City of Fear Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

City of Fear Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 13, 2021

Irving Lerner's "City of Fear" (1959) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage promotional materials for the film; new audio commentary by author and critic Adrian Martin; archival program with Christopher Nolan; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

It is unclear precisely how the two convicts snuck out of San Quentin. But because one of them is seriously hurt and bleeding, it seems obvious that their escape plan wasn’t perfect. Now they are on their way to L.A., where they have some business to take care of.

When the hurt convict dies, Vince Ryker (Vince Edwards) switches the stolen car, disguises himself as a traveling salesman, and not too long after that picks up a hitchhiking sailor heading in the same direction. Together they successfully pass through a couple of roadblocks and eventually enter downtown L.A. After he drops off the clueless sailor, Vince rents a room in a lousy motel and begins waiting for his girlfriend, Patricia (June Marlowe), to appear.

Following a few long rounds of fireworks, the visibly exhausted Vince begins describing to Patricia what is going to happen next. He’s got a canister full of pure heroin which will be exchanged for money that will allow them to start a new life on the other side of the border. A place by the ocean somewhere in Baja would be perfect, but they will have so much money that they could choose to go anywhere. Regardless of their final destination, it will be just like they thought it could be before Vince got in trouble and was sent to prison. With tears in her eyes and barely able to control her excitement, Patricia then promises to do everything Vince would want her to do while he is looking for a buyer and exits the motel room.

In a different part of the city, LAPD Chief Jensen (Lyle Talbot) and Lt. Mark Richards (John Archer) have just confirmed an earlier report that Vince’s sealed canister does not contain pure heroin. It is loaded with processed Cobalt-60, and if Vince unseals it, the highly radioactive substance could wipe out most of the city. It is why they quickly have to figure out where Vince is hiding and prevent him from selling the ‘heroin’ on the streets. But where do they begin looking for him? And how long do they have before he opens Pandora’s Box?

Director Irving Lerner worked with an original screenplay by Steven Rich (Plunder Road) and Robert Dillon (Prime Cut,French Connection II) that was delivered to him approximately a year after he had collaborated with Edwards on Murder by Contract. There are some minor similarities between these films that stem primarily from their low-budget production values, but in terms of style and especially atmosphere they are very, very different. Indeed, while Murder by Contract is essentially a cinematic educational course for ambitious killers with a seriously twisted sense of humor, City of Fear is a classic paranoid film noir whose main objective is to make its audience feel as uncomfortable as possible. Unsurprisingly, large portions of the latter often look like as if they were extracted from a vintage documentary.

Interestingly, the film’s transparent objective could be considered its greatest weakness because Lerner does not seem to spend enough time on the police procedurals that would be needed to track down a seriously problematic prison escapee like Edwards’ character. There is a much greater emphasis on the extent of the massive disaster L.A. is facing and how ultimately in a scenario like the one that is presented in the film luck becomes a major factor. But this is why the film is so unnerving as well, because the whole scenario warns of a deadly domino effect that has a particular point beyond which police procedurals become utterly irrelevant.

Lerner used the services of cinematographer Lucien Ballard, who later in his career would go on to lense such legendary films like The Killing, The Wild Bunch, True Grit, and The Getaway. While Edward’s character is looking for a buyer, Ballard captures a number of interesting locations from L.A.

A very young Jerry Goldsmith produced the film’s original soundtrack.

City of Fear Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, City of Fear arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

The release is sourced from an older but quite good master that was supplied by Sony Pictures. Aside from some minor but obvious density fluctuations as well as some less than optimal delineation, I think that virtually the entire film looks very pleasing in high-definition. I actually ended up projecting it and thought that the visuals held up very well even in areas where it was easy to tell that time had left its mark. The grayscale is solid as well. The blacks look very strong but not boosted, while the whites and grays are as healthy as I hoped they will be. This did not surprise me at all because all of the Columbia noir titles that Sony Pictures remastered towards the end of the DVD era have solid grayscales. Image stability is very good. There are no distracting large debris, cuts, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

City of Fear Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I did not encounter any serious issues to report in our review. The audio is clear, stable, and nicely balanced. The film is complemented by a nice early score courtesy of Jerry Goldsmith, but dynamic contrasts are modest. However, there are plenty of organic sounds and noises that add up interesting nuances.

City of Fear Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - remastered vintage trailer for City of Fear. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Christopher Nolan: Pulp Paranoia - in this archival audio program, Christopher Nolan discusses his love for the noir genre and explains why films like City of Fear The Sniper are relevant today. In English, not subtitled. (7 min).

• Commentary - an exclusive new audio commentary recorded by critic and author Adrian Martin.

• Image Gallery - a collection of vintage promotional materials for City of Fear.

• The Autobiography of "Jeep" - this early propaganda short was directed by Irving Lerner in 1943. It can be seen with an optional audio commentary by author and critic Jeremy Arnold. Remastered. In English, with optional English subtitles. (10 min).

• Hymn of the Nations (1944) - an uncut presentation of this once censored short struck from a 2K remaster. With optional English subtitles. (29 min).

• The Cummington Story - a short film about immigrants starting a new life in Massachusetts directed by Helen Grayson and Larry Madison in 1945. In English, with optional English subtitles. (20 min).

• Oil's Well That Ends Well - a short film featuring the three stooges produced and directed by Jules White in 1958. In English, with optional English subtitles. (17 min).

• Book - limited edition exclusive 120-page book with new essays by Peter Stanfield, David Cairns, Michał Oleszczyk, Adam Scovell, Fintan McDonagh, Andrew Nette, Jeff Billington, and Ramsey Campbell, archival articles and interviews, and film credits.

City of Fear Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I made a double bill of City of Fear and The Sniper and thought that both films were incredibly relevant. Both are permeated by a heavy sense of paranoia that can be seriously disturbing because it emerges from scenarios that are very realistic. Perhaps they weren't during the 1950s, but in the chaotic borderless world we live in now they absolutely are. City of Fear is sourced from an older but strong master that was supplied by Sony Pictures. It is included in Indicator/Powerhouse Films' upcoming Columbia Noir #3 box set. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.