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Amazon.co.uk Review
Numerous critics had already sharpened their knives even before Gus Van Sant's shot-for-shot colour "re-creation" of the 1960 black-and-white Hitchcock classic was released, chiding the Good Will Hunting director for defiling hallowed ground. But this intriguing cinematic curiosity is hardly as sacrilegious as critics would lead you to believe. If anything, Van Sant doesn't take enough liberties with his almost slavish devotion to the material, now updated with modern references. At times, you wish Van Sant would cut loose with a little spontaneity, a little energy, a little something. Unfortunately, when he does venture outside Hitchcock's parameters--with inserted shots of storm clouds during the murder sequences, for example--it's to little effect. Granted, he liberally splashes colour throughout the film (especially in the case of the infamous shower scene), and this is a great-looking movie, but in his obsession with adding a new physical dimension to the film, there's little insight into these characters that Hitchcock hadn't already provided. Vince Vaughn, a robotic and giggly Norman, doesn't crawl under your skin the way boy-next-door Anthony Perkins did, and Anne Heche is admirable if not very sympathetic in the Janet Leigh role. Van Sant does score a minor coup, though, in his casting of the supporting roles: Julianne Moore provides a welcome shot of energy as Heche's irritable and curious sister, William H. Macy is a perfect small-time detective, Viggo Mortensen is studly enough to make you understand why Heche would want to run away with him, and James LeGros walks away with his one brief scene as a used car salesman. Danny Elfman's gorgeous rerecording of Bernard Herrmann's score is a potent supporting character unto itself. Students and fans of the original film will get a kick out of the modern revisions, but don't expect anything of Hitchcockian calibre; watch it for the sum of its intriguing parts, but not the whole. --Mark Englehart, Amazon.com
Special Features
1.85 Wide Screen
DVD 9
German
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital 5.1 English\Dolby Digital Surround German
Dolby Digital 5.1
Dolby Digital Surround
Directors Commentary
Documentary
Screen Savers
Animation Menu
Production Notes
Filmographies
Theatrical Trailer
Czech\Danish\Dutch\English\Finnish\German\Hebrew\Hindi\Hungarian\Icelandic\Norwegian\Polish\Swedish
DVD 9
German
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital 5.1 English\Dolby Digital Surround German
Dolby Digital 5.1
Dolby Digital Surround
Directors Commentary
Documentary
Screen Savers
Animation Menu
Production Notes
Filmographies
Theatrical Trailer
Czech\Danish\Dutch\English\Finnish\German\Hebrew\Hindi\Hungarian\Icelandic\Norwegian\Polish\Swedish
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
Ok here's the thing. This version of Psycho was on tv the other night and since I had never given this version a chance I thought I'd give it a go. When it was finished I was left with the question, was it good or bad? I am usually very quick to judge when I watch movies but I couldn't give an opinion on this one. Hence the 3 stars I have given the film. Not fantastic but not terrible either. To try and make a decision on the film, I visited the website, which I thought would be down by now but found it and read the very large part on the site that dealt with the question, 'Why a remake of Psycho?'. I found it very interesting as it quoted director Gus Van Sant, actors Vince Vaughn and Anne Heche, and even Alfred Hitchcock's daughter who was the technical consultant on the movie. She praised it believing her father would be honoured that Psycho was being remade and would have loved the project. After reading it all, I took into account the words of Gus who said that the original couldn't possibly be made any better but the aim of this remake was a simple update. This time in colour, new actors and better visual effects. Also for modern day audiences who might never have seen the original to watch this modernised version, in the hope they would go back and watch the 1960's classic. Vince Vaughn is no way trying to portray Anthony Perkins as he made the character unique. Gus went on to say reading the book portrayed Norman Bates in a completely different way to how Anthony portrayed him. He wanted Vince and Anne to acknowledge the original characters but still have freedom to play the character in their own way to. This has made me appreciate the way Vince played Norman because before going to the website I, like many others, was trying to compare him to Anthony. So I leave you with this plea, see the film but visit the website as this hopefully will help you understand why such a classic was remade.