Short Cut to Hell Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Short Cut to Hell Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 29, 2024

James Cagney's "Short Cut to Hell" (1957) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by critic and screenwriter Gary Gerani and vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The hitman

Professional hitman Kyle Niles (Robert Ivers) takes out his targets, a stubborn city engineer and his secretary, and shortly after, at a diner, meets his employer, Bahrwell (Jacques Aubuchon), a shady businessman. But after collecting his fee and returning to his hotel room, Niles accidentally discovers that he has been handed marked bills and set up to become an easy target for the police. When Detective Stan Lowery (William Bishop) and his partner barely miss him, Niles vows to get rid of his cheating employer and jumps on a train bound for Los Angeles, where Bahrwell lives.

On the train, Niles steals money from Glory Hamilton (Georgann Johnson), who is on her way to audition for a singing gig, and later, after he once again gets stuck in a tight spot, takes her hostage and the two get off in Glendale. While they approach Los Angeles, Bahrwell, who has realized that he is hunted, begins improvising too, and at the right time, with the help of a mutual friend, arranges to have the clueless wannabe singer for drinks at his mansion in Hollywood. Niles then releases Hamilton, she auditions and unintentionally reveals to him where his cheating employer lives. However, several unexpected developments compromise Niles’ seemingly straightforward revenge plan.

Short Cut to Hell is the only film James Cagney directed, which is a great shame because it is as good as many of the classic film noirs that emerged from the 1950s. In fact, had Cagney and the producers he worked with cast a couple of established stars -- Richard Widmark could have been sensational as the professional hitman, while Lana Turner would have matched him perfectly as the wannabe singer -- Short Cut to Hell easily would have earned the reputation of a classic film noir. Indeed, it works with very good original material from Graham Greene, looks wonderful, and has good leads, but it misses the attitude of a legitimate big film noir. Leading with impressive style, two established stars would have brought this attitude and placed it among the big ones.

In its current form, Short Cut to Hell was probably destined to remain in the shadow of This Gun for Hire, which is also unfortunate because large parts of it work significantly better. Indeed, despite being plagued by a range of flaws, several affecting its noir identity, This Gun for Hire takes full advantage of Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake’s star power, and they always look great. In Short Cut to Hell, Ivers and Johnson look good but not great. As a result, once a comparison between Short Cut to Hell and This Gun for Hire is initiated, the significance of the fact that the former gets more things right becomes very easy to ignore. In nine out of ten comparisons, it is precisely what happens too.

Cagney’s potential to be a very interesting director is immediately revealed. After the opening credits disappear, Cagney begins following Yvette Vickers, another newcomer, who sets the screen on fire with what must be one of the sexiest prologues ever shot for a film noir. This statement is not an exaggeration. Vickers looks so good and hot that one can quite easily argue she was the right actress to have Johnson’s part. Also, in the second half, Cagney follows the fugitives to an industrial plant where his camera produces visuals that are as striking as the ones seen in the classic Odds Against Tomorrow.

What is the final verdict on Short Cut to Hell? It is a good film noir but with small ambitions and this is something that shapes its identity. It should have been done with big-name actors, a big budget, and everything else that films with big ambitions require. It is more faithful to Greene’s novel than This Gun For Hire, but ultimately this is probably an irrelevant detail.

Short Cut to Hell 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, Short Cut to Hell arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

Recently restored in 4K by Paramount, Short Cut to Hell looks gorgeous in high-definition. To be honest, excluding a few nicks that pop up in a few places, I think that the techncial presentation is flawless. Delineation, clarity, and depth, for instance, range from excellent to outstanding, and while the fact that the film was shot in VistaVision certainly should not be ignored, the quality of the 4K master is great. Darker areas look terrific, too. Shadow nuances and the different ranges of blacks, grays, and whites look wonderful. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Image stability is outstanding. Great presentation. 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).

Short Cut to Hell 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.

While viewing Short Cut to Hell, I did not encounter any age-related anomalies to report in our review. On the contrary, in sequence after sequence I was repeatedly impressed by the excellent clarity and stability of the audio. During the action footage, dynamic intensity is good too, though I probably would have liked to hear more diverse music inserted there.

Short Cut to Hell Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Short Cut to Hell. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic and screenwriter Gary Gerani. As usual, Mr. Gerani shares plenty of interesting information about the production of Short Cut to Hell, its style, Graham Greene's novel that inspired it, the backgrounds and careers of the various people that made it with James Cagney, etc.

Short Cut to Hell Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

All discussions of Short Cut to Hell inevitably produce a comparison to This Gun for Hire because the two work with the same original material from Graham Greene's novel. Which is the better film? I cannot agree with the popular opinion that it is the latter. Short Cut to Hell is the more faithful film, boasting plenty of better shot footage too, but it has a crucial weakness. It lacks the star power of This Gun for Hire, which unites Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake. Kino Lorber's release introduces a wonderful recent 4K makeover prepared by Paramount and is included in Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema XXI, a three-disc box set. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.