New video: ‘Split’ conjures up the heyday of director M. Night Shyamalan

New on Blu-ray

“Split” (Universal DVD, $29.98; Blu-ray, $34.98; also available on VOD)

M. Night Shyamalan went astray for a few years, making generic big-budget blockbusters, but lately he’s been righting his creative ship, first with the lively 2015 found-footage horror film “The Visit” and now with his twisty thriller, “Split.” James McAvoy gives an alternately creepy and heartbreaking performance as Kevin, a mentally ill Philadelphian who kidnaps and imprisons three teenage girls, then subjects them to confusing conversations with some of his 23 personalities while warning them of the imminent arrival of his 24th persona, “The Beast.” But Kevin doesn’t count on the investigative diligence of his therapist (played by Betty Buckley), or the shrewdness and empathy of one of his abductees (Anya Taylor-Joy). As always, Shyamalan’s dialogue is overwritten and his plotting preposterous, but “Split” is masterfully staged and shot, and effectively spooky and strange, recalling the filmmaker’s “The Sixth Sense”/“Unbreakable” heyday.

Special features: Featurettes, deleted scenes, and an alternate ending.

VOD

“Citizen Jane: Battle for the City” (available April 21)

In the mid-20th century, a lot of political power mobilized behind big roads, big buildings and cookie-cutter suburbs, while journalist Jane Jacobs provided a strong voice of dissent, arguing for urban neighborhood living and the necessity of historic preservation. Matt Tyrnauer’s documentary, “Citizen Jane: Battle for the City,” covers the full arc of Jacobs’ life and mission but focuses in particular on how she became a thorn in the side of New York’s planners in the ’50s and ’60s by countering their facts and figures with her own and by organizing construction-stopping public protests. What emerges is a fascinating and still-relevant study of what happens when the government’s policies stand in opposition to the governed.

TV set of the week

“Hawaii Five-0: The Complete Series” (Paramount DVD, $179.98)

Over the course of 12 years and 279 episodes, “Hawaii Five-0” introduced American TV viewers to the culture and scenery of the state that had joined the union just nine years before the CBS cop show’s 1968 debut. The series ran so long that it spanned multiple trends in TV crime stories, as its hero Steve McGarrett (played by Jack Lord) locked horns with mob bosses, Cold Warriors and run-of-the-mill crooks and con-men. With its exotic locale and flexible premise, “Hawaii Five-0” set itself apart from its competition and remains a fine bit of escapism.

Special features: Vintage featurettes.

Three more to see

“The Founder” (Starz/Anchor Bay DVD, $29.95; Blu-ray, $39.99; also available on VOD); “Sleepless” (Universal DVD, $29.98; Blu-ray, $34.98; also available on VOD); “Teen Titans: The Judas Contract” (Warner Bros. DVD, $19.98; Blu-ray, $24.98; also available on VOD).

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