Trigger Warning: The following review touches on topics directly related to the narrative involving death, terrorism, and sexual assault.
The summer of 2001 was the perfect time for the release of Swordfish. Audiences had been primed for it thanks to many releases the year before. Audiences had seen 20th Century Fox’s first cinematic version of Marvel Comics’s X-Men (2000), giving a boost to much of the cast, including the lesser known Australian actor Hugh Jackman. That same summer, director Dominic Sena worked on the semi-remake Gone in 60 Seconds (2000) to dazzle audiences with the charisma of the badass cast lead by Nicolas Cage (National Treasure; Willy’s Wonderland), the bumping soundtrack, and the gripping automotive stunts. A year later came Swordfish, putting Sena’s handiwork behind the camera back on display and the likes of John Travolta (Face/Off; Broken Arrow), Halle Berry (X-Men; John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum), Don Cheadle (Out of Sight; Iron Man 2), and Jackman (The Greatest Showman) giving their steamy, sultry best in front of the camera amid loads of technobabble. Now, Arrow Video offers a brand-new, limited edition 4K UHD edition of Swordfish, bringing with it legacy features and two new featurettes alongside a 4K UHD remaster. But is it worth breaking parole for?
After 18 months in prison for hacking, Stanley’s (Jackman) main goal is getting to see his daughter Holly (Camryn Grimes) again, but his ex is doing all she can to keep that from happening. All seems lost until Ginger (Halle Berry) appears on his doorstep, seemingly aware of Stanley’s past and with an offer of help (financially and legally) if he’ll agree to a meeting. Desperate, Stanley agrees and so begins the wildest four days of his life as he finds himself in business with the enigmatic and deadly Gabriel (John Travolta) who requires Stanley’s specific skills to execute a heist. Taking part means breaking his parole, but not doing so may cause him to miss out on his last shot at a relationship with his daughter. Making matters worse, the same agent who put Stanley behind bars, Agent Roberts (Cheadle), is already on Gabriel’s trail and his inclusion in the mix means that Stanley’s about to face some hard questions with lethal consequences.
The following review is based on the review copy provided by MVD Entertainment Group. Unfortunately, as it’s a check disc, all I can speak on with any authority is the on-disc presentation as a retail copy was not available for review. As such, here’s the expanded packshot of the final retail edition so you can at least get a sense of what it should look like.
SWORDFISH expanded packshot. Photo courtesy of Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment Group.
Before getting into the on-disc presentation, let’s take a look at the special features since it’s a mix of old and new. Dating back to the 2001 DVD, this edition includes the audio commentary track with Sena, the “Effects in Focus: The Flying Bus” featurette, and the two alternate endings. From the more recent Blu-ray release comes the “HBO First Look: Swordfish” featurette, “Planet Rock Club Reel” featurette, and the “In Conversation” featurettes. So, if you haven’t upgraded from the DVD (such as with this reviewer), the 4K UHD edition is going to offer up a lot of new information about the making of the film with a look at a lot of different materials and elements. Chances are, however, that if you enjoyed what Sena was cooking back in 2001, you picked up a HD edition already, which means that what you’re looking for is something new. This Arrow Video remaster offers two new dives into the film with a focus on the music via co-composer Paul Oakenfold (Appleseed) in the 12-minute “Soundtrack Hacker” featurette and a 20-minute chat with production designer Jeff Mann (Gone in 60 Seconds; Tropic Thunder) offering insight into the production aspects of the film via “How to Design a Tech Heist.” Oakenfold discusses his connection to film starting as a kid in London and his start in scoring with Shopping (1994) and tv series Big Brother as well as other projects (like Collateral (2004)) before landing Swordfish. Where you may think the accomplished musician would be confident in his process, he rather energetically talks about how this opportunity felt like his shot to either make or miss, a real monumental moment in his career. He makes sure to discuss the valuable collaborative contributions of co-composer Christopher Young (Drag Me to Hell) and engineer Andy Gray (Get Carter) as well as mentioning his experience working with Sena to construct more experimental ideas. In “How to Design a Tech Heist,” Cameron discusses his start in filmmaking and how that led him to working on Gone in 60 Seconds (through his long pre-existing working relationship with Sena). Specifically, he talks about the work in Swordfish taken to change a street of Ventura, California, to one where Gabriel has taken control, making sure to discuss the architectural inspirations during pre-production, the touch-ups done to the house that serves as Gabriel’s base (including the continued appreciation for said touch-ups), and, of course, he talks about the layout for the multi-screen computer Stanley uses to build his computer worm (including the screensaver).
