ADDITION: Kino 4K UHD (March 2023): Kino's have released John Schlesinger's "Marathon Man" to 4K UHD. It is cited as a "Brand New HDR/Dolby Vision Master – From a 4K Scan of the Original Camera Negative". The 2160P exemplifies the film's textures. Interior scenes are a shade darker while better lit scenes tend to be brighter. It has three times the bitrate of the 2013 Paramount Blu-ray (reviewed HERE.) It is bringing out all the heavy grain, there is some inherent softness but compared to previous editions flesh tones normalize and cool (orangey on the BD.) There is a kinetic, hand-held (steadicam), camera in many sequences. It is 1.85:1 where the original Blu-ray and DVD were 1.78:1. I thought it looked very pleasing on my system and I doubt the film can ever look glossy and dynamic. This is gritty with the thick textures highlighted and the color balance being the notable improvements. The HDR is modestly applied which suits the film's Schlesinger-style realism (neither glamorous or sexy looking.) A second disc Blu-ray with the feature and video extras is included.  

It is likely that the monitor you are seeing this review is not an HDR-compatible display (High Dynamic Range) or Dolby Vision, where each pixel can be assigned with a wider and notably granular range of color and light. Our capture software if simulating the HDR (in a uniform manner) for standard monitors. This should make it easier for us to review more 4K UHD titles in the future and give you a decent idea of its attributes on your system. So our captures may not support the exact same colors (coolness of skin tones, brighter or darker hues etc.) as the 4K system at your home. But the framing, detail, grain texture support etc. are, generally, not effected by this simulation representation.

NOTE: 60 more more full resolution (3840 X 2160) 4K UHD captures, in lossless PNG format, for Patrons are available HERE

We have reviewed the following 4K UHD packages to date: Dazed and Confused (software uniformly simulated HDR), Three Colors: Blue (software uniformly simulated HDR), Invaders From Mars (software uniformly simulated HDR), Death Wish (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (no HDR), High Plains Drifter (software uniformly simulated HDR), Mystery Men (software uniformly simulated HDR), Silent Running (software uniformly simulated HDR), Dressed to Kill (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Power of the Dog  (software uniformly simulated HDR), Escape From Alcatraz (software uniformly simulated HDR), I, the Jury (no HDR), Casablanca (software uniformly simulated HDR), In the Mood For Love (NO HDR applied to disc), The Werewolf vs. the Vampire Woman  (software uniformly simulated HDR), Blow Out (software uniformly simulated HDR), Night of the Living Dead (NO HDR applied to disc), Lost Highway (software uniformly simulated HDR), Videodrome (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Last Picture Show (software uniformly simulated HDR), It Happened One Night (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Mummy (1932)(software uniformly simulated HDR), Creature From the Black Lagoon (software uniformly simulated HDR), Bride of Frankenstein (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Amityville Horror  (software uniformly simulated HDR), The War of the Worlds (1953) (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Incredible Melting Man  (software uniformly simulated HDR), Event Horizon (software uniformly simulated HDR), Get Carter (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Killing (software uniformly simulated HDR), Killer's Kiss (software uniformly simulated HDR) 

On their 4K UHD, Kino offer the options of 2.0 channel and 5.1 surround bump tracks (24-bit) in the original English language. The surround has a few keen separations. There are some aggressive conflicts (Scheider's Henry 'Doc' Levy fighting with Chen etc.), explosions - car crash etc. that are fairly passively realized ('mentally' rather than gore) via the audio in Marathon Man but a suspenseful, effective, score by Michael Small (Puzzle of a Downfall Child, Klute, The Drowning Pool, Black Widow, Child's Play, Night Moves, The Driver, The Star Chamber) with the director-requested theme of "pain, and the endurance of pain". Both discs offers optional English (SDH) subtitles - and like all 4K UHD, is region FREE, playable worldwide while the Blu-ray is Region 'A'-locked.

The Blu-ray has the feature in 1080P, the new commentary and a few featurettes; the 20-minute Magic of Hollywood: Original Making of Marathon Man, 1/2 hour Going the Distance: Remembering Marathon Man, 20-minutes of rehearsal footage (mostly Marthe Keller and Hoffman) and theatrical trailer are all on the original DVD and Blu-ray. Kino include 10 TV Spots ands 2 Radio Spots.

John Schlesinger's "Marathon Man" is one of the best thrillers of the 70s. The opening with Ethiopian Abebe Bikila shown in a flashback running (and winning) the 1960 Olympic Marathon shoeless prefaces the scenes of Thomas "Babe" Levy (Dustin Hoffman) fleeing the Nazi war criminal Dr. Christian Szell (Laurence Olivier) representing Josef Mengele. There are so many memorable scenes; The dinner where Doc uncovers Elsa's lies, terrified Babe in the bathroom being kidnapped, Holocaust survivors recognizing "der weiße Engel!" on the street, the water-treatment facility finale and large quantity of diamonds and of course the torture scene with the repeated quote "Is it safe?" Kino's 4K UHD release is a must own for fans of the film since it is a notable video improvement over the old Blu-ray and DVD. Plus it has the new exemplary commentary. Strongly recommended!

Gary Tooze