Five Miles to Midnight Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		2.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		2.5

Five Miles to Midnight Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf July 10, 2016

1962’s “Five Miles to Midnight” has an unfortunate casting issue that’s difficult to ignore. It’s not that Anthony Perkins and Sophia Loren are unpleasant performers, far from it, but director Anatole Litvak makes quite a leap pairing them in what should be a tense domestic drama with thriller interests. Instead of conjuring suspense, “Five Miles to Midnight” takes a leisurely stroll around screen anxiety, with Loren and Perkins sharing stiff chemistry normally reserved for sibling characters, not a married couple.

After secretly surviving a plane accident, Robert (Perkins) returns to Italy and the comfort of his estranged wife, Lisa (Loren), who’s not exactly upset to hear that her abusive spouse has perished in a ball of flames. However, instead of celebrating this suspicious miracle, Robert wants to collect on insurance money, talking Lisa into assisting on the scam, putting pressure on her burgeoning relationship with David (Gig Young). The elements are there for something sinister, but the production keeps everything conversational, spending much of the screen time on uneasy interplay between Lisa and Robert, who isn’t one to hide his demented point of view, making the frighten woman’s continued compliance difficult to accept.

Five Miles to Midnight Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.67:1 aspect ratio) presentation is billed as "Newly re-mastered in HD," and clarity certainly isn't an issue, offering crisp details on costuming and facial particulars, and urban adventures retain distance. Source shows a little wear and tear, but nothing distracts, keeping to a routine of speckling and minor scratches. Black and white cinematography is balanced to satisfaction, without delineation issues.

Five Miles to Midnight Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix is problematic, suffering from sync issues that periodically knock dialogue loose. However, sloppy ADR is prominent throughout the listening experience, often making it difficult to spot the inherent issues with the track. The rest of the mix remains on the shrill side, with sharp scoring, keeping the jazzy mood hard on the ears. Atmospherics are on the thick side, without much personality. Hiss and pops are minimal.

Five Miles to Midnight Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Alternate French Scene (7:49, HD) is offered.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (3:19, SD) is included.

Five Miles to Midnight Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Five Miles to Midnight" is talkative, without much in the way of escalation, trying to create psychological gamesmanship with actors who aren't a proper match. Design elements are interesting, and the picture is shot well, but every time "Five Minutes to Midnight" threatens to do something exciting, it always pulls back. With a story like this, featuring endless opportunities to amplify aggression, it's a shame that Litvak allows all this perfectly good domestic unease and criminal interest to go to waste.