Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

The Long Haul Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 22, 2019

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

The Long Haul is a British production teaming an arguably slightly past his prime Victor Mature with a very much in her prime Diana Dors, as a kind of star crossed couple brought together by criminals invading the British trucking industry. Sound implausible? Well, it most definitely is, but this is another B-grade noir with some very interesting subtext(s), including the fact that ex-soldier Harry Miller (Victor Mature) wants to get back to the United States, but is being kept in northern England by his British wife Connie (Gene Anderson). When Connie’s family is able to get Harry employment (however meager) as a truck driver, Harry ends up having to interact with a bunch of thugs, including the nicely named Joe Easy (Patrick Allen), whose girlfriend Lynn (Diana Dors), unsurprisingly catches (obviously married) Harry’s interest. It’s actually the personal stories rather than any criminal subterfuge that gives The Long Haul its energy, and Mature is surprisingly effective as a guy struggling mightily to either regain or stabilize (depending on how far you personally feel he “transgresses”) his moral compass.

The Long Haul Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Long Haul is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Kit Parker Films and Mill Creek Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. This is a largely very nice looking transfer, with an understanding that it doesn't look like much if any restoration has been done. The element used is in generally great shape, though, with a nicely resolved fine grain field and good detail levels, at least in more brightly lit sequences. There are occasional signs of damage, including a couple of brief but pretty noticeable splotches (at around 4:53 what looks like a relatively large piece of actual missing frame briefly appears on Mature's forehead, to cite one example). A lot of the film takes place at night, and there are some deficits in shadow detail. Flicker is evident at times, perhaps more noticeable due to that very darkness. There can also be slight variances in clarity with regard to some of the location footage.

The Long Haul Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Long Haul features a DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track which supports the film's dialogue and occasional sound effects (like roaring truck engines or the "thwack" of fists pummeling faces) quite well. There is some very slight clipping evident in the highest brass cues (the film has a pretty brass heavy score by Trevor Duncan). There are no real additional problems to mention, however, and the bulk of this track resounds with decent fidelity and depth.

The Long Haul Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

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

The Long Haul Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Victor Mature often had a kind of unexpectedly expressive sadness under his tough guy demeanor, and that aspect helps give The Long Haul a kind of elegiac quality at times. Dors is petulant but also impressive (perhaps in more ways than one), and the supporting cast is often interesting, as is some of the passing location footage. The Long Haul's story is old hat (and/or truck), but some of the personal elements involving the characters are surprisingly compelling. Technical merits are generally solid for those considering a purchase.