Thirteen might be an unlucky number for the people – and animals – on the run in this latest installment of Kino’s Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema series, but it’s lucky for us, since all three of the films included in this set are making their Blu-ray debuts here. First, the search is on for a panther carrying a strip of microfilm in Spy Hunt. Next, a recently released mental health patient is pushed to the breaking point in The Night Runner. Finally, a widow suspects there’s a much darker side to her brother-in-law in Step Down to Terror.
The Production: 3.5/5
Spy Hunt (1950; 3.5 out of 5)
A train en route to Paris from Milan is carrying two zoo-bound black panthers and a strip of microfilm hidden in one of the collars by secret agent Catherine Ullven (Märta Torén). The microfilm – containing information about a recent assassination – is also coveted by enemy agents, who proceed to derail the train to get it. When the panthers escape, Catherine has to involve Steve Quain (Howard Duff) – who was escorting the panthers on their train ride – in her mission.
Also known as Panther’s Moon – which is the name of the Victor Canning novel this movie was based upon – Spy Hunt is an efficient blend of espionage thriller and film noir. The film’s quite effective in taking the source material (adapted by George Zuckerman and Leonard Lee) and taking advantage of the atmosphere of the spy thrillers cropping up due to the rise of the Cold War. There’s also the advantage of having Universal Noir regular Irving Glassberg as cinematographer here, as the picturesque Swiss Alps – recreated on the Universal backlots for some scenes – become more towering and claustrophobic as the story moves along. To top it all off, director George Sherman maintains a steady pace and gets solid performances from his cast, including lead players Howard Duff and Märta Torén. Another solid little gem in Universal’s noir output, Spy Hunt makes the most of its mélange of different genres that it’s worth a look.
The Night Runner (1957; 3.5 out of 5)
Discharged from the state hospital due to overcrowding, Roy Turner (Ray Danton) – who was admitted there following a violent attack on a stranger during a mental health crisis – is urged by his psychiatrist to avoid stressful situations. After a bid to find a job in the city is unsuccessful, Roy manages to find solace in a California seaside motel and love in the form of Susan Mayes (Colleen Miller), the daughter of the motel’s owner (Willis Bouchey). However, Roy’s past demons rise to the surface when Susan’s father learns the truth about Roy’s hospitalization; the resulting confrontation pushes Roy past the breaking point, and he commits a crime that threatens any chance of future happiness…
A rarity in noir, The Night Runner takes a more comprehensive, if not sympathetic look at mental illness in the genre. Here, Gene Levitt’s script took a troupe that was more often used in villainous parts in noir and put it into the protagonist while portraying him in shades of grey rather than straight up black-and-white morality. Ray Danton acquits himself well as the troubled Roy trying to make amends for his past and try to survive and thrive in a world that doesn’t look upon his faults positively; he also has great support from Colleen Miller, Willis Bouchey, Merry Anders, Harry Jackson, Eddy Waller, Steve Pendleton, Bill Erwin, Alex Sharp and one of the more notable on-screen appearances by future regular Hanna-Barbera voice actor John Stephenson (he’s the psychiatrist whose concerns about Roy prove to be well founded). Finally, Abner Biberman’s direction doesn’t dance around the rougher aspects of the story and gets straight to the point in making it a tragedy when the climatic confrontation does occur. In short, The Night Runner is yet another underrated gem in the Universal Noir oeuvre that’s absolutely worth another look now.
Step Down to Terror (1958; 3.5 out of 5)
Just as police are moving in to arrest him, suspected serial killer Johnny Williams Walters (Charles Drake) manages to escape and find refuge in his hometown. His family – especially his mother (Josephine Hutchinson) and his recently widowed sister-in-law Helen (Colleen Drake) – is happy that Johnny’s home, but that joy turns into terror for Helen as she starts to realize that something’s amiss with Johnny. Along with visiting detective Mike Randall (Rod Taylor), Helen learns of Johnny’s dark secrets, but will Johnny do the unthinkable and kill Helen to keep his secrets hidden?
A remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic Shadow of a Doubt (1943), Step Down to Terror follows in that movie’s footsteps in a smaller scale. Originally slated to have Ross Hunter producing and Donna Reed starring, director Harry Keller nonetheless turns in an efficient and economical retelling of the Gordon McDonnell story “Uncle Charlie” (adapted here by Mel Dinelli, Czenzi Ormonde and Sy Gomberg – the latter credited under the name of his son Chris Cooper). The movie works overall due to the strong work of Charles Drake and Colleen Miller in the leads, even if they don’t make viewers forget about the exceptional performances of Joseph Cotten and Teresa Wright in Hitchcock’s original; the contributions of Universal Noir regulars Russell Metty (cinematographer) and the production design duo of Alexander Golitzen and Russell A. Gausman shouldn’t be overlooked either. The only downside is that due to the scaled down version of the story used here, a lot of the tension that marked Hitchcock’s classic is diminished as well here. However, Step Down to Terror is still a solid little B-movie that proved the durability of “Uncle Charlie” and Hitchcock style suspense for the noir set.
Video: 4.5/5
3D Rating: NA
Spy Hunt is presented in its original 1:37:1 aspect ratio while The Night Runner and Step Down to Terror are presented in their original 1:85:1 aspect ratios; all three films in this set have brand new 2K masters created for their home video debuts. Film grain, gray scale and fine details in all three transfers are presented faithfully with minor cases of scratches, tears and dirt present. Overall, this release is likely the best all three films will ever look on home video.
Audio: 5/5
All three films’ mono soundtracks are presented on DTS-HD Master Audio tracks for this release. Sound mixes, dialogue and music (an uncredited Walter Scharf for Spy Hunt, the uncredited combo of Heinz Roemheld, Frank Skinner and Herman Stein for The Night Runner and a score comprised of stock music by William Lava, Henry Mancini, Roemheld, Hans J. Salter, Skinner and Stein for Step Down to Terror) are all presented faithfully with only minor cases of crackling, popping and hissing present. This release is likely the best all three movies will ever sound on home video.
Special Features: 3/5
Spy Hunt
Commentary by journalists/authors Bryan Reesman and Max Evry – The first of three newly recorded commentaries on this release, Reesman and Evry have a candid conversation about the film’s background, including production history, cast and crew and where it fits between the noir and spy thriller genre.
Bonus KLSC Trailers – The Sleeping City, The Raging Tide & The Secret Ways
The Night Runner
Commentary by authors/film historians Lee Gambin and Dr. Eloise Ross – Newly recorded for this release, Gambin and Ross look at the film’s context in the rise of films dealing with mental illness in the 1950’s following The Snake Pit (1948) and where the movie fits in Universal’s noirs.
Theatrical Trailer (2:09)
Bonus KLSC Trailers – The Price of Fear (Double Feature trailer) & Behind the High Wall
Step Down to Terror
Commentary by journalists/authors Bryan Reesman and Max Evry – The last of the new commentary tracks has Reesman and Evry comparing this movie to the original Gordon McDonnell story based thereon and the classic Alfred Hitchcock movie.
Theatrical Trailer (1:56)
Bonus KLSC Trailers – Man in the Shadow & The Female Animal
Overall: 4/5
Kino continues to knock it out of the park with this latest installment in their Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema series, with solid HD transfers on all three films and informative commentary tracks on all three films as well. Very highly recommended.
Post Disclaimer
Some of our content may contain marketing links, which means we will receive a commission for purchases made via those links. In our editorial content, these affiliate links appear automatically, and our editorial teams are not influenced by our affiliate partnerships. We work with several providers (currently Skimlinks and Amazon) to manage our affiliate relationships. You can find out more about their services by visiting their sites.
Similar threads