Vice Squad Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Vice Squad Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 9, 2025

Arnold Laven's "Vice Squad" (1953) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by screenwriter and critic Gary Gerani and vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Do you see the killer here?

If you decide to end your day with Vice Squad expecting it to turn out a solid film noir because of its star, Edward G. Robinson, you will likely have a disappointing experience. It will not be because Robinson gives a rare, underwhelming performance, or because some of the supporting actors around him are not right for their parts. Robinson is predictably good and in the company of equally solid actors, like Paulette Goddard, Edward Binns, and Lee Van Cleef. Also, Vice Squad is a proper film noir, not an impostor. So, why might Vice Squad not meet your expectations?

It does not treat Robinson as a star, and everything he and the rest of the actors do is meant to educate first and then entertain. It is a classic police procedural. Like virtually all of its relatives, it is a B-film too, so its visuals are not of the kind that the great film noirs are remembered for.

Robinson is Barnie Barnaby, a veteran police captain who, on a day like any other day, begins investigating the cold-blooded murder of a patrol officer. At the murder scene, Barnaby’s men pick up Jack Hartrampf (Porter Hall), an elderly married businessman, who has seen the killer while leaving the apartment of his young and beautiful mistress. Despite being advised by his lawyer to share as little information as possible and causing a lot of unnecessary drama, Hartrampf quickly points Barnaby in the right direction, and, with help from Mona Ross (Goddard), the owner of a popular escort service, he stumbles upon an ambitious plan for a local bank robbery. Barnaby is then able to figure out that Al Barkis (Binns), a criminal with a long rap sheet, has put together a crew to do the robbery. After spreading his men as best as possible, and while still consulting with Ross, Barnaby launches a risky operation to prevent the robbery and nab the patrol officer’s killer.

A conventional film noir would have done plenty to ensure that Barnaby’s multitasking produces plenty of exciting fireworks, dominated by memorable good and bad characters, wrapped in a strong noir atmosphere. Vice Squad attempts to impress differently, even though it has a few interesting characters, some fireworks, and even bits of decent noir atmosphere. Everything Barnaby does takes place during a very short period of time, emphasizing pragmatism to convince the audience that it is reflective of everyday police reality. The most intriguing aspect of it is Barnaby’s ‘flexibility’. To get the results he wants, Barnaby constantly improvises and bends the law, and, if necessary, even cuts illegal deals.

Did high-ranking police officials operate as Barnaby does? Probably. However, this is not the crucial detail, and Vice Squad is not on a mission to convert the skeptics into believers. Whether historically accurate or not, its narrative is a slice of reality that reconstructs the chaos and pressure a man like Barnaby would endure daily to be successful. Everything else is, as odd as it may sound, ornamentation.

Director Arnold Laven worked with a screenplay by Lawrence Roman, who adapted Leslie T. White’s novel “Harness Bull”. After Vice Squad, Roman penned the screenplays for several, much bigger and better genre films, like Naked Alibi, McQ, and Red Sun.

Vice Squad Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Vice Squad arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release introduces a 2K makeover of the film sourced from a 35mm fine grain. Unsurprisingly, the entire film has a healthy and attractive organic appearance. However, there are sections of the film with small yet noticeable density fluctuations and minor surface imperfections, such as blemishes and nicks, that a proper 2K restoration would have eliminated. Delineation, clarity, and depth range from good to very good, in a few places even excellent.The grayscale is convincing as well. Blacks are lush but never crush, while grays and whites are nicely balanced. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. In places where grain is not as nicely exposed as it should be, the drop in quality is directly related to the inherited density fluctuations. Image stability is good. (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).

Vice Squad 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.

The lossless track is excellent. While the film does not have any elaborate action footage, there are several areas, like the bank robbery and shootout at the end, where dynamic variety is great. To be honest, I was quite surprised by the dynamic contrasts, given that the entire film is focused on authenticity. I did not encounter any audio dropouts or encoding anomalies to report.

Vice Squad Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - in this exclusive new audio commentary, screenwriter and critic Gary Gerani deconstructs Vice Squad and shares plenty of information about its genesis and production. The careers of director Arnold Laven and several cast members are addressed as well.

• Trailer - presented here is a remastered original trailer, with French text, for Vice Squad. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

Vice Squad Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Some of the smaller police procedural film noirs can be very intriguing time capsules. The ones that feature spies and replace the conventional noir atmosphere with political paranoia are particularly interesting to deconstruct, as they tend to see America from most unusual angles. Vice Squad gathers several excellent actors who have appeared in various big films, a few rightfully considered timeless classics, too. However, it is a B-film that attempts to educate first and then thrill, as some of its famous relatives have. I liked it. However, if you are a fan of any of its stars and approach it expecting that it would turn out to be an underappreciated gem, you are most likely setting yourself up for an underwhelming viewing experience. It is included in Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema XVII, a three-disc box set. RECOMMENDED.