{"id":54738,"date":"2026-09-08T15:00:43","date_gmt":"2026-09-08T19:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=54738"},"modified":"2026-08-31T17:48:30","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T21:48:30","slug":"tequila-sunrise-1988","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2026\/09\/08\/tequila-sunrise-1988\/","title":{"rendered":"Tequila Sunrise [1988] [Arrow Video 4k UHD & Blu-ray LE]"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>A reformed drug dealer is pressured into one last score to catch a drug runner for his DEA agent frenemy in Robert Towne\u2019s Tequila Sunrise. The 1988 neo-noir hits 4k UHD & Blu-ray via Arrow Video this month.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Film<\/strong><\/p>\n

Robert Towne<\/a> will forever be best known for Chinatown, the 1974 film he wrote and Roman Polanski directed. But let’s not forget Towne\u2019s other work: writing The Last Detail, the first two Mission: Impossible<\/a> films, Days of Thunder, the best-written of the Corman Poe Cycle, Tomb of Ligeia, and script doctoring Bonnie & Clyde and The Godfather<\/a>. Today\u2019s subject, 1988’s Tequila Sunrise, was one of the few he both wrote and directed. It\u2019s a solid flick with stunning cinematography, but perhaps a little messy, clich\u00e9d, and meandering without a strong storyline. However, the characters nd performances make up for plot issues. One of the stars is Kurt Russell<\/a>. That alone will always add a few awesome points for me.<\/span><\/p>\n

In contemporary Los Angeles, Dale \u201cMac\u201d McKussic, played by Mel Gibson<\/a>, is a former drug dealer who has recently gone straight, making a true go at it. For some reason, this makes plenty of people mad at him. One of those is his ex-wife, taking his son away since his money stream is going down. Another is his long-time best friend and rival, DEA agent Nick Fescia, played by one of the all-time greats, Kurt Mutherfuckin\u2019 Russell.<\/a> Between the two fightin\u2019 besties is Italian restaurant owner and manager Jo Ann Vallenari, played by Michelle Pfeiffer<\/a>. Within the story, Mac tries to stay clean but is pushed to help bring in Commandante Xavier Escalante, played with typical flair by Raul Julia<\/a> (always at 100%, even in things like Overdrawn at the Memory Bank). Fescia squabbles with his bosses, including JT Walsh, over how to handle the case; the men fight over Pfieffer; and she tries to gain some footing in a world she was just shoved into.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s all a bit messy. Towne is far more interested in the characters and how they tick than he is in the intricacies of the story. The drug-running plot is more of an excuse to poke and explore the trio at the center, as well as the people around them. Within, Towne looks at the dualities. The clean drug man, who may be the nicest drug smuggler and dealer, is trying to find his new place in the world by moving away from business. Russell\u2019s agent is skeevy and slimy, but good at heart. Pfeiffer\u2019s run is, sadly, \u201cwhich man do I want\u201d reductive, but she makes it work. Russell and Gibson working together is delicious; they bounce off one another as only they can, both using their particular charm to get the most out of it, connecting like two guys who have both butted heads and palled around for decades. Rual Julia brings in a chaos energy to it all. I wish we had more of him, but hell yes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tequila Sunrise also looks gorgeous, with cinematographer Conrad L. Hall capturing a specific view of LA. The darkness of the nights, but the shifts in sunsets and sunrises (metaphor for Gibson\u2019s troubles? shrug). The famous shot of Russell and Gibson on a swingset at sundown (our header up top) is the high point, but emblematic of the rest.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tequila Sunrise breaks down into the same old for the comings and goings of the plot, but there\u2019s more than enough in the characters and in how their world is shot to push past it. Not as complicated as Chinatown, but strong enough<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Just in case you’re wondering: the Eagles song of the same name does not play in the movie. But it does play in my head as long as I\u2019ve been working around this movie.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Packaging<\/strong><\/p>\n

Arrow<\/a> offers Tequila Sunrise on a single disc 4k UHD & Blu-ray (either\/or). The disc image is three leads in action poses with an exploding boat, which is a smaller version of the two choices of the reversible sleeve. Both are original poster art. The sleeve slides into a case matching the chosen method. It also has a booklet. The O-sleeve is the same style as the image.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Presentation<\/strong><\/p>\n

Arrow<\/a> gives a new 4k from the original 35mm. Another fine-looking disc. Arrow excels at that, so I know I say it often. The seedy, smoggy, sun-down LA translates to a damned great-looking film with incredible details. The visuals are a high point for the film, and that translates Audio is original stereo and a new 4.0. In English with English subtitles.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Features<\/strong><\/p>\n

Arrow<\/a> ports the commentary from the 2007 DVD, which made it to the 2014 Blu-ray, and adds more features on top.<\/span><\/p>\n

Commentary (2007)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Thom Mount, producer, lots of technical information on production, script, and Towne. A bit droning and drops off for long portions, but for those who want to hear the development of a script to film, here you go.<\/span><\/p>\n

California Dreaming\u00a0 (new)<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/span>Thom Mount returns 19 years after the commentary to talk about the film. Many continued thoughts, but better mannered at getting to the details without being locked to specific scenes. A great overview of the technical prowess of developing a film. (21m)<\/span>\"\"<\/a>From Chinatown to Manhattan Beach (new)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This is a great appreciation of Robert Towne by Lucy Bolton. Working from the 60s onward, he was at the forefront of the shift to New Hollywood. Bolton gives time to the realism Towne strived for, which gave his films a further spark of character. (25m)<\/span><\/p>\n

Sunrise to Sunset (new)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Robert Roda, 2nd assistant director of the film, shares so amny wonderful anecdotes of working with Towne, the cast, and the foibles of filmmaking. (17m)<\/span><\/p>\n

Sin City (new)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Character actor Lala Sloatman, who appears here and there throughout the film, gives anecdotes of working on the outside, how she\u2019s viewed her character, and working in Hollywood on her stature. (17m)<\/span><\/p>\n

Theatrical Trailer<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Image Gallery<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

54 images of behind-the-scenes and production stills<\/span><\/p>\n

Booklet<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

A 32-page nice-lookin\u2019 booklet is included. It has the standard features plus the following bits: 1) \u201cWhat Are Friends For?\u201d Robert Towne & Tequila Sunrise by Sean Hogan looks at Towne\u2019s career, how it fits with his New Hollywood contemporaries, and a little about how this film was resolved. 2) Cocaine Casablanca: You Must Remember This in Tequila Sunrise by Josh Nelson makes a case of connecting Tequila Sunrise to Michael Curtiz\u2019s classic. I can see it if I squint. 3) Triangle of Mistrust in Tequila Sunrise by Marc Daniel Shiller (originally published in American Cinematographer) gets into the technical details of how Towne and Hall shot the film. 4) Tequila Sunrise – ASC Awards Nomination reprints American Cinematographer\u2019s whys in TS\u2019s nomination.<\/span><\/p>\n

Final Thoughts<\/strong><\/p>\n

A solid, if cliched flick, Tequila Sunrise has Kurt Russell. Hell yes. The whole film is fine, issued, but fine. It looks absolutely gorgeous, and has a fine set of features as well. The 4k\/Blu-ray from Arrow is released in September 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A reformed drug dealer is pressured into one last score to catch a drug runner for his DEA agent frenemy in Robert Towne\u2019s Tequila Sunrise. The 1988 neo-noir hits 4k UHD & Blu-ray via Arrow Video this month.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,12],"tags":[240,302,734],"class_list":["post-54738","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-collectors-den","category-movie-reviews","tag-crime","tag-drama","tag-noir"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54738"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54738\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54743,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54738\/revisions\/54743"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}