6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
International narcotics smuggler Frank McNally is trailed through various European countries by U.S. drug enforcement agent Charles Sturgis.
Starring: Victor Mature, Anita Ekberg, Trevor Howard, Bonar Colleano, Dorothy AlisonFilm-Noir | 100% |
Drama | 45% |
Crime | 23% |
Mystery | 3% |
Action | Insignificant |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Note: This film is available as part of
Noir Archive Volume 3: 1956-1960.
Kit Parker Films and Mill Creek Entertainment continue their deep dive into what might be thought of as the substratum of film noir with
this
third collection culled from the Columbia catalog. The fact that this latest offering supposedly spans the years of 1956 through 1960 may give
some indication of
just how deep this particular dive is, since many film fans will probably (rightly or wrongly) feel like the late fifties and first year of the
sixties are decidedly past the heyday of film noir. (That "supposedly" is in the previous sentence because the earliest actual release date
for the films in this set seems to actually be 1957, not 1956, which perhaps makes my point even better.) Still, as with the first two collections,
there are some really interesting films in this set,
and genre aficionados will most likely find at least a few titles in this set, including some more British productions, that may well spark interest.
For an overview of the previous two releases in this series, please click on the following review links (which, like this one, will contain links of their
own pointing to reviews of the individual films in the set):
Noir Archive Volume 1: 1944-1954 Blu-
ray
review
Noir Archive Volume 2: 1954-1956 Blu-
ray
review
Pickup Alley is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Kit Parker Films and Mill Creek Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. This Cinemascope production is one of the nicer looking transfers in this set, one which promotes well above average detail levels most of the time, and which exhibits less frequent age related wear and tear. There are still some issues with contrast, and selected sequences have a kind of gray undertone to them that keeps blacks from completely impressing. There are also a couple of brief brightness flashes, as well as a noticeably softer look in some of the interrogation sequences. My score is 3.75.
This is the rare offering in this set where some recurrent issues with audio may bother some listeners. While the DTS-HD Master Audio Mono mix supports dialogue and effects perfectly well, noticeable distortion is evident in some of the music, notably (no pun intended) in just the first few seconds of the credits (as can often be the case), but later in a nightclub sequence where a singer croons a song. Other than that distortion, the rest of the track sounds fine, and the issues with the music may in fact not overly bother some. My score is 3.25.
None of the three discs in this set feature any supplements.
This is a frankly middling noir that is brought fitfully to life by the reptilian performance by Trevor Howard as Frank McNally. While Sturgis is understandably distraught over the early loss of his sister, the film doesn't really ever go the "full noir" in terms of showing the moral degradation of a focal character. McNally is already well down that particular path, and Sturgis is presented as a stolid officer of the law, meaning that this story really plays out more in terms of a traditional crime thriller than a more shaded noir offering. Technical merits are generally solid for those considering a purchase.
(Still not reliable for this title)
Warner Archive Collection
1951
I Became a Criminal / Kino Classics Presents
1947
1944
1942
1950
1946
1950
1948
1946
Encore Edition | Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
1953
1954
1945
Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
1950
1947
1957
Hot Spot
1941
The Paris Express
1952
1950
1941
1949