Dustin Hoffman's teeth get some close attention in this cruel and striking thriller that's brought vividly back to life with a brilliant DVD release.

TECHNICAL FEATURES

Picture Five star work has been done on a picture transfer that's at times immaculate. The result is a 25-year old film that looks better than many significantly younger movies out on DVD.

Sound Complimenting the excellent image quality is a 5.1 mix that not only expands and adds power to the music score, but also adds surround effects to some already tense scenes, thereby ramping up the excitement even more.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Original 'Making Of' Featurette This is an edition of the snappily titled "The Magic of Hollywood...Is the Magic of People" show. Producer Robert Evans provides the linking work, and is not shy of complimenting the "years of magic", which he's presided over. He could afford to boast of his work at Paramount back then, which saw him steer the studio from one hit to another. Even he didn't anticipate getting all the first choices for the casting of "Marathon Man", and those cast members are on hand for short interviews. There's also a look at some behind-the-scenes work on the movie including some stunt footage.

Remembering "Marathon Man" There's half an hour of retrospective chat with the cast and crew of the film. All have fond memories of Laurence Olivier, not least Dustin Hoffman, who's reduced to tears talking about the man.

Rehearsal Footage Most films have very little rehearsal time, but "Marathon Man" was one of those exceptions, where the cast really got to work themselves into their roles. In this section you can watch some of the footage shot, interspersed with short, explanatory interviews.

Region: 2
Chapters: 50
Ratio: 1.78:1 (anamorphic)
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
Technical Features: Scene selection, animated menus, multiple languages and subtitles, and English captions for the hearing impaired.

This DVD was reviewed on a JVC XV-S57 DVD player.