"FILM NOIR CLASSIC COLLECTION: VOL. 5"
DVD Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: *** (out of 5 stars)
BLURAY EXPERIENCE: * (out of 5 stars) Not Rated Studio: Warner Bros. Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Warner Bros. collection eight film noir flicks from the 40s and 50s in their fifth volume of “The Film Noir Collection.” Covering such dark topics as murder, gangsters, robbery and stolen identities, titles include “Cornered” (1945), “Desperate” (1947), “The Phenix City Story” (1955), “Dial 1119” (1950), “Armored Car Robbery” (1950), “Crime in the Streets” (1956), “Deadline at Dawn” (1946) and “Backfire” (1950).
WHAT I LIKED
Ever since I took a Pop Culture class in college and was introduced to the concept of film noir (though I was aware of many of the films already), I have had a fondness for the genre. So many people label the films of yesteryear as wholesome and happy. And while I love filmmakers like Frank Capra and his feel good films, it’s great to watch some movies with a darker side.
Being in the fifth volume of this collection, we’re not dealing with the biggest titles in the history of film noir. Also, considering that the collection is limited to releases from Warner Bros. and RKO, it’s not a comprehensive collection. But having a selection of lesser-known titles works to this box set’s advantage. Sure, it’s great to have films like “When a Stranger Calls” or any number of Hitchcock films, but few DVD collection have many of these eight titles here.
Like any collection, some films are better than others, and they do seem to spotlight lesser (or rather, forgotten) actors like Steve Brodie, though some installments in the series (including “Crime in the Street,” which has a real 50s beatnik feel soundtrack, feature early performances by James Whitmore and John Cassavetes).
Of the eight films, the ones I found most interesting were “Desperate” (featuring a young married couple on the run after a botch heist), “Dial 1119” (featuring an asylum escapee holding a group of people hostage at a diner), “Armored Car Robbery” (featuring... well, featuring an armored car robbery), “Deadline at Dawn” (about sailor trying to prove he didn’t kill a gangster’s sister) and “Backfire” with Virginia Mayo (featuring a man trying to prove a friend is innocent of murder).
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Because these are lesser films that the ones you’ll see populating the top lists of most film noir collections, they’re not great movies, but they’re fun to watch on a lazy weekend. The somewhat experimental (The Phenix City Story” was like the “Blair Witch Project” of its day, mixing documentary film techniques and real-life characters with the narrative. It’s a bold effort, but it lands flat in today’s landscape.
“Crime in the Streets,” which gets points for being John Cassavetes’ starring debut, seems less film noir and more juvenile delinquent cautionary tale you’d see on “Mystery-Science Theater 3000.”
Still, even with some cheese stirred in with the dark atmosphere, “The Film Noir Classic Collection” is a nice selection of older, more somber films.
DVD FEATURES
Two of the films in the four-disc collection include their original release trailers.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Anyone who will immediate stop on a black-and-white movie when flipping through the cable dial.
