STRONGROOM, Vernon Sewell, director/BFI You will forgive me if I begin with an unmissable Blu-ray for which I’ve written not one but two essays. Vernon Sewell’s economical and measured Strongroom (1962) treats the tropes of the British crime film in intelligent (and bleak) fashion, with the always reliable Derren Nesbitt as a thief with a conscience and Colin Gordon as the bank manager locked in an airtight strongroom with a cashier over a bank holiday. The film comes up as fresh as paint in this splendid new BFI Blu-ray, and the excellent extras include nothing less than another Vernon Sewell film, of which I wrote: ‘The physical violence in Vernon Sewell’s cult B movie (again starring Derren Nesbitt) The Man in the Back Seat (1961) may take place offscreen, but the damage done to the human body – from multiple coshings, blood streaming from head wounds and a near-dead victim being finished off by having a car deliberately driven over him – resonates throughout the film, even in its few moments that have minimal tension.’ Two exceptional British crime films. COLUMBIA NOIR #7: MADE IN BRITAIN, various directors/INDICATOR A PRIZE OF GOLD (Mark Robson, 1955, 98 mins) THE LAST MAN TO HANG (Terence Fisher, 1956, 75 mins) WICKED AS THEY COME (Ken Hughes, 1956, 94 mins) SPIN A DARK WEB (Vernon Sewell, 1956, 76 mins) THE LONG HAUL (Ken Hughes, 1957, 89 mins) FORTUNE IS A WOMAN (Sidney Gilliat, 1957, 95 mins) Another declaration of interest: I provided the commentary for the Terence Fisher entry here, the intriguing The Last Man To Hang. But that film is only one of the neglected gems on offer. The ongoing Columbia Noir series from Powerhouse Indicator is proving very welcome. It doesn’t matter if not every title in the individual boxes is an ironclad classic – it can safely be said that there isn’t a single film that is without interest, and some are very accomplished indeed. The seventh instalment in the series boasts a variety of Hollywood legends working in the UK, including Richard Widmark and Victor Mature. The set includes high-definition presentations of these films, and includes an intriguing interview with Vernon Sewell. THE BONE COLLECTOR, Philip Noyce, director/Kino Lorber This is third film in this column I’ve worked on the extras for: Kim Newman and I provided a commentary for The Bone Collector. The crime writer James Patterson must have been pleased with the direction and performances in this adaptation of one of his best novels. Director Philip Noyce marshals the tension with extreme adroitness, and has two top-notch performers to work with as Patterson’s sleuths: Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. Of course, Noyce had strong source material – Patterson knows precisely how to manipulate his readers, and his finely honed, utilitarian prose does get the job done – his Alex Cross novels have been besting the sales of his confrères in the crime writing field for many a moon. This disc of The Bone Collector is a solid transfer to another medium, and visual qualities are impeccable. ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN, Alan J Pakula, director Warner Brothers 4K When this influential film first appeared, expectations were high. The carefully modulated, frequently suspenseful description of journos Woodward and Bernstein’s breaking of the Watergate scandal featured two of Hollywood’s hottest stars, Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman. It was directed by Alan J Pakula, one of the most respected filmmakers in the industry and written by the uncrowned king of the intelligent screenplay, William Goldman. It seemed unlikely at the time that anything could go wrong – and (fortunately) that was exactly the case – the film delivered on every front. In fact, it’s hard now to think of the Watergate scandal without seeing it in the context of this definitive film treatment. This new Warners 4k is absolutely indispensable, with a colour palette that makes earlier iterations look pale. LIBIDO, Ernesto Gastaldi, director/Radiance The splendid Radiance Films Blu-ray release of Libido slots firmly in place a piece of the giallo puzzle. This 1965 outing is an early film in the Diaboliques vein directed by Ernesto Gastaldi (since celebrated for his lengthy screenwriting career – along with his longevity), and it arrives in an impressive transfer that makes the most of the striking black-and-white cinematography. The film is a touch restrained by later blood-drenched giallo standards, but is still elegantly made and very capably acted. CUTTER’S WAY, Ivan Passer, director/Radiance For students of cinema phenomena, it’s both instructive and entertaining to see how certain films that initially met with a mixed response steadily establish themselves as cult favourites. A classic case of this syndrome might be Ivan Passer’s unusual Cutter’s Way, which is now appreciated as a bizarre blend of contemporary Film Noir (both beginning and ending with a murder) and an arthouse sensibility. The film is a rigorous examination of the legacy of the Vietnam war, with John Heard stealing the acting honours as – along with a reluctant Jeff Bridges – he attempts to right a wrong arising as much from societal prejudice and class distinction as from corrupt sexuality. This spruced-up new edition from Radiance is remarkable not just for the film but for its impressive extras which illuminate aspects of the film. ILLUSTRIOUS CORPSES/CADAVERI ECCELLENTI, Francesco Rosi, director/Radiance Certain directors (such as Francesco Rosi) were always aware that the way to utilise the iconic actor Lino Ventura was, in a word, iconically. In Illustrious Corpses, Ventura is on typically scabrous form as the relentless Detective Inspector Rogas, commissioned to look into the unexplained murders of several Supreme Court judges. Rosi also draws powerful support from Tino Carraro, Marcel Bozzuffi and Paolo Bonacelli. Cineteca di Bologna’s 4K restoration is released alongside an audio commentary by Alex Cox and a new interview with Rosi scholar Gaetana Marron. THE SWEENEY: THE FINAL SERIES, various directors/Old Gold Media The original pilot Regan in 1974 marked the genesis of the gritty cop show The Sweeney, which appeared a year later. Originally transmitted as part of the then-highly successful Armchair Theatre, Regan was the brainchild of Ian Kennedy Martin (who had created Z-Cars), and acquainted audiences with a pre-Morse John Thaw and Dennis Waterman. It was shot on location in and around central London. In the gritty inaugural show, a cop is murdered by a gang of thugs, with Regan and Carter assigned to nail the killers, encountering non-cooperation from other members of the Flying Squad. The succeeding series, The Sweeney, was influential on many British television police series that followed with its unvarnished picture of British coppers lower down the social scale than the traditionally upper middle-class officers previously seen in the cinema. After the first three series boxsets, Old Gold Media has released The Sweeney Series Four Collector’s Edition.
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