The Film
If you've seen either the film Capote or Infamous, both of which tell the tale of how author Truman Capote researched the true story of how two aimless drifters Perry Smith (Robert Blake) and Dick Hickock (Scott Wilson) committed a horrific murder of a Kansas family, you pretty much know where this one is headed. In Cold Blood, which is based on Capote's book, is long and slow paced, but watchable nonetheless, as you almost - but not quite - get into the heads of the two killers and the subsequent efforts to track them down and arrest them.
It is also eerie at times when considering Robert Blake's later murder trial, and given the other aforementioned movies, it makes this one hard to stand on its own, as you almost keep waiting for the colorful author to make an appearance. That said, this is an excellent companion piece to see how the book turned out!
The Picture
Shot in black and white and presented in 2.35:1 widescreen, the 1080p presentation makes this 1967 film look as good as it can, and this brings out the black levels quite well. There are still more shades of gray than true black and white, and while likely not the intent of the filmmakers at the time, the Blu-ray shows the grays of real life. The images have a slightly soft and hazy quality due to the age, but in the close-ups of the killers the picture is as sharp as knives, again probably not the intent of the filmmakers but it makes for a bold statement.
The Sound
The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 channel audio is another bold statement, but the dialog can be a bit muddled in some scenes and the sound effects overpower everything else. The sound is also a bit flat, with little use of discrete audio separation. This is to be expected as this film is 43 years old, but the Blu-ray's levels for the musical cues, which were composed by Quincy Jones, and the sound effects are just too hot as a result. These pack almost too much of punch compared to the dialog. This is clearly a case of sound quantity over quality, and that's disappointing for a Blu-ray disc.
The Extras
The lack of any bonus features is a true crime. Perhaps the studio figured that with two movies based on the writing of the book that there wasn't anything left to say, but it is a shame nothing of significance is included.
Final Thoughts
This is a strong film, with solid acting, telling a story that is almost unbelievable. While tame by today's standards this was a serious film in 1967 and it manages to remain fairly powerful today. It is just a shame that it didn't get better treatment on Blu-ray.
Product Details
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