Search Movie Review Archives

Before he went on to gain notoriety as the suspected killer of his ex-wife in the new millenium, Robert Blake played another non-fictional killer in Richard Brooks' "In Cold Blood." Adapted from the Truman Capote novel which was written a year earlier in 1966, the film chronicles the shocking 1959 murder of a well-to-do Kansas-state family committed by two of history's most cold-blooded criminals: Perry Smith (Blake) and Dick Hickock (Scott Wilson). At first we watch as Hickock's brashness and outward demeanor outshine Smith, who is decidedly the more meager of the two. But as the progression of events (a trip to Mexico, followed by a hasty return to the states) winds down to their eventual capture, admission of guilt, and delayed executions, we begin to see the inner workings of these two men, and the roles begin to change. ***

Shot with gritty black-and-white film stock in beautiful Panavision, "In Cold Blood" generates a palpable suspense as it quickly grows from murder mystery to character study. Given the historical roots of the story, we already know the series of events, played out in your typical seek-and-find fashion. But once Brooks sinks his meathooks into the audience by prying into Smith's mind and examining Hickock's change of personality in the aftermath of their capture, the material thickens, with much thanks to the performances of Blake and Wilson. In the end, Blake's risky choice to portray both the cold-bloodedness of his characters as well as a more sympathetic side- without providing an easy way out by pandering to either avenue- proves to be the film's most ambitious and rewarding move.

The effective black-and-white cinematography of "In Cold Blood" comes through nicely in this DVD transfer. The image, presented in the aspect ratio of 2.35:1 with anamorphic enhancement, is rather clean for an older movie, with a source print that is near-perfect, and lacking intrusive speckle or surface scratches. Contrast and black levels are better than expected, lacking that flat look that plagues most older movies, and shadow detail, while not perfect, is quite good. Clarity is good with sharp edges that give way occasionally to enhancement halos. All things considered, this is a very fine transfer of a first-rate movie. ***

The sound, which could very well have been dealt us in a mono mix, comes in a rather spiffy 3.1 mix that sounds surprisingly good. The dialogue sounds a little flat for the most part, and there is some harshness in the high end on occasion, but what really makes this track stand out is the mastering of the score, which projects nicely from the front channels for an ambient effect that is decent enough. Some minor deep bass from the .1 LFE can be heard every once and a while, but it's otherwise silent.