Vice Squad (4K UHD Review)

Reviewed by: Tim Salmons
Review Date: May 22, 2025
Format: 4K Ultra HD

Director

Gary Sherman

Release Date(s)

1982 (May 13, 2025)

Studio(s)

Dynamic/Hemdale/AVCO Embassy Pictures/StudioCanal (Kino Lorber Studio Classics)

Film/Program Grade: B+
Video Grade: A-
Audio Grade: A-
Extras Grade: A-

https://kinolorber.com/

Review

Gary Sherman’s Vice Squad is another in a line of gritty cop thrillers from the 1980s about a psychotic killer on the loose and the attempts made by the police to track him down (10 to Midnight, Cruising, To Live and Die in L.A., among others). It wasn’t a major box office success upon its original release, but it was well-received, particularly by those who appreciated its commitment to verisimilitude, as well as its over-the-top performances and graphic violence.

Princess (Season Hubley) sends her young daughter away before hitting the streets of L.A. and turning tricks along Sunset Strip. After a brutal attack on a prostitute named Ginger (Nina Blackwood), Princess is brought in by Detective Walsh (Gary Swanson) to help capture Ginger’s assailant, the maniacal pimp Ramrod (Wings Hauser). Although they’re initially successful, Ramrod manages to escape custody and is dead set on killing Princess before the night is through, but not if Walsh and the officers of the Hollywood Vice Squad can get to him first. Also among the cast are Pepe Serna, Beverly Todd, Michael Ensign, and Grand L. Bush.

Vice Squad is not a particularly fun movie for the uninitiated as it’s unflinchingly ferocious when it comes to the violence against women. It’s not altogether earnest, but it certainly tries to be more of what feels like real people in the real world. The story also takes place over the course of one night, making it feel like a rollercoaster ride, with the end goal being the hopeful capture of Ramrod.

The film’s unhinged, unrehearsed atmosphere is attributed to both the talent of the actors involved and a solid script. A simple moment of Princess reacting to someone’s death is highly energetic and untamed, as is the initial arrest of Ramrod—who resists not only by tossing furniture, but even using a woman’s head as a weapon. The dark and dingy L.A. street scene also gives the story some authenticity. One could even see Vice Squad as a forerunner to shows like Homicide: Life on the Street, NYPD Blue, Law & Order, and Miami Vice, among others.

Over the years since its release, Vice Squad has managed to gain new fans who appreciate its downbeat, gritty nature, as well as the late Wings Hauser’s frenzied and chaotic performance (Rest in Peace Ramrod). Director Gary Sherman, who also helmed a trio of popular horror films (Death Line aka Raw Meat, Dead & Buried, and Poltergiest III), fashions a tightly-edited but compelling and mean action thriller with plenty of atmosphere and an effective city backdrop.

Vice Squad was shot by legendary cinematographer John Alcott (2001: A Space Odyssey and Barry Lyndon) on 35mm film (Fujicolor A 250T 8518, and possibly Eastman Color 100T 5254) with Arriflex cameras and spherical lenses, finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Kino Lorber Studio Classics debuts the film on Ultra HD from a 4K scan of the original camera negative by StudioCanal, encoded to a triple-layered BD-100 disc. This release is described as a “brand new UHD SDR master,” though the age of the actual scan isn’t specified.

Flipping back and forth between this release and the Scream Factory Blu-ray, it’s clear that this is a much more recent scan. It’s brighter with more pronounced detail, and highly organic outside of the opening and closing titles, which appear to have been taken from an interpositive and scrubbed clean, likely in an effort to make them fit in better with the rest of the presentation (it actually has the opposite effect). Otherwise, there are no other signs of digital interference. High speed film stock tends to carry a higher yield of film grain, meaning that the grain seen here is very heavy, but it’s more tightly-knitted. As for the encode, the bitrate generally sits in the 80 to 100Mbps range, occasionally dropping and spiking. Even mild adjustments where it occasionally dips where it probably shouldn’t would likely only render small improvements to the picture.

Despite being presented in Standard Dynamic Range, the film is much more vibrant with increased saturation, dramatically improving flesh tones, white levels, and hues of all sorts. Blacks are deeper and contrast is improved overall. There are only mild instances of speckling, but the image is more stable and clean. The only drawback that the opening card that states “The motion picture you are about to see has been produced with the cooperation of law enforcement authorities. Though a work of fiction, it is a composite of events that have actually taken place on the streets of Hollywood” has not been included. That card was clearly shoehorned into the previous HD master via an awkward pillarboxing, but it’s a shame that it couldn’t be incorporated here in better quality. Otherwise, this is a vast improvement visually.

Audio is included in English 2.0 mono and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio with optional subtitles in English SDH. The Scream Factory Blu-ray only carried 2.0 mono, and it appears to be the same track as there’s no discernible difference. One certainly wouldn’t refer to it as reference quality, but it’s a potent soundtrack that aids the film well without any issues. Dialogue is always clear, though not entirely precise due to overlap during more intense scenes. Sound effects, particularly gunshots, have plenty of heft to them, while the music and the score, including Wings Hauser’s grungy rendition of Neon Slime, have plenty of clarity. The 5.1 merely spaces out the soundtrack a little more, giving it some room to breathe, but most will likely prefer the simplicity of the original.

