Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

To Die For Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 10, 2024

Gus Van Sant's "To Die For" (1995) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary by Gus Van Sant, director of photography Eric Alan Edwards, and editor Curtiss Clayton; deleted scenes; and vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

I have never been a big fan of Gus Van Sant’s film To Die For. When it was released, I went to see it in my neck of the woods and thought that it was a decent film at best. It has its moments, mostly because of some of Nicole Kidman’s antics in its second half, but I did not think that its humor was black enough or satire bold enough. I have argued my take on the film, though I never wanted it to be embraced by those who disagreed with me. In fact, over the years I revisited it multiple times, hoping to discover all of the great in it that I had missed but those who disagreed with me did not. Nearly thirty years later, I am still looking for it, the great that is, which supposedly makes To Die For a good film.

A couple of nights ago, I saw To Die For yet again. I had not forgotten any crucial elements of its story, or how its characters evolve. Certain aspects of it looked a little dated to me now, and I do not mean the hairstyles or the music that made it into its soundtrack, but I expected this to be the case. (Then again, mixing Nailbomb’s “Wasting Away” with Don Henley’s “Dirty Laundry” is a nifty trick from another era). It felt even more sterile this time, in that distinct retro way that instantly makes you realize that a film is a product of an era that is long gone. To be clear, I am not ready to describe To Die For as a time capsule, but as its final credits appeared on my screen, I thought that this was something that now makes it look a little more effective.

There is something else that made an impression on me for the first time, too. I have always been aware of its presence because, well, it is unmissable, but my mind placed it in a new context, which made me evaluate certain bits of To Die For differently. This is not an admission that I have changed my opinion of the film. Rather, it is a realization that To Die For might be aging better than other films from the same decade, though quite possibly because we are witnessing a transformation that in the 1990s no one thought possible. In other words, To Die For might be becoming a more effective film but unintentionally. Before I clarify what I mean, here is a quick summation of its story:

In a provincial American town, Suzanne Stone (Kidman) marries Larry Maretto (Matt Dillon). Initially, they seem like the perfect couple, and everyone around them is convinced that their future will be full of joy and laughter. But it is not long before Suzanne makes it painfully obvious to Larry that she is not willing to spend the rest of her life as a housewife and mother, and auditions for a job with the local TV station. Even though the two guys running the show there need only someone to answer the phone and move paper from one desk to another, Suzanne does her best to impress and gets the job. Then, after showing a borderline intimidating enthusiasm for everything the TV station does, Suzanne becomes a weather reporter who tells her audience how hot or cold the weather will be as if she is the anchor of one of the most popular TV shows in America. But Suzanne’s professional and personal lives quickly become incompatible, so to continue down her preferred path, she seduces high-school student Jimmy Emmett (Joaquin Phoenix) and convinces him to kill Larry.

While it is very easy to tell that Van Sant’s aspirations for it were different, To Die For essentially offers his spin on the popular story about the toxic female that countless other films -- like The Bride Wore Black, Black Widow, Basic Instinct, Single White Female, and Dream Lover -- have told. The somewhat unique element of it is the recognition that if it avoids violence this story is not at all problematic. In fact, it is the story of a lot of equally ambitious and far more successful women than the one Kidman plays. This recognition, which is revealed through the overlapping of black comedy and cynicism, is what unintentionally makes To Die For a far less dated film because since the 1990s the public’s take on it has evolved quite dramatically.

Unfortunately, despite Kidman’s solid performance, To Die For still looks like a film that struggles mightily to choose an identity it is comfortable with. It gets several things right but many more wrong, leaving the impression that somewhere in its development something crucial was lost.

To Die For Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, To Die For arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The release introduces an exclusive new 4K restoration of To Die For which was approved by director Gus Van Sant and director of photography Eric Alan Edwards. It is also made available on 4K Blu-ray. You can see our listing and review of this release here.

I viewed the new 4K makeover in native 4K, but also spent time testing the 1080p presentation and comparing it to Image Entertainment's presentation on the original release from 2011. On my system, To Die For looked fantastic in native 4K and 1080p. Delineation, clarity, and depth are very similar, and I think that only viewers with very large screens will begin noticing obvious discrepancies in these areas. Where I think the 1080p presentation falls a bit behind the native 4K presentation is color reproduction, which is a little more impressive with Dolby Vision/HDR. In 1080p, the visuals simply do not have the same outstanding rich appearance, which of course can be traced back to the expanded color gamut and better dynamic range that 4K Blu-ray has. Still, the 1080p presentation is excellent and as far as I am concerned equally satisfying. How does it compare to the previous presentation from the 2011 release? Again, you are looking at two very good presentations. However, the new 4K makeover produces fresher and more vibrant visuals that ultimately look more attractive. These visuals boast superior delineation, clarity, and depth, too. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographic location).

To Die For Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The following comments are from our review of the 4K Blu-ray release of To Die For.

After I finished viewing To Die For, I pulled out the Image Entertainment release of it from 1995, which has only a Stereo track. There are some notable differences between the 5.1 track and the 2.0 track, though the film does not have any appropriately elaborate footage where the former can easily shine. I would not dismiss the 2.0 track. In fact, I think that it is very good. However, a 5.1 track was always available for To Die For, and the original DVD release of it that Sony Pictures produced in 1998 had it, so it is great to finally have it back on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray. For the record, I did not encounter any anomalies to report in our review.

To Die For Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by Gus Van Sant, director of photography Eric Alan Edwards, and editor Curtiss Clayton in 2023. After introducing themselves, the three gentlemen immediately head down memory lane and begin recalling how To Die For was put together (apparently Mike Nichols was eager to do it as well), the casting choices and Nicole Kidman's early reads of different parts for her character, how risky this character was for the future of Kidman's career, the alteration of the title sequence which was not in the screenplay, the desire to shoot on film rather than on digital and how the film benefitted, etc. This is a relaxed but extremely informative commentary that fans of To Die For will enjoy a lot.

• Trailer - presented here is an original U.S. trailer for To Die For. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Deleted Scenes - presented here are several deleted scenes for To Die For. In English, not subtitled. (36 min).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by film critic Jessica Kiang as well as technical credits.

To Die For Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It is impossible to disagree with Gus Van Sant, director of photography Eric Alan Edwards, and editor Curtiss Clayton that Nicole Kidman was born to play her character in To Die For. I would go a step further and say that Kidman's outstanding transformation is the only reason to see the film, which is a bit disappointing because there are several interesting themes floating around in it that could have been managed a lot better. This Blu-ray release introduces a fantastic exclusive new 4K restoration of To Die For, which is also available on 4K Blu-ray. I think that it looks great in 1080p and native 4K. RECOMMENDED.