Plunder Road (1957)

[Commando and Frankie laughing after pulling off the heist]
Eddie: Before we start congratulating ourselves let’s remember we’ve still got nine hundred miles to go.  Nine hundred miles to every cop between here and the coast, and you laugh it up like a couple of clowns.

The first time I watched this movie was simply from youtube to see what it was like.  I had heard the name from time to time but it seems to have few reviews so I thought it would be worth a youtube view for curiosity sake.  Well, the moment the film was over I was online ordering the Bluray from Amazon.  This is a great low budget heist/noir that is original in some of its ideas and is filmed wonderfully.  The film is Directed by Hubert Cornfield, a Twentieth Century Fox Executive, who didn’t make all that many films in his career.

It’s raining hard and the film is dark and thick with contrast almost revealing the dark intentions of the five men driving to the scene of the crime.  For the first 14 minutes we see no one speaking but you hear their thoughts as they wonder about the upcoming heist, the weather, the equipment and if there is enough chewing gum to last the night.  Eddie Harris (Gene Raymond) is the mastermind behind the heist with fellow crooks Commando Munson (Wayne Morris), Skeets Jonas (Elisha Cook Jr.), Roly Adams (Stafford Repp) and Frankie Chardo (Steven Ritch) following a strict plan to rob a U.S. Mint train on its way to San Francisco.  The payload is a cool $10,000,000 of gold.  After taking the loot they drive to their hideout to execute the second of three stages to their brilliantly planned getaway.  But as with all plans, it only takes a little mistake to stuff it up.

Unlike the vast majority of heist movies (including noir) we do not see the planning of the robbery but we are thrown right into it as they worryingly think about it in the first section of the film, then the robbery occours and the remaining part of the film is the getaway.  It’s a refreshing change from the norm and is executed very well.  Where movies like Rififi have a large focus on pulling off the heist, Plunder Road focuses more on the getaway and how it is done.  

The second stage of the getaway is to get to Los Angeles where they will further conceal their deeds and hopefully make it across the border to freedom as millionaires.  

The Bluray in review is from Olive Films in America and it is locked Region A which means that almost anyone outside America will be unable to view it.  You can do a few searches in Australia for a “Region A” or “Region Free” Bluray player and you will probably find that you can get one of the cheaper brands from stores you would not suspect.  But there is a Region 1 DVD (many DVD players in Australia are region free – do a quick google search to see if yours is one of them) also available which should have good image quality assuming it is based off the same source material used for the Bluray.  So for those in Australia and Europe stick to the DVD unless you have a “Region A” Bluray player.

Unusually for a Film Noir, it was filmed in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio and comes to us quite clean and sharp.  The dark, inky blacks are displayed well in the opening sequence of the film for the Bluray and the day sequences for the other parts of the getaway are clean and well preserved.  The audio is DTS HD Master Audio Mono and sounds good for what it is with clear dialogue suitable for a film of this type and vintage.  There are no extras at all.

Overall, I would class this as a must see for Noir fans and even recommended for those not interested in noir specifically.  It’s a great underrated heist film that is bound to please any Noir fan.  Go for it!

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Fury (1936)

Joe Wilson: I'll give them a chance that they didn't give me. They will get a legal trial in a legal courtroom. They will have a legal judge and a legal defense. They will get a legal sentence and a legal death.

[You may be wondering why this 1936 film is being posted in Noirvember cause its not in the classic Noir period, nor is it neo-noir (post 1960). Whilst this is full on noir, many class films pre 1940 as proto-noir and others simply as noir. So those of you hanging out for newer movies only need to wait a few more days.]

We see it often these days where groups of people get emotionally stirred up and go on a warpath to seek their own justice regardless of what the law says and also what the actual truth is.  Fritz Lang, who no doubt saw unruly mobs before he fled Nazi Germany, directs the film with precision and that is followed up by the great actors who flesh out the story before us.  Interestingly, this was Fritz Lang’s first movie in America so he started out with a strong, challenging view of how bad human nature can become when let loose.

The story begins with Joe Wilson (Spencer Tracy) and Katherine Grant (Sylvia Sidney) discussing a future life together but in the short term they need to make a few more dollars to get a start.  Katherine moves to a different part of the country to start a higher paying job with the idea that Joe would continue his work and then move across some months later.  When Joe finally goes to meet Katherine he gets arrested on the way due to mistaken identity.  

As Joe is brought to town, rumours begin spreading that the criminal who has caused much pain in the lives of the people has finally been caught.  Like Chinese Whispers these rumours get more complex and extravagant to a point where the town gets stirred up in a frenzy and threatens to lay their hands on this supposed criminal and kill him whether that be by a good ol fashioned lynching or any other means.  When things get out of control, the mob takes extreme measures to ensure this crook is killed once for all.  Among the people however there is a lawyer who wants to charge those responsible for the killing.  Will the town co-operate or will they seek to hide their mischievous deeds?

