4-Film Collection: Film Noir Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

4-Film Collection: Film Noir Blu-ray Movie Review

A no-brainer for film noir fans.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III March 29, 2021

Warner Archive has put out a lot of fantastic catalog releases over the years, offering fans the chance to revisit classic titles with terrific new 1080p transfers and, more often than not, DVD-era extras and occasional new supplements to sweeten the pot. They've recently begun to bundle some of their best titles in genre four-packs, offering a space-saving and even more affordable alternative to stand-alone titles. The only downside? They're a little tricky to categorize on your shelf. Perhaps their best collection currently available is Film Noir, which groups together Jacques Tourneur's Out of the Past, Robert Wise's The Set-Up , Edward Dmytryk's Murder, My Sweet, and Joseph H. Lewis' Gun Crazy.

Simply put, this is a bulletproof collection: one of the films (Out of the Past) is an absolutely essential genre classic, two of them (Murder, My Sweet and The Set-Up) are excellent entries in their own right, and even the least impressive title here (Gun Crazy) is still a watchable film and contains a few outstanding extras last seen on an out-of-print DVD boxed set. If you're are all interested in the genre and want an easy way to fill out your Blu-ray collection without breaking the bank, this is a no-brainer -- it's basically "buy two, get two free", even at full price.

For synopses of all four films included in this collection, please refer to our previously published reviews which were written by former Warner Archive scribe Michael Reuben and myself between 2014 and 2019.

Out of the Past

The Set-Up

Murder, My Sweet

Gun Crazy

4-Film Collection: Film Noir Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

For details about all four films' 1080p transfers, please refer to their individual reviews.

Out of the Past

The Set-Up

Murder, My Sweet

Gun Crazy

4-Film Collection: Film Noir Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For our thoughts on each disc's DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track, please refer to their individual reviews.

Out of the Past

The Set-Up

Murder, My Sweet

Gun Crazy

4-Film Collection: Film Noir Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This four-disc package ships in a keepcase slightly thicker than a standard single-disc sized one. The cover artwork is a collage of vintage one-sheet posters, while the spine itself has small text reading "4-Film Collection: Film Noir" with no mention of the individual titles. No inserts are included, and the discs sit in individual hubs on two hinged trays. All four discs include artwork and bonus features identical to their respective original releases, linked below.

Out of the Past

The Set-Up

Murder, My Sweet

Gun Crazy

4-Film Collection: Film Noir Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Warner Archive's 4-Flm Collection: Film Noir is a space-saving but fully loaded collection of four classic genre entries that range from good to absolutely essential. This is a great way to fill out your growing film noir collection without breaking the bank or hogging valuable shelf space, as its slim profile is just as no-nonsense as the films themselves. Terrific A/V quality and solid bonus features round out an already great package, making this one of the best deals currently available from perhaps the top boutique label in the business. Very highly recommended!