Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		4.0

Naked Alibi Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 2, 2019

Jerry Hopper's "Naked Alibi" (1954) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include a vintage trailer for the film as well as an exclusive new audio commentary by critic Kat Ellinger. In English, with otpional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The tail

Naked Alibi was one of the last truly big film noirs that never received an official DVD release in the United States. It is hard to tell exactly why the film was ignored, but even if there was some ‘legit’ reason for its omission it would have been meaningless. There are countless smaller film noirs that the studios pulled out of their vaults and made available on the home video market. Naked Alibi should have been easy to acquire by film collectors as well.

While investigating a couple of unresolved murders Police Chief Joe Conroy (Sterling Hayden) concludes that Al Willis (Gene Barry), the owner of a small bakery with a sizeable clientele, might be a dangerous chameleon on the loose. He arrests Willis, roughs him up a bit, and tries to force him to confess that he has killed, but instead gets fired after a local newspaper publishes a photograph of him mistreating ‘an innocent member of the community’. Nevertheless, Conroy vows to prove that he was right to target Willis and together with a trusted assistant begins following him around town – day and night, without hiding, hoping that Willis will get frustrated and make a crucial error that will reveal his true identity. The plan works as intended and eventually Willis quietly packs his bags and heads down to Border City, leaving behind a very upset wife and many shocked employees. Still missing any real evidence that Willis is an elusive killer, Conroy goes after him.

In Border City, Conroy rents a room in a lousy motel and then goes out with a photograph looking for Willis. However, hours later he is badly beaten up and mugged by a pack of strangers. Local nightclub singer Mariana (Gloria Grahame) takes care of his heavy head and bruises, and at the right time shows enough affection to make him realize that she likes him. But Conroy does not buy the act and after he thanks the girl for her hospitality goes back out looking for Willis. They meet again at the club where Mariana makes ends meet.

The style, tone, and attitude of Jerry Hopper’s film are neither groundbreaking nor surprising, but as odd as it may sound this is one of two reasons why it is so good. Indeed, all three are just pitch-perfect for its story, which is about tough guys and rough justice in a world that does not tolerate wimps. In other words, by keeping them casual Hopper strengthens the integrity of the story, and because the main characters are left to carve their own identities the noir glamour that sometimes makes and breaks these genre films is kept at bay. Now, this does not mean that the film is devoid of the familiar noir stylization, it is just that it does not feel like it is searching for it, and as a result, the drama that defines its story looks legit.

The second reason is also a conventional one. It is the quality of the performances, which are very different yet complement each other throughout the entire film. For example, without Grahame’s singer, Hayden’s angry cop remains a one-dimensional tracker, and without him, Barry’s bakery owner cannot complete his transformation. The character evolutions are indeed in the script, but the quality of Hayden, Grahame, and Barry’s performances is such that the legit connection that emerges between them justifies everything else that is part of the story. It sounds very simple, and it ought to be, but the reality is that all three leads play characters with some serious issues so it is not an easy job to bring them together, make them look authentic, and at the same time have them deliver a range of contrasts that fuel the drama.

Hopper shot the film with cinematographer Russell Metty (Touch of Evil, All That Heaven Allows).

Naked Alibi 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, Naked Alibi arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from a very nice master. In fact, its density levels are so good that I suspect that it is a fairly recent one. It is also very healthy. There are a few tiny flecks that pop up here and there, but there is no visible damage and image stability is great. The grading job is very convincing. There are solid and stable blacks and very nice ranges of healthy grays and whites. Grain is nicely exposed, and while ideally it should be a tad tighter, it remains very consistent throughout the entire film. If you project, you will be pleased to hear that fluidity is equally pleasing. All in all, the master that was used to source the release is very solid and most definitely does the film justice. (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).

Naked Alibi 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 quality of the lossless track is excellent. (And this is another reason why I believe that the master that was used to produce this release is fairly recent). Clarity, depth, and stability are outstanding. Also, the film has very dynamic music score that easily opens it up where it needs to do so. There are no audio dropouts, background hiss, distortions, or other similar common anomalies.

Naked Alibi Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - vintage trailer for Naked Alibi. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - new audio commentary by critic Kat Ellinger.

• Additional Trailers - additional trailers for the following titles from Kino Lorber's catalog:
  
  1. It Always Rains on Sunday
  2. 99 River Street
  3. Shield for Murder
  4. Hidden Fear

• Cover - reversible cover with vintage poster art.

Naked Alibi Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sterling Hayden doing noir characters equals quality, at least as far as I am concerned. He brings the type of personality and style to them that I think are essential for film noirs to appear legit. Hayden's only formidable match is Robert Ryan, whose presence before the camera can instantly have the same transformational effect. Needless to say, I have never seen a film noir with these two great American actors that I did not like. Kino Lorber's new release of Jerry Hopper's Naked Alibi is sourced from a very solid master that will probably make a lot of folks who have been wanting to see a quality presentation of this film for so long ecstatic. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.