Regarding the on-disc presentation, it’s a bit of a mixed bag — some part of the new presentation, some baked in. From a technical perspective, the bitrate of the film hovers in the 70 Mbps area. This is higher than the limit of Blu-ray (40 Mbps), but nowhere near where it could be (128 Mbps). Paul Cameron’s cinematography, reminiscent of his work on both Gone in 60 Seconds and Man on Fire (2004), has a perpetual green/brown look meant to amplify the more cinematic elements of the narrative (secret operatives; bait-and-switch bodies; crosses and double crosses), but which sometimes overtakes the more natural tones of the film. The 4K UHD doesn’t particularly shine in places you’d expect. The film is very early 2000s so the opening explosion sequence that looked propulsive in its initial release is immediately dated by the lack of blending between the actors struggling in the scene (pre-blast) to the moment of the blast itself. Additionally, the dialogue frequently plays at a different level than the rest of sound, requiring viewers to play the terrible game where you risk blowing your speakers during the action in order to hear what the characters say. That said, the sound is remarkable with that audio balance, like during that opening set piece, by being perfectly constructed so you really do feel like you’re in the middle of the bedlam. Visually, one doesn’t find themselves particularly arrested by the look of the film, but the sound makes up for it when it counts.
As someone who continues to exult in the fun of Gone in 60 Seconds, it pains me to say that Swordfish doesn’t have the same charm today as it did then. Perhaps it’s being a touch older and wiser (Gone is very much about new vs. old school that I appreciate more in my 40s than in my late teens), but elements of Swordfish just don’t age or work as well. The script tries incredibly hard to be complex, but then Gabriel over-explains everything to Stanley in the later part of the film — why? Stanley figures out enough on his own that the mini-speeches seem to be more for our benefit than Stanley’s. The film does nail the sense that the federal government would abuse individuals held for questioning, but it never makes sense that Stanley gets away without any kind of punishment for his participation in Gabriel’s attacks which left several dead. And the audition sequence in which Stanley gets fellated with a gun to his head — it doesn’t matter if Gabriel knows the gun isn’t loaded, Stanley doesn’t. What was funny and even titillating then, reeks of sexual assault now. It’s not like the film is particularly subtle with its view of sex as a means of transaction, but it’s still quite uncomfortable to view now when one considers that Stanley is never presented as any kind of sleaze who might not have a problem with this kind of treatment. Rather, the film makes it clear that, while on the outs, Stanley is an individual of integrity, which makes his continued working with Gabriel after the incident less sensical in a psychological conviction sense (he’s come this far, may as well go father — that comes later in the narrative) as this would’ve been the point to jump off. This may be reading too much into the moment, but if the Claymore mine explosion is a pinnacle moment of Swordfish, the blowjob is the antithesis.
So, let’s get down to brass tacks — is this something we’d recommend? If you’ve already got the film on Blu-ray, you likely won’t notice too much difference visually or auditorily between that version and this, which makes the choice come down to the packaging and the two new bonus features. If these things entice you, I would recommend waiting for a sale. You’ve already got the majority offerings, so why pay the premium? If you don’t yet have an HD edition, you’ll get far more for your money by picking up this edition than getting the Blu-ray, but I would still recommend waiting, simply because the on-disc presentation didn’t end up with a kick like the recent 4K UHD release of The Cell (2000), which absolutely is worth the upgrade, sale or not.
Swordfish 4K UHD Special Features:
- 4K Ultra HD (2160p) Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
- Original lossless stereo and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio options
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Audio commentary by director Dominic Sena
- *NEW* Soundtrack Hacker, a brand new interview with composer Paul Oakenfold (12:32)
- *NEW* How to Design a Tech Heist, a brand new interview with production designer Jeff Mann (20:49)
- HBO First Look: Swordfish, a promotional behind-the-scenes featurette
- Effects in Focus: The Flying Bus, a promotional featurette detailing how the film’s iconic climactic scene was created
- Planet Rock Club Reel, a music video by the film’s co-composer Paul Oakenfold
- Swordfish: In Conversation, a promotional featurette with interviews from cast and crew members including actors Hugh Jackman, John Travolta, Halle Berry, Don Cheadle and Sam Shepard, director Dominic Sena, and producer Joel Silver
- Two alternate endings
- Theatrical trailer
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tommy Pocket
- Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tommy Pocket
- Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Priscilla Page and an article from American Cinematographer about the film’s opening sequence
Available on 4K UHD Blu-ray June 10th, 2025.
For more information, head to the official Arrow Video Swordfish webpage.
To purchase, head to the official MVD Entertainment Group Swordfish webpage.
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Categories: Home Release, Recommendation
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