The Verdict Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

The Verdict Blu-ray Movie Review

Not guilty, of course.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III January 29, 2026

I'll watch Peter Lorre in damn near anything... but when the film's already great to begin with, it's even better. Don Siegel's The Verdict is one of those productions, a rock-solid mystery that absolutely drips with atmosphere from the very beginning. Taking place in London circa 1890, it concerns the recent judgement of a man wrongfully convicted of murder by aging Scotland Yard Superintendent George Grodman (Sydney Greenstreet), who learns of a new witness after the poor man is put to death. Resigning his post to younger John Buckley (George Coulouris), a cocky inspector who's all too eager to take over Grodman's position, he returns home to write his memoirs in peace.

Despite his unfortunate mistake, Grodman is warmly greeted by his neighbors after returning home; this motley crew includes painter Victor Emmric (Lorre), Arthur Kendall (Morton Lowry), whose aunt happened to be the murder victim, and Kendall's snooping landlady, Vicky Benson (Rosalind Ivan). A fourth party, Clive Russell (Paul Cavanagh), isn't quite as welcoming: Emmric and Kendall dislike him for his political views and aren't afraid to say it, so he's the first to leave their impromptu gathering. The second is Kendall, who gets into a heated argument outside with his girlfriend, music hall singer Lottie Rawson (Joan Lorring). So sets the stage for a rather eventful night, one in which Kendall is found dead the next morning... even though his bedroom door was locked and bolted from the inside.

The Verdict takes its time solving this central mystery, presenting it as a perfect opportunity for Grodman to quickly salvage his damaged reputation by helping to solve it as both a seasoned investigator and a key witness, being that he and perpetually paranoid Mrs. Benson were the first to discover Kendall's body in bed with his throat cut. Even so, the case belongs to new Superintendent Buckley now, and obviously he and Grodman attempt to one-up each other while trading insults along the way. Featuring several unique twists and turns, procedural detours, and more than a few red herrings, the mystery slowly unravels as various suspects are identified and eliminated one by one. And though there's one small part of The Verdict's ultimate revelation that doesn't really hold up to close scrutiny, it still remains a well-constructed genre effort whose outstanding cast doesn't even need to do all that much heavy lifting.

Nor does The Verdict's foreboding atmosphere, heavy with shadows and fog, but those elements and many more are greatly supported by Warner Archive's impressive new Blu-ray, which as usual serves up a top-tier restoration sourced from vault elements treated with the utmost care. Add in lossless audio and handful of era-specific extras and you've got another standout release during one of the boutique label's best months in recent memory.

The Verdict Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Sourced from a recent 4K scan of the original nitrate camera negative (with a few brief swaps for secondary elements, from the looks of it), The Verdict looks fantastic on Warner Archive's new Blu-ray. Not surprisingly given its gaslit, foggy London atmosphere, this was a challenging film to handle but the boutique label has once again done great work here, as the carefully-cleaned image retains a strong amount of organic film grain while showing almost no signs of macro blocking, crush, and posterization. Fine details and textures are both outstanding, especially in regards to background details and clothing fabrics, while the sporadic close-ups are especially arresting given a few distinct lighting choices. The film runs at a high and largely supportive bit rate from start to finish, only showing slight room for improvement in the most densely foggy sequences... but within format boundaries, this is a near-perfect presentation of The Verdict that far outpaces Warner Archive's own 2009 DVD and will hugely impress long-time fans of the film.

The Verdict Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Equally impressive is the DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix, which as usual offers a split two-channel presentation of the original mono audio for wider playback. (Those looking to keep it 100% authentic can always set their receivers to a forced center-channel output, but I almost never do this.) Dialogue, background effects, and the bracing original score by composer Frederick Hollander -- best known for his work on Here Comes Mr. Jordan, The Talk of the Town, and Christmas in Connecticut -- all sound excellent, and only trace levels of age-related wear-and-tear remain. In all respects, it's equally solid work and really adds to the film's occasionally intense atmosphere.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature only, not the extras listed below.

The Verdict Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with poster-themed cover artwork (not the studio's best effort by a long shot) and a handful of appreciated era-specific bonus features.

• Hair-Raising Hare (7:42) - This 1946 Looney Tunes short, directed by Chuck Jones and starring Bugs Bunny and a Peter Lorre lookalike, was last seen on Warner Bros.' Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume Three and the Bugs Bunny 80th Anniversary Collection.

• Birth of a Notion (7:04) - Directed by Bob Clampett, this 1947 Looney Tunes cartoon (which has no relation to the 1915 film) features Daffy Duck, Leopold the Dog, and another Peter Lorre lookalike. This one last appeared on Warner Archive's Looney Tunes Collector's Vault: Volume 1.

• Audio Conly Radio Shows - A trio of old-time radio shows starring Peter Lorre and Sydney Greensteet.

• Inner Sanctum - Black Sea Gull (28:41) - Originally aired March 7, 1943.
• Suspense - Till Death Do Us Part (29:37) - Originally aired December 15, 1942.
• New Adventures of Nero Wolfe - Stamped for Murder (28:44) - Originally aired October 20, 1950.

The Verdict Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Verdict is a solid old-fashioned mystery that's strongly led by its stars, and its ever-twisting narrative remains unpredictable to the finish. Now celebrating its 80th anniversary, it looks and sounds better than ever thanks to the dependable restoration efforts by Warner Archive, who as usual have put forth a well-rounded home video package with great A/V merits and handful of vintage bonus features. Highly Recommended to fans and first-timers alike.