Jade is an interesting film. Directed by William Friedkin (The Exorcist, The French Connection), produced by Robert Evans (The Godfather), scored by James Horner (Aliens), writer Joe Eszterhas (who once held the record for biggest payday for a script), and with the acting talents of David Caruso, Linda Fiorentio, Chazz Palminteri, Michael Biehn, and Richard Crenna, this film has an impressive roster. None of that mattered. The movie lost money at the box office and was savaged by critics. However, it did develop a cult fan base, and I guess that is why Vinegar Syndrome released a 4k/Blu-ray combo.
The movie is an erotic thriller involving political intrigue, murder, and sex. David Caruso plays David Corelli (very imaginative), an ambitious assistant district attorney. He’s assigned to investigate the murder of a prominent businessman with lots of connections. The case almost immediately leads to hookers, blackmail, and intrigue. Describing itself as an erotic thriller, the sex scenes are mostly seen through grainy tapes with a green, night-vision tint. There is some violence, but the film is mainly a slow boil with lots of conversations and suspicious glances. The movie does shine in a car chase in San Francisco, where heavy traffic is realistically depicted, but that is to be expected from the same guy who did the car chase in The French Connection. If I’m being honest, I feel like some of the editing is off-putting. It has a lot of early 90s flash that feels dated. While Friedkin is a talented director, I feel like this is not his best work.
The 4k disc features the theatrical and director’s cut. The film has been restored from the 35mm negatives, and the picture quality looks great on both uhd and Blu-ray versions. The Blu-ray disc has the theatrical and director’s cut plus special features. First is a 7-minute interview with Joe Eszterhas. He talks about how the director changed his script and ending after promising that he would not. Outside of that story, Eszterhas seems like a guy who knows what he wants and gets angry when he doesn’t get it, which is not necessarily a bad trait for a creative type.
Next is a 22-minute interview with Editor Augie Hess and assistant editor Darrin Navarro. Hess went to work for Paramount on the movie Blue Chips because he was the most experienced electronic editor and the film editing was too slow for the director. Hess invited Navarro to work with him on Jade. Apparently, the little cases of pubic hair in the film were inspired by the producer’s odd collection. Navarro mentions that the flash frames were Friedkin’s idea and that he loves them. He also liked ambiguity, but 90s audiences wanted clear endings, and there were changes after every test screening. The editors state that Friedkin’s reputation for having a bad temper never impacted them. He was an impatient man with people who had to figure things out as they went.
Finally, there is a 12-minute interview with William Friedkin. Friedkin states that he thought the Exorcist did not hold up very well and that Gene Hackman was not a fan of the French Connection. Leaving the theater, he remarked to the director “I’m not sure how I feel about that film”. Finishing out the features is the original trailer.
Vinegar Syndrome put together a great release with fascinating special features about a very polarizing movie. Once again, I can’t fault VS for producing a high-quality release. Giving the film a fair shake, it has some well-crafted parts but also some laughably bad misfires. I do not think it is as bad as the critics say, but I also do not think the film is a good as its fans claim. It is a middle of the road thriller with some raunchy subject matter. It is worth watching for fans of sleazy, thrillers. Fans of Eszterhas should definitely purchase it.