Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Crashout Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 10, 2024

Lewis Foster's "Crashout" (1955) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentaryt by film noir expert Alan K. Rode and vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

You all came this far because of me. I lead.

While it was active, Olive Films released a wide range of little-seen film noirs, and several of them, which were unknown to me, I consider to be legit classics of the genre now. Lewis Foster’s Crashout is one of these film noirs. It blends unfiltered machismo and stylish black-and-white cinematography that instantly make it irresistibly attractive. If you pair it with Cy Endfield’s Try and Get Me! or Robert Wise’s Odds Against Tomorrow and see it on the same night, you will be infected with the film noir bug and transformed into a film noir aficionado. Then, in the months and years ahead, you will discover many more films like them and build quite the film noir collection.

During a prison riot, several convicts manage to escape, forcing an angry superintendent to immediately greenlight a massive manhunt to recapture them -- dead or alive. High up in the mountains, six convicts reach a cave. Their leader, Van Morgan Duff (William Bendix), who is badly injured, urges them not to leave the cave for a few days. Initially, they agree with him, but soon after the cold and hunger change a couple of minds. It is only after Duff reveals that he has hidden $180,000 from a bank robbery and is willing to split it that they agree not to abandon him. As Duff regains some of his strength, the group finally leaves the cave.

On the way to the spot where Duff has left the loot, the convicts frequently disagree with each other and improvise, and some of them, while interacting with ordinary folks, begin pondering whether they are on the right path. A few die in easily avoidable accidents, and some are taken out for further complicating the group’s journey.

According to its opening credits, Crashout was written for the screen by Hal E. Chester and Lewis R. Foster, but Endfield apparently contributed to the screenplay as well. If this is true, it explains why Crashout and Try and Get Me! channel identical machismo and introduce extremely similar characters. Both films utilize some raw footage that easily could have emerged from a documentary feature, too.

However, Crashout differs from Try and Get Me! in two significant ways. Crashout has a bigger cast of true stars that affect its drama in a way that is not possible in Try and Get Me!. For example, despite the prominent machismo, the contrasts that emerge on the way to the spot where the loot is hidden are more nuanced, reflecting the special personalities of the convicts. The shifting viewing angles, which are those of the convicts again, also create uncertainty, making it quite difficult to guess where Crashout is heading and who might be the last convict standing.

Crashout is a mighty fine-looking film, too, which probably should not be surprising to anyone because it was lensed by one of the greatest cinematographers of the last century, Russell Metty. In every single situation that the convicts move through, Metty produces memorable visuals of the kind a big-budget production could have been remembered for, which Crashout was not. (For what it’s worth, Crashout actually reuses some of the stock footage that Don Siegel placed in his classic film noir Riot in Cell Block 11).

Bendix is joined by Arthur Kennedy, William Talman, Marshall Thompson, Luther Adler, and Gene Evans. Kennedy and Talman are particularly good, though the latter, who plays a knife-throwing psychopath, may just be a notch better than the entire pack. Two ladies, Beverly Michaels and Gloria Talbot, have meaningful parts. However, neither of the two plays a conventional femme fatale.

Kino Lorber’s release introduces a recent restoration of Crashout prepared by Paramount Pictures. This is not the same restoration that Olive Films’ release introduced several years earlier.

Crashout 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, Crashout arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

More than a decade ago, Crashout made its high-definition debut with this Blu-ray release from Olive Films. Kino Lorber's Blu-ray release introduces a recent restoration of it that was prepared at Paramount Pictures.

I have Olive Films' Blu-ray release in my library and think that it offers a very nice organic presentation of Crashout. Kino Lorber's Blu-ray release offers a superior presentation. Excluding a few white specks and tiny blemishes that pop up here and there, which could have been easily eliminated with a bit of extra work, I think that the rest is either very good or excellent. For example, delineation, clarity, and depth are always very pleasing. Yes, there are some small yet obvious density fluctuations that impact delineation and depth. However, Crashout reuses some stock footage, plus there are a few areas with native fluctuations. So, while additional expensive restoration work could have rebalanced a few spots that reveal a bit of aging, the overall quality of the visuals is wonderful. The grayscale is convincing. Blacks are lush but do not produce distracting crushing. The grays and whites are properly balanced. All three remain very healthy throughout the entire film, too. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Image stability is very good. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Crashout Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I did not notice even of a whiff of age-related imperfections, so if there were any when the current master was prepared, they must have been eliminated. All exchanges are very clear, sharp, and easy to follow. Leith Stevens' dramatic score plays a major role during the journey to the spot where the loot is hidden and creates plenty of memorable contrasts, so most viewers will likely be surprised by how solid the lossless track is.

Crashout Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by film noir expert Alan K. Rode.

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Crashout. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

Crashout Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Crashout was one of my favorite discoveries from Olive Films' massive catalog. It is a small yet almost brilliant film noir that unites several excellent character actors, lensed by one of the greatest American cinematographers of the last century, Russell Metty. Kino Lorber's release, which is included in this three-disc box set, introduces a solid new restoration of Crashout that was prepared at Paramount Pictures. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.