Brainstorm Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		4.0

Brainstorm Blu-ray Movie Review

The fine line between genius and insanity.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III July 22, 2025

The third in a trio of low-budget suspense thrillers helmed by actor-turned-director-turned-actor William Conrad for Warner Bros. in 1965, Brainstorm also marked Conrad’s last time directing a theatrical film. Like its predecessors Two on a Guillotine and My Blood Runs Cold, Brainstorm squeezes a lot from limited resources but doesn’t quite connect as a true four-star classic, even though it probably comes the closest of the three. If nothing else, this black-and-white neo-noir is worth watching for the performance of Jeffrey Hunter, which was filmed around the same time as his lead role in Star Trek: The Original Series’ first pilot “The Cage” and just four years before his untimely death.

The story seems very basic at first, but Brainstorm soon spirals into a neo-noir web of borderline absurdity yet mostly manages to thread the needle. It all starts when eccentric systems analyst Jim Grayam (Hunter) spots a car parked at a railroad crossing after leaving work. Closer inspection reveals an unconscious female passenger, Lorrie Benson (Anne Francis), who he manages to save by getting her car to safety mere seconds before an express train thunders by. Once Jim learns her identity as that of his wealthy boss’ wife, he does his best to keep cool on the way back. She’s extremely drunk and obviously planned a suicide attempt, and she's now furious at Jim for coming to her rescue and prolonging her turbulent marriage. Nevertheless, his boss Cort Benson (Dana Andrews) seems pleased to have Lorrie back home safely and later mails Jim a $1,000 thank-you check, which he politely sends back.

Days later, now sobered up and impressed with Jim’s selfless behavior, Lorrie invites him to a private party and makes advances which he reluctantly reciprocates; he’s obviously wary of her and the consequences, which quickly come back to haunt him. Cort finds out almost immediately and attempts to sabotage Jim at work, even resorting to mind games after discovering that Jim spent time at a sanatorium in his younger days due to trouble at home. Jim's breaking point is being forced to visit psychoanalyst Dr. Elizabeth Larstadt (Viveca Lindfors), who deems him unstable for work, so he and Lorrie hatch a plan: he’ll kill Cort and feign (?) mental illness to avoid the death penalty, do his time at another sanatorium, convince the staff he’s totally fine, and they’ll (eventually) live happily ever after.

Needless to say, things don’t go as planned, but ironically it’s the second half of Brainstorm that manages to bring its story into more satisfying focus. The opening setup is decent in that shadowy neo-noir style, yet the middle portion has trouble laying or reinforcing some of the groundwork in a logical, accessible manner due to oddly-cut scene transitions meant to reinforce Jim's potentially wavering sanity. Perhaps it’s part of Brainstorm’s possible meta-attempt to make us think we’re going crazy too, but these moments often feel more like rushed, sloppy filmmaking than critical components of what could have been a more airtight narrative. Yet Brainstorm is ultimately worth navigating these speedbumps, as Jeffrey Hunter’s solidly realized performance -- not to mention the film’s final 20 minutes, which in my opinion really stick the landing -- elevate the end product a bit closer to almost-classic status than initially expected.

A little more spit and polish might have led to something truly special but, even as-is, Brainstorm still deserves to be (re)discovered on Blu-ray thanks to the critical support of Warner Archive’s welcome new Blu-ray. A solid leap over their own 2009 DVD, this fully restored edition is sourced from a brand-new 4K scan of the original camera negative, which showcases Sam Leavitt's memorable black-and-white Panavision cinematography like never before.

Brainstorm Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Unlike the aforementioned Two on a Guillotine, this 1080p transfer of Brainstorm is sourced from a new 4K scan of the original negative which, like others in Warner Archive's wheelhouse, has been meticulously cleaned while preserving its texture and, like the older DVD, preserves its 2.35:1 Panavision aspect ratio. The film stock used reportedly produced very fine film grain, which is part of the reason why Brainstorm looks even more out-of-time; those expecting a texture closer to nitrate may, like me, be taken aback at first glance. But all the hallmarks of a solid restoration are present and accounted for, including excellent fine detail, strong but stable contast, and deep blacks that don't fall victim to crush or posterization. Nor are there any other prevailing signs of other related disc encoding issues, such as banding or macro blocking, meaning that long-time fans of Brainstorm will wholly appreciate the level of quality achieved here.

Brainstorm Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Not far behind is the DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track, which repurposes the original mono into a split two-channel container. Dialogue and effects are nicely prioritized with decent fidelity and even a bit of weight, while the original score by musician and composer George Duning -- which really runs the gamut in terms of style, but almost always sounds like a pure product of its time – likewise comes through cleanly and clearly with no obvious defects.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature only, not the extras listed below.

Brainstorm Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with memorable vintage poster-themed cover artwork and a handful of cleverly curated bonus features just for good measure.

• Classic Cartoons - Two relevant Looney Tunes shorts from the vault, both decently restored.

• Hypo-Chondri-Cat (7:20) - The first of two vaguely sanity-themed classic cartoons, this 1950 Chuck Jones short stars mice Hubie and Bertie alongside Claude Cat, who's fooled into thinking he's sick. Jerry might hit Tom with a hammer, but that's nothing compared to full-fledged psychological torture.
• Well Worn Daffy (6:40) - Fast-forwarding fifteen years to 1965, this Robert McKimson short follows Speedy Gonzalez and two parched mouse buddies through the desert as they're refused water by an especially misanthropic Daffy Duck at his oasis... until the tables are turned, of course.

• Original Theatrical Trailer (1:31) - This rough but watchable rarity is actually for a double-bill with Gordon Hessler's The Woman Who Wouldn't Die, which was titled Catacombs outside the US.

Brainstorm Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Wiliam Conrad's Brainstorm was his third of three films directed for Warner Bros. in 1965, and in my opinion his best. It's got a decently ambitious narrative that, despite a few rough patches in the middle, coalesces nicely into a twisted little neo-noir led by the late, great Jeffrey Hunter and stylish cinematography by Sam Leavitt, whose resume ranged from the 1954 version of A Star Is Born to Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. Warner Archive's Blu-ray plays to the film's visual strengths and a few extras round out the package. Recommended to fans and newcomers too.