“There’s a beguiling and magnetic mood. There’s so much darkness, and there’s so much room to dream. They’re mysteries”, and there are people in trouble, and uneasiness”. This fitting quote from David Lynch is printed in bold green lettering on the back of Imprint Films’s fourth iteration of their After Dark: Neo-Noir Cinema set, covering six films from the years of 1990 to 1997. Complementing the quote itself, these films cover different types of noir, from the contemporary to the steamy to the shocking. Highlighting underrated films from the early to mid-‘90s, this box set builds upon Imprint’s legacy of great collector items and reintroduces these films to audiences with an excellent restoration and a large list of supplemental features.
AFTER DARK: NEO NOIR – COLLECTION FOUR (1990 – 1997) packshot. Photo courtesy of Imprint Films/Via Vision Entertainment.
Kicking off this set is a film from the surrealism master himself, David Lynch’s 1990 Palme d’Or-winning Wild at Heart. Based on the novel from Barry Gifford, the film follows the Elvis-like Sailor Ripley (a terrific, outlandish Nicolas Cage (Leaving Los Vegas)) and the sultry Lula Fortune (an alluring Laura Dern (Jurassic Park)) as they go on the run and evade Lula’s dominant mother Marietta (an outstanding hokey Diane Ladd (Chinatown)), as well as the numerous criminals she sends to hunt them down. Lynch’s subversive noir is given a gorgeous updated restoration that really pops out the colors. The opening credits alone (with the legendary wall of fire splayed out in the background) is brought startlingly to life in 1080p high definition. In addition to the outstanding picture, there are a great deal of supplemental features here including an archival making-of featurette and new interviews with casting director Johanna Ray, editor Duwayne Dunham, and actor Willem Dafoe (this one is especially worthy of note as Dafoe (INSIDE) waxes poetic on different topics such as meeting Lynch and getting cast in the legendary villainous role of Bobby Peru). Being that this is one of Lynch’s films that has rarely gotten a home release in the United States, this film alone makes the collection worth it.
Moving onto 1992, we have Jonahan Kaplan’s psychological noir thriller Unlawful Entry, starring Kurt Russell (Escape from New York), Ray Liotta (Marriage Story), and Madeleine Stowe (12 Monkeys). After surviving a break-in, couple Michael and Karen Carr (Russell and Stowe) befriend a lonely policeman (Liotta) who soon reveals himself to be a dangerous man who not only wants to invade Michael’s life but also take his place as husband. Serving as both an exploration of manhood and a direct criticism of the Rodney King incident, Kaplan’s thriller is more than meets the eye. While Ray Liotta’s portrayal of an unhinged cop is no doubt electrifying, seeing the complicated dynamics of law and order play out with Russell’s relatable Michael at the center makes this a compelling watch that elevates it among other thrillers from that time. This film carries both a Blu-ray disc and a 4K UHD disc (the only film in the collection to do so). On the supplemental side, the featurettes include an interview with Kaplan (The Accused), the director, himself (he discusses transitioning out of action films into making thrillers), an interview with cinematographer Jamie Anderson (Small Soldiers), and an interview with film music historian Jamie Anderson.
Next on the list is Roger Donaldson’s 1994 steamy action thriller The Getaway, starring Alec Baldwin (The Shadow), Kim Basinger (Cool World), Michael Madsen (Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair), and James Woods (Hercules). Being a remake of Sam Peckinpah’s 1972 film of the same name, The Getaway follows Doc and Carol McCoy (Baldwin and Basinger), a couple who pull off a major robbery and find themselves on the run from a two-timing former partner (Madsen) and associates of the angry boss who coordinated the robbery (Woods). This film is ‘90s noir in every sense of the word: there’s steamy sex (a key scene between Baldwin and Basinger even rivaling that of 9 ½ Weeks, an Adrian Lyne film starring Basinger a few years earlier), a romantic jazz score (courtesy of Mark Isham (Point Break)), Western sensibilities (a shootout in an old-school Saloon-like hotel), and a boatload of cash up for grabs. The updated 1080p high definition of this release really makes the daylight chase and shootout scenes pop out in stunning clarity. The special features range from an audio commentary with film critic Travis Woods to archival interviews to interviews with composer Mark Isham and film historian C. Courtney Joyner.
