HANKY PANKY (Blu-ray Review)
The film’s only, truly great laugh arrives near the end. A helicopter pilot dies midflight and the two passengers, played by Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner, are left to improvise a landing. Wilder collapses into a state of shrill panic while a nervous Radner has to talk him through survival. It’s rooted in character and allows the performers to play off one another instead of playing to the plot. The sequence works so well that it calls attention to how little of this we have been given in the previous 70 minutes.
Film ★★☆☆☆
Hanky Panky’s familiar plot is a classic wrong man paranoia. Wilder plays Michael Jordon, a Chicago architect in New York who shares a cab with a frightened woman and obligingly mails a package he knows nothing about. She is soon dead, he is soon accused, and the movie is off and running with government operatives, professional heavies, and a mysterious computer tape. The narrative keeps shifting locations and raising stakes but fails to sharpen the focus. It’s busy, yes, but never becomes as engaging as it should be, especially with the marvelous cast and Sidney Poitier in the director’s chair.
Wilder is good in the role. He has a customary sincerity that goes a long way. His high pitched anxiety made me smile but only made me laugh out loud that one helicopter moment. Radner enters late and seems to be there only to offer explanations, reactions, and plot convenience. So, this promising partnership becomes an imbalance. One actor offers chaos and the other actor seems to be waiting for permission to matter.
That is why the helicopter scene feels like a small revelation. For once, Radner is allowed to lead and Wilder is allowed to be ridiculous in service of the scene rather than against it. The movie briefly discovers a rhythm in which the characters are able to grow together while making us laugh. By having the moment so late in the film, the film does itself no favors.
Video ★★★☆☆
Encoding: MPEG-4 AVC
Resolution: 1080p
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Clarity/Detail: The New York cityscape looks great on this blu-ray. Details on clothes and faces are clean and clear. Some sequences do fluctuate in clarity that’ll remind you of the film’s age and source elements. A natural layer of film grain is present throughout which is generally well-managed and organic, though sharpness can vary from scene to scene. Minor print anomalies, such as occasional streaking, do appear but never rise to a distracting level. Overall, the image retains an authentically filmic character, for better and worse.
Depth: Depth reproduction is strong, especially in scenes in the Grand Canyon.
Black Levels: Black levels are confidently rendered. I only saw some areas with crushing, but it was very minimal.
Color Reproduction: Color reproduction is good in terms of balance and intent. However, there are brief moments where color consistency wavers, with subtle fluctuations. But overall, you’ll be pleased.
Flesh Tones: The actors all look great with this presentation. Between the close-ups and wider shots, there’s always a good sense of texture to observe with these characters.
Noise/Artifacts: Clean
Audio ★★★☆☆
Audio Format(s): DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Subtitles: English SDH
Dynamics: The audio is not a modern surround track, but still sounds very good, providing clear dialogue throughout, and capturing the sounds of the city and the more action-packed sequences.
Height: N/A
Low Frequency Extension: N/A
Surround Sound Presentation: Not a lot of action occurs in the rear speakers. Even in action heavy chase moments, it’s very front loaded.
Dialogue Reproduction: It’s got its vocals clear and front and center.
Extras ☆☆☆☆☆
No extras are to be found on the disc.
Summary ★★☆☆☆
Hanky Panky could have achieved so much more if it had trusted its actors earlier and more often.
