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

ADDITION: Indicator Blu-ray (March 2021): Indicator have transferred Sam Raimi's Crimewave to Blu-ray. They have really gone to town with this package by offering four feature presentations: the 87-minute international version with a selection of three alternative titles seamlessly-branched (Broken Hearts and Noses, The XYZ Murders, and Crimewave) and the 82-minute US theatrical cut. The International and US versions have the same 1080P image quality with roughly the same bitrate. This is from the 80's and the less-resilient film stock that frequently can look noisy in darker sequences - but it is really grain. So there is a ton of texture here in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio. I never used to find these appearance appealing on digital but have slowly grown into them and this is consistent, clean and a factor of the original production. 

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On their Blu-ray, Indicator use a DTS-HD Master mono track (24-bit) in the original English language. There are some goofy, slap-stick effects audio and score by Arlon Ober (Eating Raoul The Incredible Melting Man and Child's Play) that comes across authentically flat but adds some humorous flavor. Indicator offer optional English (SDH) subtitles for all 4 version of the film on their Region 'B' Blu-ray.

The Indicator Blu-ray offer a fun 2021 audio commentary with Sam Raimi expert James Flower (producer for Arrow and who knows the differences between the versions) plus included is the 2013 commentary with actor-producer Bruce Campbell and filmmaker Michael Felsher. These commentaries are for the longer International Version. Everything is discussed from production, performers and stories about making the film. Also from 2013 are three featurettes; The Crimewave Meter where Bruce Campbell revisits his early collaborations with writer-director Raimi running about 1/4 hour. Leading Man spends 16-minutes with actor Reed Birney who talks about Crimewave and his career. Made in Detroit has producer-actor Edward R Pressman discusses the making of the film for under 9-minutes. I really enjoyed Rank Outsider a new 10-minute video piece with critic and author Kim Newman remembering the original UK release. Too Much for Comfort is a new appreciation by comedian, musician and writer Rob Deering running over 7-minutes. There is a dozen minutes of On-set footage showing rare behind-the-scenes material from Reed Birney’s personal archive plus there is a vintage promotional reel of 1/4 hour's worth of previously unseen digest version with unique voice-over, intended for industry use. There is a US theatrical trailer, US home video trailer, French theatrical trailer and image galleries of both promotional materials and behind-the-scenes photography. There is also a XYZ Murders script gallery - a complete pre-production screenplay. The package offers a limited edition exclusive 36-page booklet with a new essay by Amanda Reyes, selected extracts from Bruce Campbell’s If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor, a guide to the differences between the script and the finished film by James Flower, extracts from retrospective interviews with cast and crew, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits.

Sam Raimi's Crimewave has plenty of physical comedy - not overly broad but fun and snappy. It's not to everyone's tastes but I enjoyed it more the longer it ran. The Indicator Blu-ray gives you the multiple versions, commentaries, and a girth of supplements; Kim Newman, interviews, behind the scenes, an appreciation etc. Those curious about the Coen connection may also wish to indulge - there is subtle wit with the verbosity. To each his own.

Gary Tooze