Paying homage to the classic noirs of the 1940s, the next film in this set is Lee Tamahori’s 1996 crime thriller noir Mulholland Falls. The 1950s-set film deals with Lieutenant Max Hoover (Nick Nolte (Die My Love)), a man who heads a group of detectives (based on the real-life LAPD Gangster Squad) who stop at nothing to keep L.A. jurisdiction clean of gangsters and organized crime. When a young woman (Jennifer Connelly (Alita: Battle Angel)) who Max may or may not have had a connection to is found dead at a construction site, he and his squad dig into the seedy underbelly of Los Angeles bureaucracy — from the military to the FBI — to discover the truth. “This isn’t America, this is Los Angeles,” a telling line said by Nick Nolte’s tough-as-nails Max who strives to crack down hard on corruption in his city while also corrupting his own soul. Easily seen as a companion piece to Curtis Hanson’s brilliant 1997 film L.A. Confidential, this film romanticizes the past of classic film noir and pairs it with the timely paranoia of corrupt institutions and the individuals who carry out their dirty work. This film also boasts a talented supporting cast including a scene-stealing John Malkovich (R.E.D.), an angelic Melanie Griffith (Working Girl), Chazz Palminteri (The Usual Suspects), Michael Madsen (the second film in the collection he co-stars in), Chris Penn (Best of the Best), and Treat Williams (The Phantom). The special features of this release include archival interviews, a video essay by film critic Dr. Clayton Dillard, and an audio commentary with Ryan Verrill and Will Dodson (from Someone’s Favorite Productions).
Moving into the strange and shocking, we have Matthew Bright’s 1996 film Freeway, a subversive, dark sendup of the Little Red Riding Hood fairytale. The film follows street-smart teenager Vanessa Lutz (a magnetic Reese Witherspoon (Little Nicky)) who runs away from a sexually abusive household and comes across Bob (a terrifying Keifer Sutherland (Flatliners)), a mild-mannered man who reveals himself to be a nefarious serial killer. In addition to the excessive performances of Witherspoon and Sutherland, Freeway is easily the most unforgettable of all these films. The transgressiveness of this film puts the audience through quite an endurance test — there’re racial slurs, gratuitous violence, nudity, and all around, noir-tinged filth. This raw, shocking thriller is definitely not for everyone’s tastes (picture Natural Born Killers with a John Waters-edge), but its radical vibe makes its spot in the collection earned. On the supplemental side, we have archival interviews with composer Danny Elfman (Batman: The Animated Series) and producer Oliver Stone (JFK) as well as an audio commentary with director Matthew Bright.
To close out the collection of films, there’s John Irvin’s 1997 film City of Industry. Set in the booming, manufacturing-led city of Industry, California, the film centers around retired thief Roy Egan (Harvey Keitel (Little Nicky)) who stops at nothing in his quest to avenge the murder of his brother Lee (Timothy Hutton (Leverage)). From its onset, Irvin’s film has a great dichotomy at hand; poised against the manufacturing plants and sun-scorched streets, the city of ambition is felt on both ends — from the corporate side to the seedy, criminal side. Everyone is out for a quick buck, whether it’s legitimate or illegal. “I’m my own police” — a line said by the aptly badass Keitel as he aims to dole out his rebellious side of justice. As Keitel effectively mean mugs his way through this film, on the other side of the fence, we have a perfectly cast Stephen Dorff (Blade) as the douchey, sneaky Skip. Roy prowls the night city (gorgeously photographed in this updated restoration) as Skip evades his tail and tries his best to stop him in his tracks. Rounding out this supporting cast is Famke Janssen (Goldeneye) as the estranged wife of one of the robbers betrayed, sharing great chemistry with Keitel in their scenes together. The romance isn’t overly hammered nor is it easily shooed away, there is a subtle kinship between these two characters who have both lost someone special in the game of cash and robbers. Within the supplemental features, there’s an audio commentary with John Irvin (Hamburger Hill), the U.K. cut of the film (shown in standard definition), an interview with actress Famke Jenssen, and archival interviews with cast and crew.
This collection of diverse noir films comes in a box set in which every film has its own Blu-ray case, along with a widespread image from each film in the liner pockets of each case. There is also a 126-page booklet (not numbered, unfortunately) with writings on each film from authors ranging from Walter Chaw to Travis Woods to Roxana Hadadi. With this being an Australian-based box set, it has Australian English subtitles and (another plus) this set is able to be played on American Blu-ray players (the player does not need to be region-free). For any lovers of collector items and all-around film noir, this is an all-inclusive box set that is not to be missed.
