Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		4.0

Highway Dragnet Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 6, 2018

Nathan Juran's "Highway Dragnet" (1954) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino video. The only bonus feature on the disc is a gallery of trailers for other releases from the label's catalog. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The pickup

A quick look at Nathan Juran’s body of work reveals that over the years he tried his luck with every single major genre, from western to sci-fi to comedy and horror, which seems to suggest that he was either an incredibly ambitious director or a man who never refused work. Juran also took on various TV projects, including the popular ‘60s series Lost in Space.

In a cozy bar somewhere in Las Vegas, Jim Henry (Richard Conte, Cry of the City), a feisty ex-Marine, bumps into a sexy blonde (Mary Beth Hughes) and shortly after he buys her a drink the two end up in his hotel room. On the following day, however, the blonde turns up dead and Jim is picked up by the local authorizes while trying to get out of town. Barely able to contain his anger, he urges them to check with a friend who can vouch that the previous night the two were drinking together, but when the cops fail to locate the man they instantly conclude that they have the blonde’s killer.

Before they can put him behind bars, however, Jim steals a lazy cop’s gun and then runs away. Outside of Las Vegas he hitches a ride with a pretentious photographer, Mrs. Cummings (Joan Bennett, Scarlet Street), and her best model, Susan Willis (Wanda Hendrix, Ride the Pink Horse), who are on their way to LA. Mrs. Cummings is the first to realize that they might have made a serious mistake, and when Jim pulls out a gun Susan agrees with her that they ought to figure out a way to dump him. Meanwhile, Veteran detective Joe White Eagle (Reed Hadley) and his colleagues launch a statewide dragnet and block the border. However, the more the hunt intensifies, the more Susan begins to realize that Jim does not look and act like a desperate killer.

The original story for Highway Dragnet came from Roger Corman and a man named U.S. Andersen, and Corman is also credited as one of the film’s producers. This essentially guarantees that the film was shot very quickly and as efficiently as possible.

The low-budget, frequently borderline documentary appearance, however, gives the film quite an edge and very effectively strengthens its noirish identity. The characterizations also lack the type of classic nuances that at the time far more ambitious productions promoted and as a result the film feels cool rather than dated. Frankly, the only thing that is missing and could have made it look even more attractive is an upbeat jazzy score with a couple of juicy trumpet solos.

John Martin’s cinematography is unlikely to make an impression on folks that know well what the noir genre has to offer, but some of the locations that were chosen for key sequences are quite incredible. There is one particular episode towards the end where Jim heads back to his home that was shot at California’s Salton Sea that is absolutely astonishing. Most of the house is underwater but he can still get to it while walking through another area where the water barely covers the sand. The natural beauty of the area has to be seen to be believed.

This recent release of Highway Dragnet is sourced from a brand new 4K remaster of the film that was prepared by Paramount Pictures Archives.

Highway Dragnet Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Nathan Juran's Highway Dragnet arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Video.

The release is sourced from a recent 4K remaster that was prepared by Paramount Pictures Archives. Excluding a few scattered white specks that very easily could have been removed, the film looks lovely in high-definition. Overall depth and clarity remain very pleasing while the grading promotes a very nice range of healthy primaries and nuances. There are a few areas where density fluctuations are noticeable, but they are are not introduced by poor digital work. These are the type of source limitations that exist because of stylistic choices or present source limitations. Image stability is very good. The encoding is also fine, though there is room for some minor but meaningful optimizations. (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).

Highway Dragnet 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 not provided for the main feature.

There are no technical issues to report in our review. Clarity and depth are proper, while balance remains pleasing throughout the entire film. The dialog is also easy to follow, though optional English SDH subtitles should have been included for people that need them. There are no audio dropouts or digital distortions to report in our review.

Highway Dragnet Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a collection of trailers for other film noirs from Kino Video's catalog.

• Booklet - 22-page booklet with promotional images for other Kino Video releases.

Highway Dragnet Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas -- but perhaps not always. Sometimes things just get out of control and then other things happen that make it impossible for Vegas to protect people's secrets. This is basically the shorter version of the message that is hidden in Nathan Juran's Highway Dragnet, and even though it is more than sixty years old, it seems even more relevant today. The film has been recently remastered in 4K and looks quite wonderful in high-definition. If our review piques your interest and you decide to grab a copy of Highway Dragnet for your collection, also consider Cry of the City, which is another very good film noir with Richard Conte. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.