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I KNOW ITS NOT POSSIBLE TO BEAT THE ORIGINAL AND THIS CONFIRMED IT FOR ME!. NOT A PATCH ON THE CLASSIC VERSION AND I MUST SAY VINCE VAUGHAN DIDNT HELP IT. HE JUST CANNOT PLAY A SERIOUS PART AT ALL FOR ME! (EVEN IN DOMESTIC DISTURBANCE I FOUND HIM TO BE NOT GOOD) AND I THINK HE SHOULD STICK TO COMEDY AS IN THOSE TYPE OF FILMS HE'S CLASS! .... HOWEVER, IN THIS HE IS A TAD ANNOYING. IF YOU'VE BEEN UNDER A ROCK AND HAVE NOT SEEN THE ORIGINAL THEN GET SEEING IT INSTEAD OF THIS ONE. HATE IT WHEN THEY DO A BAD RE-MAKE PEOPLE SEEM TO THINK THAT IF THE RE-MAKES ARE POOR THEN THE ORIGINALS MUST BE WORSE! BUT NOT THE CASE AT ALL, GET SEEING THE ORIGINAL.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
i grew up with the old classic from alfred hitchcock, and i must say compared to that this was a poor attempt of a remake! .. however classic version aside i still cant say that this was gr8. it did not have a scare edge to it at all and the acting from vince vaughn was to be honest a utter dissapointment!... i think this was one of the first films i seen him in and it made me not like his acting much. he cannot play the part of a nutcase at all. his perfpmance seemed a little false.. however overall the film itself is ok. i cant say i totally hated it and i cant say i liked it. hence why i gave it 3 stars. i will recommend you go for the original.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A well-made movie for a new audience
The best way to appreciate this film is to watch it without comparing it to the original 1960 Hitchcock original. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Alan
The knee-jerk though was rubbish...
...But is was oddly bareable. This is a "shot for shot" remake, with pretty much the same script but with the addition of it being up dated to being set in 1999 and being shot in... Read more
Published 19 months ago
Yes. Sometimes just one time can be enough.
For all the "reasons" Gus Van Sant gave for wanting to make a (virtually) shot-for-shot remake of Alfred Hitchcock's seminal movie Psycho, unless his main reason was to show that... Read more
Published 20 months ago by IWFIcon
Better than a colourization.
Perhaps a pointless remake, perhaps not, but certainly better than a colourization. This movie is a 99% word-for-word, shot-for-shot, camera-angle-for-camera-angle, set-for-set... Read more
Published on 29 Jan 2010 by S. Beddoes
Let's be fair...
Alfred Hitchcock did such a good job on the original film that it's hard to think that any other version could exist. Read more
Published on 7 Jan 2009 by F. Arnot
Terrible!
This pitiful remake of the amazing Alfred Hitchcock horror movie, "Psycho" isn't a patch on the original. Read more
Published on 28 May 2008 by ReviewBlog51
a stylish remake for the 90s
why remake a classic ? everyone asks,some slate it,some hate it,but you have to hand it to director gus van sant,hes pulled it off. hes updated the script & even the house! Read more
Published on 1 Dec 2007 by jack firestick
What was the point?
As a film fan i never understood (and still don't) the point of doing this film. A shot-for-shot remake of hitchcock's classic. Read more
Published on 13 Nov 2005
Psycho-the remake
Alfred Hitchcock'ss Psycho was a film of intelligience and back it the 60s, it was a break from films around gothic castles and werewolves. Read more
Published on 27 July 2005
Not bad at all...
I saw this movie last night and was plesantly suprised. It is a scene-by-scene remake of the original, managing to retain the sense of dread, macabre and general sinister feel of... Read more
Published on 21 July 2005 by Shkandrij
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