Plot: What’s it about?
When a man is killed in a traffic accident, it is soon learned that he was the brother of Christian Szell (Laurence Olivier), an infamous, very sadistic Nazi fugitive. At the same time, an undercover band of government agents begin to die in rapid succession, the same team that includes the brother of Babe (Dustin Hoffman). Babe is a marathon runner and graduate student, whose brother is involved in the plot to bring Szell to justice, no matter what it takes. Soon enough, Babe is pulled into a world of criminal excess, where he faces Szell and his associates, who want to know how much Babe knows. But Babe knows little about the situation and tries to keep one step ahead, but sooner or later, he is bound to make a mistake. It seems Szell plans to escape the U.S. with a fortune in stolen diamonds and after he flees, he can afford to remain above the law, as if his old war crimes were erased from his past. Can Babe somehow escape this horrific situation, or will Szell put him through so much hell, he won’t even want to return to his life, should he survive?
I’ve been waiting for Marathon Man to hit this format since I picked up my first player, so I am thrilled to see it finally released. As one of my personal favorites and easily one of the best thrillers of all time, Marathon Man is nothing less a must see picture, for anyone with even a casual interest in films. This is a dark, sometimes brutal movie and that means violence, torture, and evil characters, but it all fits within the context of the flick, this is no shock value picture, in other words. The characters are well developed and the film on the whole is very well written, with some minor flaws here and there. But even with some plot holes, the tension is non stop and almost unbearable at times, just as it should be with a thriller, I think. A few scenes have become the stuff of legend and are featured often in compilations, but in this one, nothing beats the dental sequence, not even close. One of the most powerful thrillers of all time, Marathon Man has finally arrived on DVD and if you ask me, it hasn’t lost even a slight bit of its impact over the years.
So we know this is a good movie and it struck a lot of chords, so has Paramount given Marathon man the treatment it deserves? I don’t think so, but compared to most of their titles, this one is loaded and then some. Paramount does deliver a nice new transfer and new Dolby Digital 5.1 surround mix, but not much else is done, outside of a few featurettes. As this film is well liked in both critical and audience circles, I am unsure why Paramount hasn’t done more with this disc. I mean, it has a new transfer and sound mix, as well as some decent extras, but I think this flick deserves more. Especially at a rather high price point of thirty bucks, when other studios issue full fledged special editions for even less cost to the consumer. But I think the movie itself is reason enough to check out this disc and while not everyone will purchase, I do think anyone interested should give this release a rental. But I do think Paramount either needs to lower their prices, or put more effort into the overall package, to justify these inflated costs.
This movie sports a superb cast in all respects, but I think the performance of Dustin Hoffman stands out above the rest. As is the perfect approach here, Hoffman is intense, but also subdued and natural, so we can believe his character as a normal man, as opposed to some super hero or oversimplistic stereotype of some kind. Hoffman was given a normal man with some inner fire and that’s what we see, as he is able to nail down the role very well. I also like how Hoffman remains in the right mindset from start to finish, even under the more…adverse conditions. As such, we’re shown a normal person in not so normal conditions, which has a lot more impact than an over the top performance, I think. You can also see Hoffman in such films as Rain Man, Wag the Dog, Kramer vs. Kramer, Tootsie, and Straw Dogs. The cast also includes Roy Scheider (Jaws, The French Connection), Laurence Olivier (Spartacus, Rebecca), and William Devane (Rolling Thunder, Poor White Trash).
Video: How does it look?
Marathon Man is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. This is a splendid visual presentation, although the style choices sometimes lessen the gloss, but since this is the intended result, I have no real complaints. The image has some softness and grain, but such was the approach of the filmmakers, so we have to respect that and I think it works rather well here, enhancing the realism of the events. The colors are intentionally muted and drab, but look just as they should here, while contrast is accurate and reflects the visual intent to perfection. In other words, this looks about as good as Marathon Man can look, but due to some of the style choices, it looks worn and older than it is.
Audio: How does it sound?
The results of the newly created Dolby Digital 5.1 option are less than stunning, but the new audio presence does enhance the experience, at least I think so. You won’t be surrounded by audio power by any means, but some nice small touches can be heard and on the whole, the mix is more natural and immersive than previous releases. The music is clean and not dated, while dialogue is rich and never hard to understand. This disc also includes a restored version of the original mono track, a French language option, and English subtitles.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc has a few nice bonus materials, but I wish it had an audio commentary track, perhaps from director John Schlesinger or Dustin Hoffman. Even without that, you’ll find some cool stuff here, including a reel of rehearsal footage, which I thought was an excellent inclusion. This piece runs about twenty minutes and shows the actors honing their craft, developing their character, and in the end, is a very insightful featurette, without a doubt. Two more featurettes have also been included, a twenty minute original featurette and a new thirty minute retrospective piece, both of which are stocked with cast & crew interviews. I found the newer of the two to be more interesting, but if you’re a fan of the flick, then both are well worth a look. This disc also includes the film’s theatrical trailer.
