Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Cry Vengeance Blu-ray Movie Review

The Little Heat.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 31, 2013

Have any films or television shows been shot in your home town? If so, you know the vicarious excitement of recognizing various locations, an excitement that can almost turn to wonder if the film or show is from a long time ago and you can marvel at the changes that have occurred since the filming happened. I have to wonder if there are some seasoned citizens in the relatively tiny fishing village of Ketchikan, Alaska, who might see Cry Vengeance, which was partially filmed there in 1954, and marvel at how much or how little their town has changed in the interim. The Alaska setting is one of the more interesting elements of this 1954 noir-esque outing, one which posits a wrongly accused and imprisoned former policeman (played by the film’s director, Mark Stevens) who finally gets out of the joint and embarks on a mad dash to get revenge on those who ruined his life, which in this case included killing his wife and child and leaving him physically (and no doubt emotionally) scarred in the process. Cry Vengeance at times plays a bit like a low rent version of The Big Heat, and in fact the two make for fascinating companion pieces and together would provide a really interesting home theater double feature. It’s actually not hard to imagine Stevens and/or co-scenarists Warren Douglas and George Bricker having seen The Big Heat and then deciding to put their own spin on a cop caught up in a world of criminals, with the cop’s family being the unexpected victims of a bomb meant for the cop himself. While there’s little doubt that The Big Heat is the more viscerally exciting film, Cry Vengeance is a surprisingly taught little thriller that benefits from some excellent performances (even if it seems like some of them are carbon copied from The Big Heat itself) and the unusual location work in Alaska, certainly one of the last places most people would think of for a noir to take place in.

Fantastic character Mort Mills (if you don’t recognize the name, you’ll almost certainly recognize his face) starts Cry Vengeance out with a fleeting look at Ketchikan. As the U.S. Mail is sorted (delivered via seaplane, no less), Mills’ character of Johnny Blue Eyes picks up a letter and obviously seems worried by what he’s read. He starts racing around Ketchikan, ultimately getting down to the docks where he asks local barkeep Peggy (Martha Hyer) where Tino Morelli (Douglas Kennedy) might be. Tino’s just pulling into port after having been on a fishing expedition with his young daughter Marie (Cheryl Callaway), and he’s not especially pleased that Johnny has called him by his real name, as he is evidently in hiding and living under an alias. Johnny indicates that someone named Vic is getting out of the joint after three years, and that news worries Tino even more than it worried Johnny.

We segue to San Francisco where we’re introduced, surreptitiously at first, to Vic (Mark Stevens). We see the guy’s shoes and the back of his head (shades of Don Draper), but never his face. Vic is out of the joint, but he’s being followed by a couple of guys. Are they henchmen of Tino’s? And why is Vic in a pawn shop, buying a gun? All soon becomes clear once Vic visits the home of Red (John Doucette), one of the guys who’s been tailing him, and we finally find out that Vic in fact is a former cop who was framed for taking a bribe and whose wife and child were killed in an explosion meant for Vic. Vic has been in jail on the bribery charge for three years, and he’s now out and wants to track down Tino, whom he is certain is responsible for the death of his family. Red and the other guy are actually fellow cops trying to make sure that Vic doesn’t do something stupid. But their words of advice fall on deaf ears, and Vic is off on his mission to bring Tino to a personal kind of justice. When we finally do see Vic's face, it's rather badly scarred from the explosion that killed his wife and daughter.

The next stop is a local dive where Vic interacts with Roxey (Skip Homeier), a vicious thug who seems modeled on the Lee Marvin character from The Big Heat. (That similarity only becomes more apparent once Roxey starts throwing around a blowsy moll played by Lily Arnold.) Roxey doesn’t want to divulge information about Tino, but Vic gets it out of the bar owner and is soon off to Ketchikan. (That’s The Dick Van Dyke show’s hapless Mel, Richard Deacon, in an uncredited role as the bartender.)

The rest of Cry Vengeance plays out within the confines of the little Alaskan fishing village, and it’s here that the film unfortunately loses at least a little steam. There are a few too many predictable elements here, including Vic and Peggy kind of haltingly falling for each other, and Vic at first thinking he can wreak havoc on Tino courtesy of little Marie, but then of course thinking better of it. Roxey also shows up to cause quite a bit of mayhem. There’s a decent amount of tension in this part of the film, but it’s awfully rote at times and undercuts what had been a rather unusual setup.

Mark Stevens had a long if not especially distinguished career in films and television, but Cry Vengeance proves that not only was he a more than capable actor, he was actually a rather skilled director as well. There are a couple of extremely well staged set pieces in this film, including a great chase sequence at the climax, and furthermore Stevens does admirable work on location, giving the viewer a nice feel for what early fifties Ketchikan must have been like. In fact the ambience of Cry Vengeance is one of its most appealing characteristics. Usually noirs tend to play out in the fetid confines of steamy, almost tropical, environments. The cold bitterness of Alaska makes for a refreshing change of pace and provides Cry Vengeance with a really unique setting.

Cry Vengeance Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Cry Vengeance is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. Aside from some very minor damage and some occasional stock footage, the elements here are in rather good condition. The black and white photography tends to vary, if only slightly, between the location work and more controlled studio bound footage, with the latter looking incrementally sharper and with better definition and contrast. Grain is quite heavy at times in this presentation but is never overwhelming.

Cry Vengeance Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Cry Vengeance has a perfectly serviceable DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track that features very clear dialogue, good ambient environmental effects (it sounds like some of the film was recorded live on some of the locations), as well as a nice moody score by Paul Dunlap. Fidelity is very good, with no damage, overbearing hiss or drop outs to report. Dynamic range is fairly flat, occasionally punctuated by gunshots.

Cry Vengeance Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

No supplements are offered on this Blu-ray disc.

Cry Vengeance Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Cry Vengeance has a lot going for it, including an unusual setting, some great characters and a nice setup. The film tends to lose steam once those pieces are all in place, though, and the second half of the film indulges in a bit too much heartstring pulling, as well as the supposed salvation of Vic as he comes to realize vengeance isn't all it's cracked up to be. (That doesn't stop him from killing at least one person, it should be stated.) The film is very well performed by a game cast and Stevens acquits himself more than commendably as a director. This Blu-ray features nice looking video and sounding audio and comes Recommended.