Starsky And Hutch (2004) DVD Review

Presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, you could be forgiven in thinking that this film was shot in 1977. Of course that is intentional as the colour palette of oranges and greys are over saturated and at times muted, browns and earthy colours flood the screen and add realism to the period. The print is sharp and detailed and edge enhancements along with digital artefacts are almost non-existent. Whilst not setting the screen on fire, the transfer is above average and looks filmic throughout. Very Good.

Full of 70's classic tunes and the haunting strings of the original theme music, the soundtrack here is dynamic if a little laid back. Surrounds are not used as often as you would think and there are very few aggressive action moments. Everything is well recorded, but seems to intentionally sound like it was mixed in the 70's, I kid you not. Dialogue is loud and centred directly on the centre channel where it is easy to follow and understand, the rest of the sound field appears a little detached and the LFE channel might as well take a break as there was nothing going on in the bottom end. Maybe they tried to take this 70's realism to far? Well the mix works with the visuals and you soon forget about what it is doing and instead get drawn into the movie, as it should be really.

The extras open with a feature commentary by Director Todd Phillips who discusses the many aspects of the movie and imparts interesting details on the production. Next up is a spoof EPK feature where everyone hates each other and the movie, which is a pleasant change from the usual back slapping, but it gets tiresome rather quickly. There are a few deleted scenes along with a rather amusing gag reel, a look at Huggy Bears clothing range and a trailer. Not exhaustive but worth a look.
It could have sunk without a trace, but Stiller and Wilson bring 70's cop action to the big screen with plenty of laughs. The DVD offers good AV presentation along with a handful of extras. It's a Keeper.