Ignoring the 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating, I purchased the DVD knowing that Fritz Lang (one of my favourite directors) was in charge of bringing the film to life so I did have some expectation there and I have to say, I was not let down.  At 89 minutes it is a brisk telling of the story but it is very well laid out and acted very well and believably.  Fans of The Wizard of Oz (1939) might also be interested to know that the little dog Toto also has a prominent role ;)
The ending as shown was not what Lang wanted (very similar to the brilliant The Woman in the Window from 1945) but he was persuaded by the studio (not the first time!) to add something a little soppy.

The DVD in review is the Australian release and comes up pretty good for such an old film and no doubt one that has not seen a full restoration.  It’s in the 1.33:1 aspect ratio and generally has good image quality throughout and also has the standard mono soundtrack.  The following extras are also included:

• Theatrical Trailer
• Audio Commentary by Peter Bogdanovich (director of Paper Moon and What’s Up Doc?) with interview excerpts from Fritz Lang

Overall this was a really good movie that kept me in and one that reveals what can only be described as the ugly side of human nature which we have all seen on TV news where the crowd goes nuts over something.  Well worth viewing particularly for older movie fans.  Go for it!

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The Usual Suspects (1995)

Verbal:  The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he did not exist. And like that... he is gone.

As a Christian, there is more truth in that quote above than what you may realise but that is another story.   The first time I saw this movie I was gobsmacked by the story and how well it was acted and brought together.  Years later and probably some 10 or more viewings after I am still amazed at how good this film is and what a stunning job Bryan Singer did as director to bring this neo-noir to the screen.

The story begins with a sole surviving man on a boat who has been shot and in his last breaths decides to light a cigarette (well this is neo-noir so the whole smoking thing is there...all the time).  We do not know why he was shot or the circumstances involved but after he lights his cigarette he throws the matches down to a trail of fuel and the camera follows the line of fuel being ignited then suddenly a stream of liquid extinguishes the flame.  A mysterious character then proceeds down to the sole survivor and asks him if he is ready to die and then proceeds to shoot the man and then sets fire to the boat.  As the mysterious character rushes to get off the boat before it explodes the camera moves to a crippled witness, Verbal Kint (Kevin Spacey) hiding on the wharf.  The story then begins as the witness tells what happened and how it all came together, starting with a police line up that included McManus (Stephen Baldwin), Keaton (Bagrien Byrne), Fenster (Benicio Del Toro), Hockney (Kevin Pollack) and Verbal.  As the police investigate the murders and fire damaged ship the name of a mysterious criminal mastermind is brought to light.  Keyszer Soze.   Who is Keyzer Soze?  How is he involved?

There is a lot of interesting information about this film.  One thing that sticks in my mind after listening to the commentary on the DVD quite a few years ago was in regard to Kevin Spacey and the character he portrays, Verbal Kint.  In the film Verbal suffers from cerebral palsy and has a lame foot and cannot move his left hand, so to assist Spacey in his acting they glued the fingers on his left hand together so it would be even more realistic in appearance.  
The movie also has a fantastic twist at the end that stands up with the best of them being such as The Sixth Sense (1999), Primal Fear (1996), The Game (1997), Witness for the Prosecution (1957), Psycho (1960) and Les diaboliques (1955 French film) along with many others, so I have no intention of saying too much to ruin it all for you but needless to say your likely watch this more than once to try to see the hints, if any, the movie may give.

The acting is brilliant by all as is the direction and who could not mention the amazing music score that seems to perfectly suit the movie and scenes.  Simply, a stunning film that, for me, can be watched many times without getting that “overwatched” feel.  The only thing I am not keen on is the amount of swearing as there is a reasonable amount of it which whilst it’s not out of place for the characters being portrayed, it is in my opinion not really needed and can get a bit much at times.  

The Bluray reviewed here is the Australian version which is a barebones release with the movie and no extras.  Interestingly, the Australian DVD contains the audio commentary which is a real interesting listen.  The image is near pristine and is in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio and sound comes to us in the DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 format and sounds wonderful.  No extras.

Overall this is a brilliant neo noir film that comes very highly recommended.  The twist is one that will sit in your mind for a long time.  Fantastic stuff.

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Man from Hong Kong (1975) Bluray update

In my previous review here, I mentioned that finding this movie on DVD was hard and in fact the only legal copy now available was from Germany under the name “Der Mann von Hong Kong”.  Well that has now been changed with Umbrella Entertainment (based in Melbourne) now releasing a new higher resolution scan of the film on DVD and Bluray.  Whilst I cannot comment on the quality of the new DVD, the Bluray is a feature packed disc that provides more bang for your buck.  If you’re a fan of this film and you do not own a Bluray player, then I can only suggest that you break open the piggy bank and pick one up as the Bluray is the best way to go for this film.  Compared with the new DVD release, the Bluray contains a lot of extras that the DVD does not have, and no, Im not talking about just a commentary but try a handful of additional films by the Director Brian Trenchard-Smith all in SD thrown in for good measure.  

