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Released by: Kino Studio Classics
Released on: June, 2016.
Director: Phil Karlson
Cast: John Payne, Evelyn Keyes, Brad Dexter, Frank Faylen
Year: 1953
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The Movie:
Ernie Driscoll (John Payne) is a boxer with a great record. He's gone sixty-two fights without ever getting knocked out but in fight number sixty-three, it all comes crashing down around him. These days, the one-time king of the ring makes ends meet by driving a taxi cab, much to the dismay of his wife, Pauline (Peggie Castle). Ernie wants to make something of himself, earn a bigger paycheck and build a life again, but Pauline… she wanted more out of her marriage than she's received. She left her life as a showgirl behind to marry him and she wants her comeuppance.
Ernie's got a temper. A bad temper. When he spies Pauline on the make with another man, a criminal named Vic Rawlins (Brad Dexter), he loses his cool. But in Ernie, Vic sees an opportunity. Not only is Vic on the run from the law, but some of his former associates are looking for him too. Vic figures he can play Ernie and make him the fall guy and so he does just that - he sets the big lug up by making it look like he killed Pauline. When Ernie dumps her body in the back of Ernie's cab, well, now cops and crooks alike are after him. The only one he can turn to is an actress named Linda James (Evelyn Keyes).
While on the surface the story might sound like a string of noir clichés, 99 River Street delivers. Yeah, it does hit on a few of the genre's tried and true tropes but it does it with such style and with such blistering tensions that it doesn't matter. Phil Karlson, who directed Kansas City Confidential (which also starred John Payne), keeps the pace tight and the suspense meter all the way up. This one moves quickly, but so too does it deliver strong and well defined characters. There's plenty of tough talking dialogue and lots of superb, shadowy camerawork, enough so that we're sucked in from the start.
With the production values nailed down tight and the storyline lean, mean and well crafted, there are the performances to note. John Payne is perfectly cast in the lead. He's got the right size and stature to play a down on his luck former fighter perfectly. He just completely looks the part, but so too does he bring some genuine depth to Ernie. We like the guy. So when it hits the fan for him, so too do we feel for him. Brad Dexter is great as the shifty foil who sets him up. He's a consummate slimeball! Peggie Castle and Evelyn Keyes are also very good as the two women in Ernie's life. Castle, who is drop dead gorgeous here, plays the cold, conniving bitch quite well and if Keyes goes over the top in a few spots, at least she does it well and she looks fantastic doing it!
The movie, like the fight scene that opens it, hits fast and hard and mean. This is strong stuff for its day and the movie still packs a nasty punch. The violence pushes things pretty far, but it also adds to the tension and suspense. There are bad people in this world, bad people capable of doing whatever they need to do in order to see that Ernie goes down for good. And Ernie, well, he is a fighter after all, and a damn good one at that. He's not going to just stand idly by and let this happen to him. You can see where it's all headed, but you'll be on the edge of your seat all the way just the same.
Video/Audio/Extras:
99 River Street is presented in an AVC encoded 1080p high definition transfer framed at 1.37.1 fullframe on a 25GB disc that looks okay but never reference quality. Contrast looks very solid here and black levels stay strong, thought there are some minor fluctuations here and there. The whites never bloom or look too hot while detail and texture are sometimes uneven - some shots look nice and crisp, others are quite soft in appearance. There is some very minor print damage noticeable throughout the film, but it's not really a huge deal, really just small specks and the like rather than massive scratches. There are no signs of edge enhancement, noise reduction or compression artifacts to complain about. All in all the picture quality on this release is pretty decent.
The only audio option for the disc is a DTS-HD 2.0 Mono track in English. No alternate language options or subtitles are provided. Dialogue is clean and clear and the levels are properly balanced. There aren't any distortion issues, though the occasional pop and some minor hiss can be heard if you're listening for it.
The main extra on the disc is an audio commentary by Film historian Eddie Muller, who has rightly become one of the 'go to guys' for noir and vintage crime films such as this. As you'd expect if you're at all familiar with his work, this is a very detailed and engaging talk that covers all the bases. He speaks about the casting, points out some subtle aspects of the characters that might not be obvious at first, discusses the locations, the directing style and quite a bit more. He also goes into some less predictable areas, discussing the marketing of the film, the boxing motif in the picture, his own relationship with Evelyn Keyes and what works and what doesn't in the film. It's a fascinating track that's absolutely worth listening to.
Additionally we get trailers for the feature and bonus trailers for Hidden Fear, Shield For Murder and, He Ran All the Way. Static menus and chapter selection are also provided.
The Final Word:
99 River Street delivers everything you could want out of a top notch noir! Beautiful girls, bad men, a noble but down on his luck hero and load of style and violent suspense. Kino brings this unsung classic to Blu-ray with a decent enough presentation highlighted by a superb audio commentary. Don't let this one pass you by.
Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!
