4K UHD Review: Kino Lorber’s Turbulence (KL Studio Classics) 

Ray Liotta’s serial killer has met his match in Lauren Holly’s resourceful air flight attendant in the underseen gem Turbulence.  New to 4K UHD from Kino Lorber. 

The Film 

Move over Con Air, there’s another airplane set action thriller from 1997 in town and it’s about to make itself known. Director Robert Butler’s Turbulence is a smarter-than-average mid-level genre film that pits Ray Liotta against Lauren Holly.  The results are not as tone-deaf stupid as Con Air but just as deliciously arched as the Nic Cage action extravaganza.  

Christmas Eve finds the crew and passengers aboard a 747 to Los Angeles terrorized by serial killer Ryan Weaver (Liotta).  The FBI Agents and Law Enforcement are all dead the only person who stands in Weaver’s path in a suicide run is heartbroken Teri Halloran (Holly).  Can the flight attendant stop the killer, fly the plane, and land it safely all before being Weaver’s next victim.

All hail the mid-budget genre film of the 1990s!  Butler’s crisp smart direction and Jonathan Brett’s sharp script take the right twists and turns to keep one step ahead of the audience.  The result is a film that’s elevated beyond the doll drums of studio-produced films of the 90s.  There is so much to like about what the film does – like holding off on the reveal of Weaver’s true homicidal nature, the use of Brendan Gleeson as another prisoner, and the use of Ben Cross as an airline pilot. 

Part of the fun of the entire enterprise is seeing how big the film goes in its third act and the film does go big.  The even better part is that Butler appears to have sided on a combination of model/miniature work and CGI to assist.  This results in a climatic third act that doesn’t feel like a terribly composited and rendered early-era CGI.  There is a physicality to everything both inside and outside the plane that makes the thriller compelling even three decades on.  

Though none of this would work without the mano-e-mano acting face-off between Liotta and Holly.  Liotta is actually given time to ramp up to the delirious over-the-top performance that made him such a brand in the ’90s and ’00s.  The star is actually allowed to be charming and quiet during the first portion of the film which only adds to the relish of seeing him go crazy.  Holly proves that she was so much more than the studios offered her.  Here she’s smart, resourceful, and plucky as well as the right amount of scared.  Thankfully, they never go full-on action heroine with Holly’s Teri. 

Turbulence is the kind of riff on Die Hard that makes all the right decisions to create a gem of an action thriller, one that many missed.  A mistake that hopefully this edition rights.  

The Transfer

The all-new HDR Dolby Vision Master – From a 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative is a huge upgrade even from the prior editions.  The image is a healthy sharp affair throughout.  There isn’t a scratch or blemish present throughout the runtime.  The transfer is gorgeously luminous showcasing the wonderful widescreen anamorphic photography.  The colors from the Christmas time lights are extra poppy in 4K.  The Dolby Vision allows for the retaining all the beautiful black and contrast levels without a hint of artifacting or crushing of the blacks making the 35mm shot film look beautifully representative of its origins.  

The Extras

They include the following; 

DISC 1 (4KUHD):

• NEW Audio Commentary by Director Robert Butler, Moderated by Filmmaker Joe Begos

DISC 2 (BLU-RAY): 

• NEW Audio Commentary by Director Robert Butler, Moderated by Filmmaker Joe Begos
• Theatrical Trailer
• TV Spots
• Radio Spot

The all-new Audio Commentary by Director Robert Butler, Moderated by Filmmaker Joe Begos begins with Butler discussing working with Liotta on this film and his prior relationship on another film.  Some of the details include Liotta’s acting style and working with him on this film; Begos’s own personal experience with seeing this opening weekend with his father and his other screenings with friends and how successful it was; a detailed account of the preparation they did on the film – including the work done before with the gimbal that the airplane set was attached to; working with Lauren Holly – and her commitment to the role; details about the production schedule and budget; the script development or lack thereof – including Liotta’s additions to the scripts; the discussion of Christmas time setting and how it adds to the visual style of the picture; how he got hired on the production; a discussion of Butler’s preference for TV or Film; the casting of the film and how much he was involved with it; how tough the production was for Lauren Holly; a discussion about Butler’s film Night of the Juggler; the rehearsal process and how it helped during the production; a discussion of his First AD and how she came from welding industry before becoming an AD – also a larger discussion of how important a great AD is; how Butler became a director – not through film school; a discussion of the direct to Video sequels – and Butler’s never having seen them; a larger discussion throughout about how Butler managed to create a unique look in a confined space like an airplane; and much more. Begos is a great moderator as the track feels like more of a conversation between two filmmakers rather than a track with just bits of information.  

Radio Spot (1:02) – one 60-second radio spot that plays over the poster for the film. 

TV Spots (3:28) – featuring 7 30-second TV spots used to promote the film. 

Rounding out the special features are trailers for Turbulence (2:00); Blown Away (1:35); Sudden Death (2:16); Kindergarten Cop (2:03); Narrow Margin (2:01); Stretch (1:27); In Bruges (2:30); Leviathan (1:54) 

The Final Thought 

Turbulence continues to show that Kino Lorber is one of the best labels producing 4K UHD editions.  Highest Possible Recommendations!!

Kino Lorber’s 4K UHD Edition of Turbulence is out now