Kiss of Death – Twilight Time (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1947
Director: Henry Hathaway
Writers: Ben Hecht, Charles Lederer
Cast: Victor Mature, Brian Donlevy, Coleen Gray, Richard Widmark, Karl Malden

Release Date: February 14th, 2017
Approximate Running Time: 98 Minutes 59 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: OOP

"With his law-breaking lifestyle in the past, an ex-con, along with his family, attempts to start a new life, knowing someone betrayed from the past is bound to see otherwise." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Kiss of Death comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 25.9 GB

Feature: 25.7 GB

The source looks excellent; image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image looks organic.

Audio: 4.25/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English with removable English SDH. The audio is in excellent shape; it sounds clean, clear, balanced, and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 20 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an option to listen to an isolated music track, an audio commentary with film historians Julie Kirgo and Nick Redman, an audio commentary with film historians James Ursini and Alain Silver, an eight-page booklet with an essay about Kiss of Death written by Julie Kirgo, and an extra that allows you to view the Twilight Time catalog.

Summary:

Henry Hathaway directed Kiss of Death. He’s known for Call Northside 777, Niagara, The Sons of Katie Elder, and Nevada Smith.

When a diamond heist goes wrong, a small-time crook named Nick Bianco is given the chance to reduce his sentence if he snitches on the other three men who got away. He refuses to be a snitch and is sent away to prison. And while he is serving his time, he receives word that his wife has killed herself. Not wanting his children to grow up without both parents, he changes his mind and agrees to collaborate with the district attorney to help bring the psychopathic gangster Tommy Udo to justice.

Though Kiss of Death incorporates many elements commonly associated with the Film noir genre, it also diverges from the standard in several notable ways. Most notably, the film employs a female voice as the narrator. Another area where Kiss of Death differs from more traditional Film noirs is its use of lighting, which goes for a natural look that is more in line with Italian cinema’s Neorealism film movement.

The visuals effectively create a menacing mood, particularly during the memorable opening bank heist sequence and the thieves' subsequent escape. When discussing Kiss of Death, no moment is more ingrained in viewers minds than the scene where Tommy Udo throws a wheelchair-bound woman down a flight of stairs.

All around, the cast are excellent. Especially Richard Widmark’s (Don’t Bother to Knock) portrayal of Tommy Udo dominates every moment he’s in. He delivers an utterly believable portrayal of a sadistic psychopath that is arguably one of the best film debuts in cinema history. The cast is filled with recognizable faces like Victor Mature (Cry of the City), who portrays an ex-convict named Nick Bianco; Brian Donlevy (Hangmen Also Die!), who portrays assistant D.A. Louis D’Angelo; and Karl Malden (On the Waterfront), who portrays Sgt. William Cullen.

From a production standpoint, there is not an area where Kiss of Death does not excel. The premise is superbly realized; the narrative does a phenomenal job holding your attention with moments overflowing with tension, and an exemplary finale provides the perfect coda. Another strength of Kiss of Death is its well-defined characters whose motivations are never in doubt. While many crime films tend to portray criminals in a negative light, Kiss of Death uniquely evokes sympathy for its characters. In the end, Kiss of Death stands out as an exceptional example of Film noir, ranking among the best in the genre.

Kiss of Death gets a solid release from Twilight Time; highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer