Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		4.0

My Gun Is Quick Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 28, 2020

Victor Saville and George White's "My Gun Is Quick" (1957) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The only bonus feature on the disc is a vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Kiss me, girl

My Gun Is Quick is yet another great example that Orson Welles was right to argue that everything looks better in black and white. The film tells a decent story but it is memorable because its visuals are often breathtaking, and it is not because its creators spent their entire budget making sure that they are. When shooting in black and white a lot of things naturally come together better, and there is plenty that looks very stylish in this film precisely because the opportunity for it to appear kitschy isn’t there. Garish colors would have made the film instantly forgettable.

At the end of a long and exhausting day, private eye Mike Hammer (Robert Bray) makes a quick stop at a small café and helps a lonely prostitute (Jan Chaney) avoid a beating. When later on the poor girl is discovered dead, Hammer is questioned by the authorities because he was the last person to see her alive. Her missing ring, which Hammer had commented on in the café, then becomes the central piece in a complicated investigation that sends him on a collision course with a gang of jewel thieves with international connections. During the course of the investigation, Hammer also bumps into a beautiful widow (Whitney Blake) who once rented her posh apartment to a man that was interested in the missing ring, and while trying to find out more about the man begins an affair with her.

The film was apparently a collaboration between Victor Saville and George White, but the former probably made most of the key directorial decisions. White, who did a lot of great work as an editor, including on Tay Garnett’s classic thriller The Postman Always Rings Twice, likely contributed as an assistant to Saville and then focused primarily on his duties as a producer. (In the official credits, both men are also listed as producers).

Bray’s take on the famous private eye should satisfy folks that are familiar with Mickey Spillane’s writings. He has the manners and attitude Spillane has given the famous character, plus his willingness to get in trouble with the beautiful ladies around him looks entirely legit. Frankly, ‘problems’ with Bray’s performance can be discovered only if one begins to compare his transformation to Ralph Meeker’s in Kiss Me Deadly, which is the gold standard, and perhaps to a lesser extent Biff Elliot’s in I, The Jury. But the truth is that each of these actors does something special that makes their transformations likeable, so it is essentially some of the nuances in their performances that some viewers tend to enjoy more. (For what it’s worth, Armand Assante’s modern private eye in the I, the Jury of remake looks really cool as well, especially when he lets loose and becomes cynical, which is quite often).

It is the nature of the story that prevents the film from being special. It isn’t bad but it goes through predictable cycles that produce equally predictable twists and ultimately drama. So, it is fair to say that the most effective surprises actually come from the particular emotional reactions that Bray and some of the supporting actors have during tense situations.

But the film is still very enjoyable. Because it wasn’t completed with a lavish budget, the simplicity of its visuals actually make it look unusually stylish. Plus, it is temperamental but not in that kitschy way that defines many low-budget film noirs, which is something that further adds to its chic appearance.

The lively soundtrack was created by Marlin Skiles, whose credits include contributions to such timeless classics as Gilda, On the Waterfront, and All the King's Men.

*Kino Lorber’s new release of My Gun Is Quick is sourced from an exclusive restored 2K master that was prepared on behalf of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

My Gun Is Quick 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, My Gun Is Quick arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from a very beautiful restored 2K master. I really did not see any flaws with the technical presentation to report in our review. Perhaps there is a bit of room for some minor encoding optimizations that could strengthen grain exposure a bit, but this would be a cosmetic adjustment at best. On my system this film looks terrific, and to be honest this was the main reason I enjoyed it because it looks very stylish. The grading job is wonderful. As our screencaptures reveal, the blacks are solid -- but not artificially boosted -- and there are wonderful healthy nuances of grays and whites. There are no traces of troubling digital corrections. Image stability is excellent. A few tiny white specks can be spotted, but otherwise the film looks very healthy. My score is 4.75/5.00. (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).

My Gun Is Quick 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.

The audio is stable and clear. There are many parts of the film where Marlin Skiles' soundtrack does a lot of work to straighten the desired atmosphere and the dynamic intensity of the music is very good. (A good example where you can test it is the chase around the .00. 32.06 mark). There are no distortions, audio dropouts, or other similar serious anomalies to report in our review.

My Gun Is Quick Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - vintage trailer for My Gun Is Quick. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Additional Trailers - additional trailers for the following titles from Kino Lorber's catalog:
  
  1. Deadline - U.S.A.
  2. 99 River Street
  3. The Captive City
  4. Shield for Murder
  5. I, the Jury

My Gun Is Quick Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The old trailer that was cut for My Gun Is Quick sells the film right -- the ladies are definitely sizzling and Mike Hammer gets in trouble with some very shady guys. Predictable entertainment? Yes, but this film also looks very stylish without trying hard. I enjoyed it much more than some of the bigger and supposedly more respectable film noirs, where it is often too obvious that the camera is looking for the right angles to impress. Kino Lorber's release of My Gun Is Quick is sourced from an excellent restored 2K master, but does not have any meaningful bonus features. Nevertheless, consider adding it to your library. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. (If you enjoy these types of smaller film noirs, also take a look at Scorpion Releasing's release of The Girl Hunters, in which Mickey Spillane plays his notorious character).