The Shakedown Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

The Shakedown Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 6, 2021

William Wyler's "The Shakedown" (1929) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment. The only bonus feature on the disc is an audio commentary recorded by critic Nick Pinkerton. Also included with the release is a collector’s booklet featuring new writings by critic Richard Combs and film writer Andrew Graves, as well as technical credits. Region-B "locked".

Do we have a deal?

Dave Roberts (James Murray) is a professional boxer. He is also a member of a small team of professional cheaters who travel the country and set up crooked boxing matches that make them a ton of money. Dave is usually dispatched ahead of the group to impress the locals and after they get a sample of his ‘potential’ eventually he agrees to challenge his partner, Battling Roff (George Kotsonaros), who is a well-known veteran with a long record of impressive wins. Before the two men face each other boxing fans are encouraged to pick a winner while placing bets with the Manager (Wheeler Oakman), who makes sure that the team is never in the red.

But one day Dave arrives in a small provincial town where he accidentally meets Clem (Jack Hanlon), a feisty orphan boy, who quickly becomes attached to him and unintentionally forces him to reconsider his profession. Then Dave’s new girlfriend, Marjorie (Barbara Kent), encourages him to walk away from the cheaters and start a new life as an honest man. Soon after, during a tense confrontation with the Manager and his right-hand man, Dugan (Harry Gribbon), Dave agrees to participate in a real boxing match with Battling Roff whose outcome will determine his future.

It is rather odd that this early silent film -- which was apparently released as a part-talkie as well -- from director William Wyler has not inspired a contemporary remake because its drama can very easily be updated. On the other hand, if a contemporary remake does materialize it is practically guaranteed that it will be a vastly inferior film. The simplicity of the drama cannot be ‘improved’ and it is hard to see how a contemporary cast could bring the same pure emotions to the story because any spoken words will instantly erode their authenticity.

At the center of the narrative are two excellent character transformations that used to bring the audience into 1920s American reality. Dave and his partners have figured out a scheme that allows them to easily manipulate folks across the country, so all they have to do to keep their business profitable is stay professional. There are endless opportunities, or at least it looks that way, and the cheaters are simply taking advantage of them. However, when Dave meets Clem the film switches the angle from which their business is observed and, in the process, gradually reveals how everyone, including the cheaters, is actually engaged in a never-ending game of survival. It is why the orphan’s transformation is so moving as well. His relationship with Dave allows him to behave as a kid again, and as soon as he does, it becomes crystal-clear that the troublemaker that lives in his tiny body has been his only reliable friend and protector.

There are a few whiffs of old-fashioned melodrama, but Wyler’s direction keeps the film looking very authentic. The situations where the main characters make important decisions that affect their relationships and lives come naturally and it never feels like Wyler is intentionally trying to emphasize their significance. In fact, considering that the film is only sixty-five minutes long, one can probably quite easily argue that quite a few of these situations could have been expanded.

The film can be viewed with a very stylish music score by Michael Gatt that blends soft jazz and more conventional classic harmonies.

*Eureka Entertainment release of The Shakedown is sourced from a recent 4K restoration of the film that was completed by Universal Pictures.

The Shakedown Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Shakedown arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.

This film was initially released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber. (You can see our listing and review of this release here). Eureka Entertainment's upcoming release is sourced from the same master that the folks at Kino Lorber worked with. It is a 4K master that was prepared after The Shakedown was restored in 4K at Universal Pictures.

I like how the film looks in high-definition a lot. However, I have to repeat the same comments I left in our review of the U.S. release, which address the native limitations of the surviving materials that were accessed during the restoration. So, you should expect to see some small density fluctuations that affect delineation and depth. Also, there is a bit of surface damage -- minor spots and marks, some scratches, etc. -- that is left 'as is'. Some of it could have been addressed, but I think that the improvements would have been very minimal at best, so someone made the right decision not to take any major risks. (What does this mean exactly? It means that while removing what is essentially embedded damage with powerful digital tools more damage could have been done, or existing detail affected, and this would have introduced an entirely different range of issues). The grayscale is very pleasing. As you can tell from the screencaptures that are included with our review, there are fine blacks and good ranges of whites and grays. Image stability is good, but you should expect some very minor frame instability to pop up here and there. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Shakedown Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Music LPCM 2.0. The film can be seen with original English intertitles.

Michael Gatt's excellent score was used on the Kino Lorber release. I think that it sounds fantastic, though this isn't exactly surprising because it was recorded in a studio environment. In other words, the lossless track reproduces flawlessly the qualities of the original audio mix.

The Shakedown Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this audio commentary was recorded by critic Nick Pinkerton and initially appeared on Kino Lorber's release of The Shakedown. Mr. Pinkerton shares a lot of interesting information about the history of The Shakedown and its relationship with Universal Studios, the film's placement in William Wyler's body of work and its stylistic appearance, the careers of the principal actors, etc.

• Booklet - a collector's booklet featuring new writings by critic Richard Combs and film writer Andrew Graves, as well as technical credits.

The Shakedown Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Last year, Kino Lorber's release of The Shakedown became one of my favorite releases and I had to place it on my Top Ten list. Now, Eureka Entertainment is bringing The Shakedown to the United Kingdom as part of the upcoming Early Universal Vol. 1 box set. You should pick it up. I think that The Shakedown is a wonderful gem from the great director William Wyler, and after it was redone in 4K, it looks wonderful on Blu-ray. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. (If you do not yet have Robert Wise's The Set-Up in your library, pick up a copy of it as well. This film comes from a different era and is a lot darker, but deals with many of the same themes The Shakedown does. Also, it features an astonishing performance by one of my all-time favorite American actors, Robert Ryan).