Time Limit Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		4.0

Time Limit Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 20, 2021

Karl Malden's "Time Limit" (1957) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The only bonus feature on the disc is a vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

What is your definition of heroism, sir?

Time Limit is the one and only film Karl Malden directed. It was inspired by Ralph Berkey’s popular Broadway play, which was adapted for the big screen by Henry Denker. Malden completed the film in 1957, just a couple of years after earning an Oscar statuette for his contribution to A Streetcar Named Desire.

During the Korean War, Major Harry Cargill (Richard Basehart) returns home to America as a traitor. In an official military report, Cargill is accused of collaborating with the communists while being held prisoner in one of their camps, which is why now he is expected to face court-martial. Colonel William Edwards (Richard Widmark), a veteran prosecutor, is ordered to review all of the incriminating evidence and deliver a recommendation for legal action as quickly as possible.

In Edwards’ office, Cargill confesses that he could not handle the suffering and misery in the camp and during a moment of uncharacteristic weakness committed treason. Other men that were in the camp are questioned too, and after they confirm Cargill’s story Edwards is left with no other option but to recommend that he faces court-martial. However, Cargill’s reluctance to even partially object the information from the military report inspires Edwards to dig deeper into his case, and the more he does, the more convinced he becomes that the true story about his collapse in the camp is different.

Malden directs Time Limit with ease and confidence that are surprising, though it is probably fair to speculate that the terrific actors that were contracted to do the film likely made his job quite easy. Indeed, a lot of the material that Malden shot features one-on-one interactions where their charisma and pitch-perfect emotions do plenty to make the drama appear legit. Also, virtually all of the material comes from two confined spaces -- Edwards’ office where Cargill and a couple of witnesses are summoned, and a freezing shack where the prisoners are held -- so Malden’s ability to move the camera is never seriously tested.

But the chamber quality of the visuals is perfect for this film because its drama is fueled by a couple of terrific intimate character transformations. On one hand is Cargill whose treason very quickly proves to be a shaky facade protecting a bigger story, one that threatens to compromise the military code that supposedly separates right from wrong. On the other hand is Edwards whose investigation eventually presents him with an awful dilemma that could very well force him to defy his principles, perhaps even his conviction that the truth is always worth pursuing. A third character is forced to reevaluate his hierarchical idealism as well.

While the film’s chosen direction isn’t difficult to guess, its final observations about heroism amongst brothers of arms are unusually frank -- or perhaps not so much once they are seen as human beings that share the same weaknesses and flaws we all have as well. Real heroes do not always emerge in great battles, sometimes they are ordinary men and women who just step up and do the right thing when it counts the most.

Time Limit Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Time Limit arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from a recent 2K master that is quite good. Indeed, aside from looking just a tiny bit softer than it should, the film has an overall very attractive organic appearance. Delineation and clarity for instance range from good to very good, while depth is consistently pleasing. The grayscale is solid, too. The blacks are very healthy and properly balanced to avoid serious rushing in darker footage. Different ranges of equally healthy grays and whites produce lovely nuances as well. Density levels are very good, though with a slightly better grain exposure they would appear even more convincing. Fluidity is nice too, so on a larger screen the visuals can appear quite impressive. Overall image stability is very good. Finally, I noticed a few tiny white flecks, but there are no distracting large debris, cuts, damage marks, torn or warped frames to report. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Time Limit Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I thought that the lossless audio track did everything it needed to do to reproduce the native qualities of the original sound mix. Given the nature of the drama I think it is fair to declare that they are not too impressive, but the basics are very solid and the lossless audio track handles them very well. There are no purely technical anomalies to report in our review.

Time Limit Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - vintage trailer for Time Limit. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

Time Limit Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Do real heroes have a breaking point? If they do and there comes a moment when they compromise themselves, do they still deserve to be called heroes? You can get a few very interesting answers to these questions from Time Limit, the one and only film Karl Malden directed way back in the late 1950s. I liked it a lot. It is a very fine drama with some predictably excellent performances by Richard Widmark and Richard Basehart. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from a solid 2K master that was prepared on behalf of MGM, but the only bonus feature on it is a vintage trailer. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.