. Some of these changes were made by Mann right before premiering in theaters.
Audio/Video Specs: Previously released on 1080p Blu-ray in 2015, Blackhat now features 4k (2160p) resolution with Dolby Vision HDR on both the Theatrical and International versions of the movie along with the original lossless 5.1 audio track.
Bonus features: Extras include audio commentaries, Firewall interview, Zero Day Threat interview, The Cyber Threat behind-the-scenes featurettes, image gallery, an illustrated booklet, a reversible sleeve, and more (see details below).
Blackhat is priced $34.99 (List: $49.99) on 4k Blu-ray and $26.99 (List: $39.99) on Blu-ray. Buy on Amazon
Special Features
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Brand new audio commentary by critics Bryan Reesman and Max Evry
- Firewall – brand new video interview with cinematographer Stuart Dryburgh
- Zero Day Threat – brand new video interview with production designer Guy Hendrix Dyas
- The Cyber Threat, On Location Around the World and Creating Reality – three archival behind-the-scenes featurettes on the making of the film
- Image gallery
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Doug John Miller
- Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Andrew Graves
- Limited Edition slipcover featuring newly commissioned artwork by Doug John Miller
Description: Michael Mann (Thief, Collateral), the acclaimed auteur celebrated for his action panache and commitment to cinematic realism, turns his hand to depicting the high-stakes world of global cybercrime in Blackhat, a contemporary, ripped-from-the-headlines twist on the espionage thriller.
Chris Hemsworth (The Avengers, Extraction) stars as Nick Hathaway, a gifted hacker currently serving a lengthy prison sentence. When a Hong Kong nuclear plant goes into meltdown after its security is penetrated, Chinese army cybersecurity captain Chen Dawai (Leehom Wang, Lust, Caution) offers his old college roommate a deal: help identify and apprehend the culprit in exchange for his own freedom. What follows is a frenetic, globe-trotting race against time to avert disaster, fraught with hidden agendas and ever-shifting loyalties.
Praised for its unusually accurate portrayal of cybersecurity, Blackhat boasts an impressive international cast, including Tang Wei (Decision to Leave), Viola Davis (The Woman King) and Yorick van Wageningen (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), and showcases one of cinema’s finest filmmakers bringing the skills he honed during a long and storied career to bear on a distinctly 21st-century phenomenon.
Note: Updated May 15, 2023, from original article published March 10, 2023. Second update Aug. 30, 2023. Third update Nov. 6, 2023.
