Review of Thomas Crown Affair, The

Introduction

This film is the modern remake of the 60`s classic of the same name, featuring Faye Dunaway and Steve McQueen. Re-jigged for the 90`s and starring current Bond Brosnan, across from mature bombshell Rene Russo, the new film is a slick `caper` movie, which also employs strong romantic currents and beautiful set pieces.

Video

The video quality of this disc is top-drawer. Colours are well saturated, and the definition is excellent - the level of detail shows DVD off to full potential. When Crown is skimming the waves in a huge catamaran, the spray is fine and realistic, the sky slightly overcast and ominous. When the scene switches to the Caribbean hideaway, the colours of the foliage and the bright sunshine is spectacular. A number of scenes in the film also take place at night, and the disc still manages to render dark details, smoke and shadows perfectly.

I didn`t spot any artefacts whatsoever, and the quality of the original print also appears to have been pristine as the disc shows no dust or specks.

Sadly, the whole experience must be marked down for the layer change, which was extremely obtrusive. I can`t understand why it was necessary either - taking place in the middle of a bright scene, when a transition from a dark scene had been mere seconds before. Clearly, your mileage may vary depending on the player you`re using, but on our test Pioneer 515 it was enough to shock both myself and my wife when it happened.

Audio

The audio track of the film doesn`t have as much to stretch itself as your average blockbuster, but it is very nicely carried off nonetheless. Again, some of the action set pieces were superb - the heist, and the sailing for examples were extremely competently handled, and the occasional surround feature was employed convincingly without being too overt.

Another scene which really demonstrated a sublime grip of the audio was the gliding sequence - the swooshing air and conversation always being controlled, but really dragging the viewer into the film further. When it comes down to it, that is how good this audio is - it submerses you totally into the film, but you don`t necessarily realise it. The soundtrack is excellent too. Worthy of being especially singled out is the Sting cover of the original track `Windmills of Your’ and also the background track to the final action scene which features a compelling use of hand clapping (you have to listen to it to understand !

Features

The Thomas Crown Affair enjoys near comparable extras to it`s US cousin. Missing out on a trailer of the original film, which is a shame. The theatrical trailer, however, came as a surprise due to it`s appalling quality. It appears as if the footage has been mastered from a VHS master !

Unusual, bearing in mind the excellent quality of the main presentation. A 30 minute featurette gives a pleasant insight into the plans and motivations (besides money !) behind the remake. It also features a surprising amount of footage which did not make the final cut of the film - Director`s Cut anyone ?! Also included in the package is a full bevy of subtitles, a promotional video for the Sting track, and a rather excellent Director`s commentary. All in all a good, if not outstanding, offering.

Conclusion

This is a fun film. Thomas Crown is played by Brosnan with a perpetual smile in the corner of his mouth. The two leads looked as if they were having fun shooting this film, and that translates into a chemistry on-screen which makes for compelling viewing. Millionaire Crown is, indeed, exactly how I imagine a retired James Bond would be - bored of the quiet life with success and riches, he seeks to add to his quality of life by seeking challenges and adrenaline.

Obviously, with Brosnan playing the character, the whole jigsaw falls into place ! Interestingly, Brosnan had to play a scene in a tux with his tie undone, because his current contract as Bond prevents him featuring in any other films in a full tuxedo.

This disc also has a lot going for it. The video quality is excellent and flourishes in it`s PAL resolution. This is backed up with a superb audio track, and a pleasing selection of additional material. This is certainly a disc which would add value to any collection, and it has that added illusive quality of appealing equally to both sexes. It`s a shame that the layer change appears to have been overlooked, which is the fly in the ointment. Still, highly recommended.