Perry Smith and Dick Hickock, two old prison buddies, are wanted for a crime they committed. Their crime was the slaying of the Clutter family. Dick and Perry committed the crime on the basis that Herb Clutter kept a safe with money. When their search for this safe turned empty, they killed the entire family so no witnesses remain, leaving with $43 Dollars and a radio. The film follows the murderers on their runaway trip down to Mexico as fugitives. Based on the nonfiction novel by Truman Capote, published in 1966.
The film is based on a novel by Truman Capote that was published in 1966. At that point the novel employed different angles to tell the story which Richard Brooks’ 1967 adaptation also used. The film was brilliantly executed and just like the book, the film employs different ways of approaching the story. The film feels as if each scene is being read straight from the book itself. Brook’s style of filmmaking makes the film more chilling than one could have expected. The separation between before and after the crime is presented in a way that I had never seen before. Each end of a scene is usually ended by a small cue, ironic statement, or just something so out of the ordinary. Key pieces of the movie occur while off camera, perhaps to retain the sense of mystery around the killers, but whatever the case is, it works.
It’s always interesting to explore the minds of serial killers, in this film, we se see the chilling mentality of the fugitives all the way up to their arrest. The attitude after the murders is as chilling and unnerving as ever and you can’t help but to feel sympathy at some point in the film. For all this, the cast required to be nothing less that stellar. Robert Blake and Scott Wilson were simply fantastic bringing in a certain dynamic to round up the production. There are various things in the killer’s relationship that you may want to consider a psychological approach to understand their motives and dynamic between them. Try to see how if the crime could have been done by one of them rather than by both of them and how one is influenced by the other and vice versa.
In Cold Blood has an incredible pacing that is marked by an excellent score. The music by Quincy Jones sets the bone chilling mood and tone of the film. Part of the success in the film is the way the music is used throughout, not only that is the perfectly timed pauses that make the movie chilling. On a quick note, In Cold Blood is a separate release from the previously released version that came bundled with Capote.
In Cold Blood arrives on Blu-ray with a 1080p MPEG4-AVC encode framed at 2.35:1. The film is black and white, but regardless of this fact the film looks fantastic for its age. The image is clean, crisp and vivid throughout the film. The black levels are deep and inky. The grey colors are well reproduced and very robust. Darker scenes also look fantastic with the same amount of details as the day scenes. The transfer is very consistent throughout the entire film. In Cold Blood looks excellent on Blu-ray.
In Cold Blood arrives on Blu-ray with a 5.1 Dolby TrueHD Master Audio lossless track. Considering the film’s age do not expect to be blown away or your home theater system to be put to work. The track does a magnificent job with the material at hand. The dialogue is clean and prioritized, but those audiophiles will notice that the music can sometimes over power the narrative. The rears are practically non-existent although there are few scenes that have some effects. A few scenes excel, particularly those with cars rolling through are very loud. All in all, In Cold Blood sounds better than ever.
There are no supplements found on this disc.
In Cold Blood tells the fascinating, yet, chilling story of two murderers on the run. The psychology behind their motives and their relationship are masterfully told through the silver screen. The Blu-ray looks and sounds fantastic, but my only real complaint is the lack of any extras. However, this isn’t a film to miss, it would be a shame to let it pass. I highly recommend it.
