movie world

Kino Lorber dives back into the Universal vaults for three more noirs making their Blu-ray debut in Volume V of their Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema series. This set has three stories of people hiding their true identities: one to get away from her past life with her gangster ex-fiancee (Because of You), one to break up an international counterfeiting ring (Outside the Law) and one to learn the truth behind a beloved priest’s murder (The Midnight Story).

Though the labeling of some of these titles "noir" is highly debatable, and the majority of films in this series are mostly just average, it's still enormous fun to catch up with these largely forgotten, generally lesser films.

3xBD25 | 1080p AVC | 266 min | 62.6 Gb + 3% rec
Language: English
Subtitles: English
Genre: Crime, Drama, Film-Noir, Mystery, Thriller, Romance

Because of You (1952) Directed by Joseph Pevney

For Christine Carroll (Loretta Young), her life is turned upside down when she is sent to jail – along with her fiancee Mike Monroe (Alex Nicol) – when she is made an unwitting accessory to a crime committed by Mike. However, Christine vows to emerge from prison better than when she went in, and sure enough, she becomes a nurse’s aide at a war veteran’s hospital and soon marries Steve Kimberly (Jeff Chandler), a patient suffering from PTSD. Over time, the couple have a child together, but Christine’s new lease on life is suddenly shaken when Mike reappears and asks her for a favor. This favor could very well destroy everything she has worked for since turning her life around...

Outside the Law (1956) Directed by Jack Arnold

When an Army soldier is shot dead in Berlin, Treasury agents enlist the help of ex-convict – and a friend of the victim – Johnny Salvo (Ray Danton) to not only help them flush out the killer, but also break up an international counterfeiting ring. In the process, Johnny gets a chance at redeeming himself in the eyes of his father (Onslow Stevens) – who’s leading the operation – while also earning the love and trust of his buddy’s widow Maria (Leigh Snowden). However, Johnny’s work doesn’t go unnoticed: Don Kastner (Grant Williams) not only has eyes for Maria, but also heads the counterfeiting ring and will stop at nothing – even trying to kill both Johnny and Maria – to keep it running!

The Midnight Story (1957) Directed by Joseph Peveny

In the North Beach District of San Francisco, beloved Father Tomasino is knifed to death in an alleyway by an unknown assailant. Traffic officer Joe Martini (Tony Curtis) has a hunch who might be responsible but is quickly dismissed by homicide detective Kilrain (Ted de Corsia), who then promptly orders him to stay off the case. Going it alone, Joe quickly befriends the main suspect, restaurant owner Sylvio Malatesta (Gilbert Roland), and is even quickly accepted as a friend of the family. However, Joe’s investigation takes a turn he didn’t expect, as he finds himself falling in love with Sylvio’s cousin Maria (Marisa Pavan); now Joe is caught between his vow to catch Father Tomasino’s killer and the newfound loyalty he has to Sylvio and his family.

Extras:
-- New commentaries for all three films.
-- Trailers.