Larceny Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Larceny Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 6, 2022

George Sherman's "Larceny" (1948) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the release include new program with critic Nick Pinkerton; new audio commentary by critic Eloise Ross; and vintage promotional materials for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

It makes you wonder whether Bernie Madoff might have gotten the inspiration for his business while viewing George Sherman’s Larceny, because the shady practice that is described in it is exactly like the one he utilized. Madoff simply had a bigger pool of ‘investors’ and a larger network of trusted ‘assistants’. Of course, Madoff was a lot greedier than the four con men Sherman introduces at the fancy mansion in Miami Beach, which is why he eventually got caught.

Silky (Dan Duyrea) is the top guy and the one that always chooses their next target. Rick (John Payne), Max (Richard Rober), and Duke (Dan O'Herlihy) are then given specific instructions on how to approach the target, and make it feel comfortable ‘investing’ a large sum of money into their latest bogus project. If there is an opportunity to get multiple ‘investors’ involved, the target could be carefully conditioned to work on their behalf as well. It is a classic business partnership -- until the con men get direct access to the investment capital and disappear without a trace.

After a big fix falls apart in Miami Beach, Silky dispatches Rick to Mission City, California, to convince the wealthy widow Deborah Owens Clark (Joan Caulfield) to build a large and very expensive war memorial that will honor her late husband. Rick will become the fallen hero’s best war buddy and use his good looks to make Deborah believe that she is doing something truly special that the entire community will appreciate. After the project is greenlighted and the necessary funds secured, the con men will collect and quietly leave town.

The plan works until Silky’s girl, Tory (Shelley Winters), who is mad about Rick, refuses to wait for him in Havana and secretly arrives in Mission City. Tory warns Rick to keep his relationship with Deborah professional, but her man’s heart refuses to cooperate.

Larceny quickly heads down a familiar path and it is really up to Payne, Caulfield, and Winters to make the suspense and drama as exciting as possible. There is more of the latter, frequently evolving into good old-fashioned melodrama, which is why the film’s noirish identity isn’t very convincing. But the performances are very good and the great chemistry that emerges between the leads makes the film quite exciting. For example, there is some terrific role-play that introduces a few unexpected surprises, and even though it is still easy to guess what the resolution would be at the end, for a long period of time the complete character arcs remain elusive. Also, the film maintains the right type of attitude. Indeed, instead of going to work to produce cliched messaging about crime in a civilized society, the type of individuals that commit it, and their victims, it allows their thought processes and actions to highlight the legal loopholes and flawed values and norms that can be exploited. This even helps the dialog remain refreshingly casual and authentic.

There isn’t a shortage of good looking footage, but the work of cinematographer Irving Glassberg is hard to praise, especially when compared to his contributions to the likes of The Tarnished Angels, Bend of the River, Red Canyon, and Sword in the Desert.

Larceny Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.36:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Larceny arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

In the United States, Larceny had its high-definition debut in 2021 via this release produced by Kino Lorber. This Region-B release is sourced from the same master that Universal supplied to Kino Lorber.

From start to finish, the film maintains a fine organic appearance. However, there is room for various improvements. For example, there are areas where some visuals could look quite dated, so you should expect to see minor but noticeable fluctuations in terms of delineation, clarity, and depth. There are some inconsistencies in the grayscale as well, with indoor and darker footage typically revealing the most obvious ones. They affect saturation and the balance between the different ranges of gray and white. The best news is that there are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Image stability is good. Small scratches and blemishes can be seen, but they never become distracting. My score is 3.75/5.00. (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).

Larceny 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.

The dialog is clear and easy to follow. However, as I mentioned in our review of the American release of Larceny, there are some small but noticeable fluctuations that a proper restoration will undoubtedly address. Should you worry about them? No. You will simply conclude that the audio could be healthier.

Larceny Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Heel with Sex Appeal - in this exclusive new program, critic Nick Pinkerton clarifies what is the proper way to pronounce Dan Duryea name and discusses the actors' cinematic persona, his competition with Richard Widmark, his very particular sex appeal, and the unique qualities of some of his most memorable characters. Very nice program. In English, not subtitled. (30 min).

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

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic Eloise Ross.

• Book - a limited edition exclusive 120-page book with new essays by Iris Veysey, Jill Blake, Karen Hannsberry, Sabina Stent, Sergio Angelini and Walter Chaw, extensive archival articles and interviews, new writing on the various short films, and film credits.

Larceny Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

While I would agree with anyone arguing that Larceny isn't a top genre film, I think that its cast does just about everything right to make it as attractive as possible. I prefer John Payne's tougher characters, like the one he played in 99 River Street, but he looks very good here, and Shelley Winters is on fire. This release is is included in Indicator/Powerhouse Films' six-disc box set Universal Noir #1. RECOMMENDED.