Spin a Dark Web Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Spin a Dark Web Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 16, 2019

Note: This film is available as part of Noir Archive Volume 2: 1954-1956.

Kit Parker Films and Mill Creek Entertainment mined an interesting nonet of features for their Noir Archive Volume 1: 1944-1954, and now a second volume is forthcoming, with another nine outings that show what a reliable purveyor of noir or at least noir-ish films Columbia Studios continued to be through the mid-fifties. As the subtitle for the first volume made clear, that collection spanned a decade, from what was arguably the apex of noir in the mid-forties to the arguably somewhat less fertile era of Eisenhower. This second volume picks up in 1954 and continues forward two years, assembling a rather diverse collection of writers, directors and stars, some of whom at least many would probably consign to the so-called “B list”, though others, like Kim Novak, Jack Finney and even William Castle, certainly have claims to "A list" fame. One way or the other, though, there are some interesting titles in this second collection, and noir fans may well find this as appealing a set as the first outing.

Spin a Dark Web is, like Footsteps in the Fog , a British production, though this film probably fits more snugly into perceived noir tropes than the Stewart Granger - Jean Simmons film. Here, a kind of dupe named Jim Bankley (Lee Patterson) is seduced, or at least encouraged, into a life of crime by Bella Francesci (Faith Domergue), even though Bankley wants to pursue an honorable (?) living as a prizefighter. What’s kind of interesting in this otherwise pretty rote set up is that Bankley is revealed not to exactly be a knight in shining armor, at least with regard to some prior illicit activities, but he does at least have a semblance of a moral compass, something that puts him at odds with Bella’s gangster brother Rico (Martin Benson). This might have been a more interesting film with a more energetic (and some might argue higher profile) cast. As it stands, it’s a decent B-movie with some interesting characterizations, but it never achieves any lasting impression.

Spin a Dark Web Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Spin a Dark Web is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Kit Parker Films and Mill Creek Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.66:1. This is a generally very pleasing looking transfer, one with nicely deep blacks and a well modulated gray scale, along with firm accountings of sometimes heavily patterened clothing the women in particular wear. There are a fair number of dissolves in this film, as with some others in this set, and those moments understandably see a downturn in fine detail and general detail, and often a pretty hefty uptick in what is already at times a rather heavy grain field. This outing also features quite a bit of location footage, and some of that, which almost resembles cinema verite techniques at times, can look relatively soft when compared to the bulk of the presentation.

Spin a Dark Web Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Spin a Dark Web features a nice sounding DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track that renders musical elements like the almost French cabaret sounding opening song or some of the sound effects as in some racetrack sequences without any issues whatsoever. Dialogue is also rendered cleanly and clearly throughout the presentation.

Spin a Dark Web Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

None of the three discs in this set feature any supplements.

Spin a Dark Web Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The gambling element here, along with a certain "transmission" of data, kind of reminded me of 711 Ocean Drive, which was included in Noir Archive Volume 1: 1944-1954 from Kit Parker Films. Spin a Dark Web has some really fascinating elements, and it's actually kind of smarmy in a way (which may recommend it to certain noir fans), but I'm not sure that may totally gel with some people's perceptions of what the "polite" folks in England are like. Video encounters a few hurdles, but audio is fine, for those considering a purchase.