Directed by William Castle
Starring Howard Duff, Shelley Winters, Dan Duryea, Tony Curtis, John McIntire, Gar Moore, Leif Erickson
Kino Lorber is continuing their terrific noir Blu-Ray series Film Noir: The Dark Side Of Cinema with Volumes VI and VII.
Volume VI contains John Brahm’s Singapore (1947), with Fred MacMurray, Ava Gardner and Roland Culver; George Sherman’s The Raging Tide (1951) with Shelley Winters, Richard Conte, Stephen McNally, Charles Bickford, Alex Nicol and John McIntire; and William Castle’s Johnny Stool Pigeon (1949).
In Castle’s picture, Federal agents need Johnny Evans (Dan Duryea), who’s doing time in Alcatraz, to rat on some drug dealers and hit men. Johnny’s not to hip to the idea. It’s a solid effort from Castle. Recommended.
Volume VII will contain Byron Haskin’s The Boss (1956) starring John Payne; Sidney Salkow’s Chicago Confidential (1957) with Brian Keith, Beverly Garland and Dick Foran; and Dana Andrews, Dick Foran and Marilee Earle in Jacques Tourneur’s The Fearmakers (1958).
The Hannibal 8 
Toby, these are my kind of movies. I hope Kino Lorber keeps them coming.
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Interesting that Kino are now plundering the MGM/UA vaults with
THE BOSS/THE FEARMAKERS/CHICAGO CONFIDENTIAL.
The real gem in this set is Byron Haskin’s THE BOSS from a new 2K
restoration-it certainly needs one the old MGM/UA DVD was wretched.
A pet project for Payne who is on top form with excellent support from
William Bishop and lovely Doe Avedon who later married Don Siegel.
Made on a tight budget Haskin still manages to include a couple of dazzling
set pieces: the Union Station Massacre and a shoot out in a cavern like
cement factory.
I simply cannot wait to see this one in high def.
CHICAGO CONFIDENTIAL is one of Sidney Salkow’s better films
it rattles along nicely and it’s nice to see old timer Dick Foran get the girl
especially when “the girl” is Beverly Garland.
Sadly Foran is the only good thing about THE FEARMAKERS as the
heavy and lightning did not strike for a third time for Tourneur and
Dana Andrews after two masterpieces (CANYON PASSAGE;NIGHT OF
THE DEMON)
Tourneur considered the film his worst movie and he’s not far wrong
although the subject matter will have some appeal considering recent
events.Sadly,as much as I’d like it to be,THE FEARMAKERS is not
a lost classic ripe for rediscovery but with the Haskin and the Salkow
we’ve already had more than our money’s worth.
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