The Tijuana Story Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

The Tijuana Story 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 Tijuana Story purports to be a “ripped from the headlines” affair, albeit circa 1957, and in fact the film begins with real life journalist Paul Coates, recounting his own personal headline (and accompanying story, of course), which provides the basis for this tale of a muckraking journalist trying to, in his own way, establish law and order in what almost might be thought of as a “wild west” outpost of corruption and villainy. There are a number of really interesting elements at play in The Tijuana Story, even if the film perhaps unavoidably recalls (ironically, it should be added, since it appeared a year before) Orson Welles’ 1958 ode to border town immorality, Touch of Evil. The focal element of a journalist named Manuel Acosta Mesa (Rodolfo Acosta) seemingly single handedly taking on a corrupt drug dealing syndicate may well have its basis in fact, but other elements of the film, including a teen love angle involving an American kid named Mitch (James Darren) and Mexican girl named Linda Alvarez (Joy Stoner), seem shoe horned into the proceedings in order to attract younger viewers. There’s a subplot involving marijuana use that may not rise to Reefer Madness levels, but which may still provoke snickers from some viewers.

The Tijuana Story Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Tijuana Story is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Kit Parker Films and Mill Creek Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. While there are some noticeable and expected variances here since the film does use what I'm assuming is stock footage of Tijuana as well as other things like scenes of ships, the bulk of this presentation boasts good detail levels, solid contrast and a lack of any really major issues with age related wear and tear. The grain field is just a bit variable, ebbing and flowing at certain moments, variances which also show up with regard to clarity and sharpness (there are some kind of odd moments within the same sequence where things get noticeably softer for a moment, as in the scene where Mitch meets Linda on the streets of Tijuana). My score is 3.75.

The Tijuana Story Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Tijuana Story features a DTS-HD Master Audio Mono mix which includes some narration and/or voiceover by reporter Paul Coates, an element which has just very slight variances in fidelity and clarity in the opening moments of the film. Otherwise, though, dialogue is rendered cleanly (though some accents intrude at times, meaning the optional subtitles may be helpful for some listeners). The film's music also sounds fine, with no issues with regard to distortion or dropouts.

The Tijuana Story Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

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

The Tijuana Story Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This film has the ostensible imprimatur of being based on "an actual incident" (as they say), but it's probably too overheated to ever register as anything other than a melodrama. On that basis, though, it's often quite involving and it builds to a suitable catharsis that has considerable emotional heft. Technical merits are generally solid for those considering a purchase.