After Dark: Neo-Noir Cinema – Collection Four (1990 – 1997) Special Features:
Wild At Heart (1990) – Imprint Collection #568
- 1080p High-definition presentation on Blu-ray
- *NEW* Audio commentary by producer Monty Montgomery
- Isolated Music and Effects Track
- *NEW* Interview with actor Willem Dafoe
- *NEW* Interview with editor Duwayne Dunham
- *NEW* Interview with casting director Johanna Ray
- Love, Death, Elvis & Oz: The Making of ‘Wild at Heart’
- Dell’s Lunch Counter – extended interview segments
- Specific Spontaneity: Focus on Lynch – featurette
- David Lynch on the DVD – archival interview with director David Lynch
- Archival making-of featurette
- Uncensored Bobby Peru Scene
- Interview with Novelist Barry Gifford
- Image Gallery
- Theatrical Trailer
- TV Spots
- Audio: English DTS-HD 5.1 Surround + LPCM 2.0 Stereo
- Aspect Ratio 2.35:1
- Optional English HOH Subtitles
Unlawful Entry (1992) – Imprint Collection #569
Disc One – 4K UHD
- *NEW* Dolby Vision presentation on 4K UHD, restored from the original 35mm negative
- Audio commentary by director Jonathan Kaplan
- Theatrical Trailer from a NEW 4K restoration
- Aspect Ratio 2.35:1
- Audio: English DTS-HD 5.1 Surround + LPCM 2.0 Stereo
- Optional English HOH Subtitles
Disc Two – Blu-ray
- 1080p High-definition presentation on Blu-ray of the 4K restoration
- Audio commentary by director Jonathan Kaplan
- Archival making-of featurette
- Archival interviews with actors Ray Liotta and Madeleine Stowe, and director Jonathan Kaplan
- Unrestrained Realism – interview with director Jonathan Kaplan
- Too Tightly Wound: Inside the Filming of ‘Unlawful Entry’ – interview with director of photography Jamie Anderson
- Symphonic Intruder: Inside the Thriller Scores of James Horner – interview with film music historian Daniel Schweiger
- B-Roll
- Archival Interviews
- Theatrical Trailer from a NEW 4K restoration
- TV Spots
- Aspect Ratio 2.35:1
- Audio: English DTS-HD 5.1 Surround + LPCM 2.0 Stereo
- Optional English HOH Subtitles
The Getaway (1994) – Imprint Collection #570
- 1080p High-definition presentation on Blu-ray
- Audio commentary by film critic Travis Woods
- Ambushed: Scoring ‘The Getaway’ – interview with composer Mark Isham
- Double Crossed: Inside ‘The Getaway’ – interview with author / film historian C. Courtney Joyner
- Archival making-of featurette
- Archival behind-the-scenes footage
- Archival interview with actor Alec Baldwin
- Archival interview with actress Kim Basinger
- Theatrical Trailer
- Image Gallery
- Audio: English DTS-HD 5.1 Surround + LPCM 2.0 Stereo
- Aspect Ratio 2.35:1
- Optional English HOH Subtitles
Mulholland Falls (1996) – Imprint Collection #571
- 1080p High-definition presentation on Blu-ray
- *NEW* Audio commentary by Ryan Verrill and Will Dodson of Someone’s Favorite Productions
- *NEW* Video Essay on Neo-Noir by Dr. Clayton Dillard, film critic, interviewer, author, and columnist for Slant Magazine
- Theatrical Trailer
- Audio: English DTS-HD 5.1 Surround + LPCM 2.0 Stereo
- Aspect Ratio 1.78:1
- Optional English HOH Subtitles
Freeway (1996) – Imprint Collection #572
- 1080p High-definition presentation on Blu-ray
- Audio commentary by director Matthew Bright (1997)
- Archival Interviews with writer/director Matthew Bright, executive producer Oliver Stone, executive producer Samuel Hadida, actress Amanda Plummer, and composer Danny Elfman
- Trailers from Hell: Josh Olson on “Freeway”
- Making-Of featurette
- Theatrical Trailer
- Audio: English LPCM 2.0 Stereo
- Aspect Ratio 1.78:1
- Optional English HOH Subtitles
City of Industry (1997) – Imprint Collection #573
- 1080p High-definition presentation on Blu-ray
- *NEW* Audio commentary by director John Irvin
- Audio commentary by filmmaker Steve Mitchell and film critic Nathaniel Thompson
- *NEW* interview with actor Famke Janssen
- *NEW* interview with composer Stephen Endelman
- Archival making-of featurette
- Archival interviews with cast and crew
- Archival behind-the-scenes footage
- Theatrical Trailers
- Audio: English LPCM 2.0 Stereo
- Aspect Ratio 1.85:1
- Optional English HOH Subtitles
Available in a six-film limited edition collection April 29th, 2026.
For more information or to purchase, head to the official Via Vision Entertainment After Dark: Neo-Noir Cinema – Collection Four (1990 – 1997) webpage.
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Categories: Films To Watch, Home Release, Recommendation
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