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| Dvdivas
was founded by John Gabbard in 2000. It's purpose has been and
remains to be to provide you, the entertainment community with
the latest dvds and movie reviews. It will continue to be your
link to the most popular dvd movies. |
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“The Detective“
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Reviewed
by: |
Wayne A. Klein |
| Genre: |
Detective
thriller |
| Video: |
2.35:1 Anamorphic
widescreen |
| Audio: |
Dolby Digital
1.0 (mono) |
| Languages |
English,
Spanish, French |
| Subtitles |
English |
| Length |
114 minutes
|
| Rating |
NR |
| Release Date |
5/24/05
|
| Studio |
20th Century
Fox |
| Commentary:
|
None |
| Documentaries:
|
None |
| Featurettes:
|
None |
| Filmography/Biography:
|
None |
|
Interviews: |
None |
| Trailers/TV
Spots: |
“Fantastic Voyage”, “Bandolero!”,
“Fathom”, “Lady in Cement”, “Mother, Jugs & Speed”, “Tony Roma”,
“One Million Years B.C.”, “The Detective” |
| Alternate/Deleted
Scenes: |
None |
| Music
Video: |
None |
| Other:
|
None |
| Cast
and Crew: |
Frank Sintra,
Jack Klugman, Lloyd Bochner, William Windom, Tony Musante, Lee
Remick, Ralph Meeker, Robert Duvall, Al Freeman, Jr, Jacqueline
Bisset, Pat Henry |
| Written
By: |
Abby Mann
based on the novel by Roderick Thorp |
| Produced
By: |
Aaron Rosenberg
|
| Directed
By: |
Gordon Douglas
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| Music:
|
Jerry Goldsmith
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| The
Review: |
During the 60’s Frank Sinatra made
a series of stinkers. There are a trio of films that stood
out from the pack of misbegotten movies he made. The two Tony
Rome films “Tony Rome” and “Lady in Cement” based on Marvin
Albert’s novels hinted at a possible franchise for the Chairman
of the Board. “The Detective” written by Abby Mann (“Kojak”,
“Judgment at Nuremberg”, “Ship of Fools”, “King”) from the
novel by Roderick Thorpe (author of the novel that was the
basis for “Die Hard” and the TV movie “Devlin”) is as hardboiled
as the 60’s would allow. Sinatra plays Las Vegas police detective
Joe Leland. Leland’s latest case involves the murder of Ted
Lightman a wealthy and prominent gay man. Leland must convince
the police department that the murder is more than a lover’s
quarrel. Featuring a stellar cast, strong performances and
sharp direction by Gordon Douglas (who also directed Sinatra
in the two Tony Rome films as well as the cult classic “In
Like Flint” and “Them!”), “The Detective” may look a bit dated
but all the right elements are here and make this genre classic.
---
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| Image
and Sound: |
There’s
no mystery here—Fox has done a solid job in transferring this
detective genre classic to DVD. The colors are bright, vivid
and there’s little in the way of digital artifacts. There are
a significant amount of analog flaws evident here although on
the whole, the image is exceptionally crisp and sharp. The blacks
are solid throughout. The mono soundtrack comes across with
nice clarity. --- |
| The
Extras: |
The only
extras included are a number of theatrical trailers for a
variety of Fox films. There’s a couple here that are howlers
while some of the releases are certifiable classics. ---
|
| Commentary:
|
No commentary
track which is a pity. Mann’s still around and I’m sure he could
provide considerable insight into the film as well as juicy
bits of trivia. --- |
| Final
Words: |
A solid
transfer marred only by some analog imperfections, “The Detective”
looks pretty decent in its first widescreen presentation for
home video. Featuring a great cast and a good screenplay by
Abby Mann, “The Detective” has a marvelous cast. The only drawback
is the lack of extras. |
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