NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

December 2022: Just a short note that Fun City's February 6th, 2023 UK release of Ivan Passer's Cutter's Way on Blu-ray is an exact duplicate of their US release only it is Region 'B'-locked where the US edition is Region 'A'-locked.

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ADDITION: Fun City Editions Blu-ray (November 2022): Fun City Editions have transferred Ivan Passer's Cutter's Way to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "New 2K restoration from a 35mm interpositive". There was a Twilight Time Blu-ray released years ago, and a French BD from 2015, but we don't own either to compare. This Fun City release is on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate and exports the textures of the film authentically. This HD presentation is very strong with a number of striking scenes of Southern California - impressive close-ups and rich black levels. I had no issues with the, highly pleasing, 1080P image quality. 

NOTE: We have added 56 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Fun City Editions use a DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel track (24-bit) in the original English language. Cutter's Way has minor aggression - usually in the form of Cutter's emotional venting. There is rain, parades, horses and other effect sounds that come through with a touch of depth. The score is by Jack Nitzsche (Village of the Giants, The Hot Spot, Blue Collar, The Indian Runner, Hardcore, The Crossing Guard, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Personal Best, 9 1/2 Weeks) sounding subtle and supportive - a wonderful score for Cutter's Way. The audio is flawlessly rendered in the lossless. Fun City Editions offer optional English (SDH) subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Fun City Editions Blu-ray is stacked offering, firstly, a new commentary by novelist Matthew Specktor (author of American Dream Machine.) He talks about Don Quixote themes, reflecting on the California experience and notable differences from the Newton Thornburg book, however there are a number of lengthy pauses and the film's audio is not mixed in. When he comments about dialogue and chuckles - we, unfortunately, don't hear what is being said in the film. I preferred the second commentary (of three!) by Julie Kirgo and Nick Redman - presumably from the Twilight Time Blu-ray. They talk about the film's themes of exploitation, people whose power derives from their wealth, the Nitzsche score being similar to the composer's own One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, the American dream gone bad in Cutter's Way, similarities to Chinatown, director Passer - his participation in the Czech New Wave, this being John Heard's best role and much more. Julie especially loves the film. I concur. The last commentary is also archival with assistant director Larry Franco (we was an associate producer on John Carpenter's The Thing) and unit production manager Barrie Osborne. There is also an archival audio introduction by star Jeff Bridges for just under 6-minutes, an archival video introduction by director Bertrand Tavernier for close to 1/2 hour plus “Mo’s Way,” a 39-minute newly filmed video interview with star Lisa Eichhorn as well as “From Cutter and Bone to Cutter’s Way,” a newly filmed video interview with former UA Classics exec Ira Deutchman. There are more older video interviews - over and hour's worth in total; with director Ivan Passer, producer Paul Gurian, writer Jeffrey Alan Fiskin, composer Jack Nitzsche's and two theatrical trailers (for both the working title - and novel - 'Cutter and Bone' and 'Cutter's Way' - a lengthy image gallery and, as stated the isolated score is an audio option. The package has a reversible sleeve (see below) and a 16-page Liner Notes booklet with essays by Danny Peary and Margaret Barton-Fumo.  

Ivan Passer's Cutter's Way is considered his best American feature. He made noteworthy cinema like Born to Win and Intimate Lighting and this also gets better with each viewing. Originally Robert Mulligan was set to direct and Dustin Hoffman was going to play Alex Cutter. Cutter's Way seems a sad shift noting a counterculture disenchantment - a final, cynical, straw - a last gasp of idealism with Alex Cutter's experience in Vietnam - a lost eye, arm and leg - figuratively crippling him to battle the corruption of the system. This is an important film from the early 80s and I am very happy the Fun City Editions Blu-ray that incorporates essential a/v, new extras and combining many other supplements from past editions. Surely the definitive BD releases of this pessimistic, vital, masterwork. Strongly recommended!

Gary Tooze