Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

23 Paces to Baker Street Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf March 3, 2017

1956’s “23 Paces to Baker Street” has often been compared to Alfred Hitchcock’s “Rear Window,” and the similarities are there, studying the increasing agitation of a murder witness who can’t convince the world of his valid observations, soon embarking on his own investigation to help avoid a future disaster. Director Henry Hathaway does a passable job with mild escalation and characterization, but he’s no Hitchcock, and “23 Paces to Baker Street” often struggles to sustain a rhythm of suspense that takes it from discovery to payoff with engaging speed.

Van Johnson portrays a blind playwright who overhears an evil plot at London pub, working with his butler (Cecil Parker) and ex-fiancee (Vera Miles) to help crack a case local law enforcement officials want nothing to do with. The set-up leads to extended periods of sleuthing, watching the characters work together and individually to put together a reasonable motivation for twisted business. However, “23 Paces to Baker Street” often works harder on its melodrama than its clue-gathering, which isn’t punishment, but there’s a distinct throttling of thrills in the picture, finding elements of criminal behavior often getting in the way of the battle of broken hearts.

23 Paces to Baker Street Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Billed as a "brand new 4K restoration," the AVC encoded image (2.53:1 aspect ratio) presentation doesn't come through as flawlessly as hoped. While the source is in fine condition, without overt points of damage, compression issues plague the viewing experience, with any excursion into nighttime riddled with posturization and fringe pixelation. Delineation also struggles at times with solidification. These are pronounced blemishes on an otherwise adequate transfer, which delivers a proper amount of detail to bring out set design achievements and anxious facial reactions, while textures are satisfactory on costuming and city architecture. Colors carry their period acceleration, but remain appealing, including skintones.

23 Paces to Baker Street Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix offers a crisp listening event, with scoring a particular highlight, delivering bold, lush instrumentation and tasteful support. Dialogue exchanges are distinctly separated, giving dramatics immediacy and accents clarity. Sound effects play an important role in "23 Paces to Baker Street," and they register accordingly, adding to overall suspense.

23 Paces to Baker Street Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features film historian Kent Jones.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:15, SD) is included.

23 Paces to Baker Street Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"23 Paces to Baker Street" delivers a satisfying conclusion, playing with shadow and sound to give a blind man a fighting chance against his a shadowy attacker. However, it's a broad conclusion on a feature that doesn't build organically to a violent encounter. "23 Paces to Baker Street" struggles with identity, and while individual scenes are quite good and the cast appealing, the whole doesn't command attention as exhaustively as it could.