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Released by: Twilight Time
Released on: May 3rd, 2014.
Director: Brian Jamieson, Ralph Nelson
Cast: Jane Russell, Glenn Ford, Rod Taylor, Nancy Kwan
Year: 1964
Purchase From Screen Archives
The Movie:
Ah. The airplane movie.
There was a time when these were taken seriously. They could be tense as hell and we wouldn't start giggling. Watch ZERO HOUR! with the great Dana Andrews from 1957. I know. You just can't stop laughing because it reminds you so much of that comedy stalwart AIRPLANE! - right down to the exclamation point.
Which brings us to 1964's deadly serious FATE IS THE HUNTER.
FATE IS THE HUNTER is the airline crash investigation version of the police procedural. It's a bit bloodless and machinating but it's really quite engrossing. The characters tend to slot into cliches (humorless but dedicated investigator, overly emotional stewardess, brooding and doomed pilot) but it has nice forward momentum and even has a bit of unintentional (though frankly sexist) humor.
Opening with the crash of a Consolidated flight 22 being piloted by Jack Savage (Rod Taylor) FATE IS THE HUNTER kicks off with a literal bang. The rest of the film utilizes a serpentine patchwork of flashbacks to piece together what exactly happened to bring down flight 22. Was it a drunk pilot? Mechanical error? Errant birds? Sabotage? Consolidated's two dueling investigators (an intense Glenn Ford and a scheming flight engineer played by Nehemiah Persoff) are determined to get to the bottom of what went wrong. Both have competing agendas however. Ford's investigator Sam McBane was an old war pilot buddy of Savage and doggedly out to clear him. Israeli actor Persoff's Ben Sawyer is more than willing to throw the dead Savage under the bus to secure a promotion and "protect" the company.
The rest of FATE plays out as an extended game of he said/she said. Turns out Savage was a bit of the Jack the lad type and prone to hard living and mild womanizing. As the investigation winds it's way through Savage's life to determine both his overall character and fitness at the controls of the downed flight, FATE IS THE HUNTER throws some interesting curveballs. Savage's war exploits cast him as both reckless and loyal and his romantic entanglements as impulsive and passionate. Oceanographer Sally Fraser (Nancy Kwan) especially has some interesting perspective as his last girlfriend. Alcoholic ex-war buddies, jilted marriage prospects and chatty bartenders all get a look in. There's even an utterly bizarre appearance by Jane Russell shoehorned in via flashback.
The unintentional humor pops up in relation to Suzanne Pleshette's crash survivor stewardess who is the key to the whole mystery. She's casually forced by the script into a couple of hysterical monologues that inadvertently play as period pieces about Hollywood sexism. But she's very strong in the film's centerpiece and final act where Ford, against all odds, pushes the powers that be to allow a recreation of the plane's final moments in a simulation exercise. Ford meticulously recreates every tiny action of the fated crew with Pleshette there. The final "reveal" is both fairly clever and moderately amusing considering all the buildup.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Twilight Time continue their winning streak with this 2.34:1. framed 1080p transfer. Shot in crisp black and white, FATE IS THE HUNTER gets a solid release here. Black levels are strong and deep and overall detail excellent. No DNR is evident. There just isn't much to say here. This is an excellent transfer. Audio is provided by a DTS-HD Master Audio Mono with strong fidelity and no damage issues. Period recording limitations make this a pretty limited track in range but it's more than up to the task of the film.
The main extra is a feature length documentary called "To Whom It May Concern: Ka Shen's Journey" about the career of actress Nancy Kwan. Eurasian Kwan has a truly interesting story to tell about Hollywood and the way it handled minorities as well as her own life story. Highly recommended.
The disc also contains an isolated Jerry Goldsmith score and an audio commentary with Kwan and Twilight Time honcho Nick Redman. These two have worked together before and have great chemistry. The track is filled with nice info and reminiscences from Kwan about her costars. There's also a theatrical trailer. A nice booklet of liner notes from Julie Kirgo is included inside the case.
The Final Word:
FATE IS THE HUNTER is a solid piece of entertainment. Well acted and carefully plotted it delivers the goods. The inclusion of the fascinating Kwan documentary is also a huge plus. If you can get past your prejudices about airplane films this disc is a solid purchase.
Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!
I encourage a purchase Andrew. I quite enjoyed it!