The Criminal - Stanley Baker

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

(aka "The Concrete Jungle")

directed by Joseph Losey
UK 1960

A hard-boiled crime classic from Joseph Losey, the legendary director of The Servant, Accident, Eva, Secret Ceremony and Figures in a Landscape! Stanley Baker (Zulu, Robbery, Perfect Friday) stars as underworld kingpin Johnny Bannion, sprung from prison by his best friend Mike Carter (Sam Wanamaker, Raw Deal, The Sell-Out) to mastermind a daring racetrack heist. But when Johnny is betrayed and sent back to prison shortly after hiding the stolen loot, he must survive an ordeal of brutality at the hands of his fellow convicts and former accomplices. Co-starring Patrick Magee (A Clockwork Orange, The Birthday Party) and Nigel Green (Tobruk, The Skull) and beautifully shot in striking black-and-white by the great Robert Krasker (The Third Man, Brief Encounter), The Criminal (also known as The Concrete Jungle) is the grim and gritty film noir that was originally advertised as “The Toughest Picture Ever Made in Britain!”

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An underworld kingpin (Stanley Baker) is sprung from prison by his best friend to mastermind a racetrack heist. But when he is sent back to jail, he must survive an ordeal of brutality and betrayal at the hands of his fellow convicts.

Posters

Theatrical Release: October 27th, 1960

Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews

Comparison:

Anchor Bay - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Box Cover		Bonus Captures:
Distribution	Anchor Bay - Region 1 - NTSC	Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:36:15	1:38:02.877
Video	1.62:1.00 Letterboxed WideScreen / anamorphic Average Bitrate: 'unknown' mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1.66:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 32,374,946,971 bytes Feature: 30,725,695,488 bytes Video Bitrate: 37.92 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:
Bitrate Blu-ray:
Audio	English (Dolby Digital mono)	DTS-HD Master Audio English 1554 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1554 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit) Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
Subtitles	None	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Anchor Bay Entertainment Edition Details: • Widescreen anamorphic 1.62:1 aspect ratio • Letterboxed Anamorphic trailer (2:58) • Talent Bios on Joseph Losey and Stanley Baker DVD Release Date: December 3, 2002 Keep Case Chapters: 23	Release Information: Studio: Kino 1.66:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 32,374,946,971 bytes Feature: 30,725,695,488 bytes Video Bitrate: 37.92 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian Kat Ellinger • Theatrical Trailer (3:04) Blu-ray Release Date: February 18th, 2020 Standard Blu-ray Case Chapters 9

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (February 2020): Kino have transferred Joseph Losey's The Criminal (aka "The Concrete Jungle") to Blu-ray. It is described as being from a "Brand New 4K Restoration". It looks exceptional on my system - certainly quite a few strides ahead of the 2002 DVD in terms of contrast, detail and it shows more information in the frame on the left edge. This is on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate. Overall, the image has a tiny amount of gloss but is extremely pleasing in 1080P.

NOTE: We have added 46 more large resolution Blu-ray captures for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Kino use a DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel mono track (16-bit) in the original English language. It is another advancement in the film's audio and rich jazzy score by John Dankworth (The Magus, 10 Rillington Place, Sands of the Kalahari, The Last Grenade, Losey's Accident and The Servant among his credits) including the evocative Prison Ballad (Thieving Boy) sung by Cleo Laine. The audio transfer exports consistent dialogue and the effects (violence - guns, brawl etc.) carry depth. Kino offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Kino Blu-ray offers another excellent commentary from Kat Ellinger. She delves into the class themes of The Criminal, it's history, the cast and especially Losey. She's great - it's great - and this adds significant value to the package, imo. There is also a trailer in SD and other similar genre trailers.

Kat's commentary really helped advance my appreciation of The Criminal which was highly regarded in France in its initial release. This genre pic by Joseph Losey is quintessential Brit Noir and Prison pic fare. Baker is in top form and the uncompromisingly gritty narrative elevates the film experience with its stark realism. It's another Blu-ray that is staying in my collection. Loved it...

Gary Tooze

ON THE DVD: Grim "meat and potatoes" crime drama. The Anchor Bay DVD image is soft at times, but deep blacks and contrasted shadows due this film adequate justice. No Extras except a letterboxed trailer and talent bios. A good partner film for Anchor Bay's corresponding release "The Frightened City" with high levels of grit and British toughness. As with the Frightened City, a good film if you are in the mood, especially if you like Prison flics. This probably was in need of restoration, but the marketability of the film did not warrant it.