The Bluray contains the following extras:

• Audio Commentary
• The making of The Man from Hong Kong
• Newsreel Footage
• Uncut Not Quite Hollywood interviews
• Interview with Brian Trenchard-Smith
• Trailers of the film
• Deathcheaters in SD plus additional commentary
• Stunt Rock in SD plus additional commentary and Promo Reel and Trailers
• Kung Fu Killers in SD
• Dangerfreaks in SD plus trailer
• The Stuntmen in SD

The last five are feature length films all in SD.  As a comparison the new DVD only contains a trailer.

So now to the important part. How does it look and sound?  Compared to the German DVD (which from my understanding is the same transfer as the original Madman DVD release), the Bluray is superior in all aspects.  Colours are bold as is the contrast both of which bring the image to a new level not seen since its release in 1975 but it’s not, for obvious reasons, up to spec with other modern Bluray releases.  Whilst there is no information about the new remaster, my guess is that the new 4K scanning was probably done on the same master film as the old Madman/German DVD as opposed to a newly restored version and in some ways looks similar to the recent Bluray release of Road Games (reviewed here).  But still, it looks better than any release prior to today and probably the best it will get without some serious $$ being spent on it.

The audio is also much better compared to the German DVD and has less of a “dubbed” feel to it and also brings out greater detail, for instance the bus we see in front of Uluru/Ayres Rock has more of a distinct bus sound to it which is not present on the German DVD though some sections are not as good and can have that “dubbed” sound to it, but generally speaking it’s a good improvement.

Overall, if you like the movie this is a must buy.  It is a great upgrade from the DVD and you get a whole host of extras.  I have watched the first additional movie called Deathcheaters which is basically about two movie stuntmen who get asked to steal some goods from another company overseas in real life.  The opening segment of the film is really, really good if you like some car action but it gets a bit flat after that yet it’s still far from a terrible movie.  The others I have not watched at this stage.

Bottom-line, go buy it before this one sells out cause from what I have heard there was a huge demand for the Bluray when it was first released at the end of October 2016.

A few older Noir reviews you may have missed

In case you missed my noir reviews prior to November, I thought I would re-post the links here. There were so many made and more are getting released month by month on DVD and/or Bluray but a great deal, no doubt, have been lost forever with the only remaining known copies in the public domain.  But groups like the Film Noir Foundation are trying to hunt them down and in some cases even take the steps to get them restored.  If you look on their website there is a list of some films that they have had a hand in restoring.
Anyway, back on track, here are the links for the few noirs I reviewed prior to Noirvember this year.

Night of the Hunter 
Rififi (French Noir)
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (more comedy)
Vertigo (Hitchcock)
Kiss Me Deadly
D.O.A.
Gun Crazy

Enjoy!

Border Incident (1949)

Jack Bearnes: How do I know you won't double-cross me?
Owen Parkson: You don't. It's dealer's choice and I'm the dealer.

Unlike many Film Noir’s, this one is set on the US and Mexican border and is probably quite relevant today especially with the recent 2016 election in the United States.  It takes many of the elements of noir and pulls it out of the dark city streets and plonks it down in a more rural setting where there are open fields, hills, fences and of course the All-American Canal.  This is a solid noir that, due to its setting, reminds me of Orson Welles’ fantastic noir Touch of Evil as most of the movie resides on the border towns.  

Mexican labourers are smuggled into America with the dream that their hard work will bring forth great financial benefits, however as they are brought back across the Mexican border there always seems to be someone waiting to rob them of the earnings.  In an attempt to put a stop to the illegal labour smuggling, Mexican federal agent Pablo Rodriguez (Ricardo Montalban) goes undercover and poses as a labourer desperate to get to the U.S. while American counterpart Jack Bearnes (George Murphy) also does his investigation from the American side.  As they delve deeper into their investigation they cross paths with Owen Parkson (Howard Da Silva), the leader of the smuggling operation, and begin to realise that their very lives are in grave danger.  

Anthony Mann, who directed the film, is also responsible for classic noir films such as T-Men, Raw Deal and Railroaded! and he also succeeds in this brutal noir even though it was shot on a low budget for movies of that time.  As the setting is a mix of urban and rural, the usual near claustrophobic feel of noir gives way to more open spaces however a good deal of the film occours at night and there is a reasonable amount of suspense that keeps you watching up to the final bone cracking finale which is rarely seen in films of the day.  Overall it’s an enjoyable film to watch with a different slant to the usual noir.  Its intelligent, has some real suspense but it kept things real as opposed to manufacturing circumstances that induce thrills so it can be a bit more drama like as opposed to some of the other noirs.  Still, it’s a solid offering well worth watching.

The DVD reviewed is an American Region 1 release that reveals a pretty good picture even in the dark scenes though with the usual spots and marks.  The image is in the 1.33:1 aspect ratio with standard mono sound which is generally quite good for a film of this vintage.  The DVD also has the following extras:

• Commentary by Film Historian Dana Polan
• Theatrical Trailer

Overall it is a brutal film well worth watching though you can find better noir’s out there if you mainly want to concentrate on the top 50.  The bad part is that the DVD is only sold in America so online stores like Amazon or Ebay are the only ways to get a copy for us in Australia (like many noirs unfortunately).  If you’re a noir fan hungry for some rural settings, give this one a crack, you won’t be disappointed.  Recommended for Noir fans.

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