Jun 032013
 

Although Olive Films’ releases tend to be pricey especially since they tend not to contain any features, they do often put out, relatively speaking, obscure titles. So for those Humphrey Bogart fans out there, or fans of film noir in general, this is a good pick-up even in the $20-25 range.

 

 


The Enforcer (1951)


Genre(s): Crime, Drama, Film Noir
Olive Films | NR – 87 min. – $29.95 | April 30, 2013

MOVIE INFO:
Directed by:
Bretaigne Windust
Writer(s): Martin Rackin (written by)
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Zero Mostel, Ted De Corsia, Everett Sloane

Theatrical Release Date: February 24, 1951

DISC INFO:
Features:
None
Number of Discs: 1

Audio: English (DTS-HD MA 1.0)
Video: 1080p/Full Frame 1.37
Subtitles: NA
Disc Size: 17.7 GB
Codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Region(s): A

THE MOVIE

Overview (from back cover): Humphrey Bogart plays crusading District Attorney Martin Ferguson out to convict the head of a vicious murder-for-hire ring. But when his star witness (TED DE CORSIA) is killed, Ferguson must race against time to find the evidence he needs to bring down the mob boss, Albert Mendoza (EVERETT SLOANE). Told in flashbacks, this tough-as-nails crime thriller on the cutting edge of film noir was based on actual Murder, Inc. trials.

SPECIAL FEATURES – 0/5

Sadly, though unsurprisingly, no features have been included.

VIDEO – 3.75/5

Olive Films – in one of their many Paramount licenses – releases The Enforcer on Blu-ray presented in its original 1.37 full frame aspect ratio. The picture here is hardly pristine obviously not receiving any restoration work showing off many instances of dust marks and scratches throughout. However, even with those flaws, the picture is never going to look better as the detail levels are well done and the contrast is stark but not to the point of losing focus.

AUDIO – 3.5/5

On a similar front, the disc contains a DTS-HD MA Mono track which is satisfactory and proper considering this is a mostly dialogue-driven film. The effects, like gunfire, come through well enough. This isn’t anything special but considering the film’s age it’s the best we’ll ever get.

OVERALL – 2.5/5

Overall, although Olive Films’ releases tend to be pricey especially since they tend not to contain any features, they do often put out, relatively speaking, obscure titles. So for those Humphrey Bogart fans out there, or fans of film noir in general, this is a good pick-up even in the $20-25 range. Will the audio or video transfers wow you? Hardly. Yet the movie itself is nicely done and Bogart gives his typical (i.e. solid) performance.

 

Published: 06/03/2013

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