The Kino Lorber Studio Classics 3-Disc 4K Ultra HD release of Vice Squad sits in a black Amaray case alongside two 1080p Blu-rays and a double-sided insert, featuring the original US theatrical artwork on the front (as well as the slipcover), and similar artwork to the original US LaserDisc, CED, VHS, and Betamax releases on the reverse. The following extras are included on each disc:

DISC ONE: FILM (UHD)

Audio Commentary by Steve Mitchell
Audio Commentary by Gary Sherman and Brian Frankish

DISC TWO: FILM (BD)

Audio Commentary by Steve Mitchell
Audio Commentary by Gary Sherman and Brian Frankish
Radio Spots (HD – 2 in all – 1:00)
TV Spots and VHS Trailer (SD – 3:36)
Trailers:
- Vice Squad (HD – :57)
- Stick (SD – 1:12)
- The Hunter (HD – 3:15)
- To Live and Die in L.A. (HD – 2:08)
- Wanted: Dead or Alive (HD – 1:20)
- Code of Silence (HD – 2:39)
- Murphy’s Law (SD – 1:30)

DISC THREE: SPECIAL FEATURES (BD)

Gary Swanson: Tracking the Beast (HD – 58:06)
Gary Sherman: Of Poltergeists + Neon Lights (HD – 72:23)
Brian Frankish: Hollywood Magic (HD – 62:30)
Beverly Todd: The Roots of Reality (HD – 44:07)
Pepe Serna: Catching a Killer (HD – 58:20)
Michael Ensign: Princess Driver (HD – 24:14)
Hollywood Streetwalking: Vice Squad Filming Locations (SD – 11:31)

New to this release is an audio commentary with Steve Mitchell, the writer and director of the documentary Wings Hauser: Working Class Actor, which tackles the history and making of Vice Squad, but also makes comparisons to the real world of Los Angeles in that era. Mitchell also covers the film’s cast and crew, and never allows for a moment of silence. The other audio commentary with director Gary Sherman and producer Brian Frankish, which was recorded in 2019 for Scream Factory’s Blu-ray release, is a lively listen as the two reminisce about the making of the film while watching it. Both tracks are well worth a listen. Next are 2 radio spots, 4 TV spots, a VHS trailer, the original theatrical trailer (though somebody mixed up the audio for the trailer with audio from the first two TV spots), and trailers for other Kino Lorber releases.

The rest of the extras consist of a series of interviews produced by Justin Beahm for Reverend Entertainment. In Tracking the Beast, actor Gary Swanson details his beginnings as someone who struggled when he was young, learning how to write, becoming a high diver, breaking into acting, preparing for his role in Vice Squad, troubles on the set, policemen in those days, drugs and alcohol on movie sets, the film’s premiere, receiving good reviews, and his feelings on the experience. In Of Poltergeist + Neon Lights, director Gary Sherman highlights his earliest creative ventures, working in design and photography, shooting a Bo Diddley documentary and finding work in the aftermath, moving to England, befriending Jonathan Demme, becoming a father, making Death Line aka Raw Meat, leaving England, making Dead and Buried, being offered Vice Squad, working with John Alcott, being happy with the final film, creating Ramrod and casting Wings Hauser, Martin Scorsese’s reaction to the film, working with Season Hubley and the other actors, shooting on location, shooting the funeral scene, doing everything for real and the dangers that incurs, Vincent Canby’s rave review, his career afterwards, and later making Poltergeist III.

In Hollywood Magic, producer Brian Frankish talks about going to the movies when he was young, getting into the film business, making commercials, moving to New York, becoming a salesman and later a producer for Woody Allen, working on Savage Harvest which lead to Vice Squad, casting and working with the film’s actors and crew, the real world versus what’s in the final film, shooting the film for story and not exploitation, why it sticks around, and the magic of filmmaking. In The Roots of Reality, actress Beverly Todd discusses her upbringing, discovering her singing voice, becoming a film and theatre actor, winning two NAACP awards, the realism of Vice Squad, delving into her character, the impact of the film, becoming involved in charity, and looking back at the film. In Catching a Killer, actor Pepe Serna talks about growing up in Corpus Christi, his earliest creative outlets, getting support from his mother, becoming a painter and later an actor, learning how to improvise, teaching acting, moving to California, meeting his future wife, being discovered by Hal Wallace, acting in movies, working on Scarface, working in real estate, his experiences on Vice Squad, the film’s release, and his feelings on it today. In Princess Driver, actor Michael Ensign talks about his youth, going to college and later London for stage acting, moving into film, being asked to be in Vice Squad, working with Season Hubley and Gary Sherman, being a part of two different Titanic films, and what makes Vice Squad hold up.

Last, but not least, is Hollywood Streetwalking, which offers a tour of the filming locations set to score. Sadly, Wings Hauser, Season Hubley, and Nina Blackwood declined to be interviewed, but the overall breadth of the interviews that are present more than make up for it.

A few things have not carried over from Scream Factory’s 2019 Collector’s Edition Blu-ray release, including an additional audio commentary with Gary Sherman, moderated by David Gregory, which was originally recorded for the 2006 Anchor Bay DVD release, and two still galleries: a Poster and Lobby Card Gallery and a Publicity Gallery.

Vice Squad languished on home video for far too long due to licensing issues, but now after Scream Factory’s and Kino Lorber’s treatments of the film, all has been set right. Kino’s 4K UHD certainly tops the previous Blu-ray release in terms of video quality, making it an essential purchase for fans and newcomers alike. Highly recommended.

- Tim Salmons

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