Tokyo Joe Humphrey Bogart

Directed by Stuart Heisler
USA 1949

Not every Humphrey Bogart film is a winner, though most are at least watchable. "Tokyo Joe" falls into the latter category. In this 1949 effort from director Stuart Heisler ("The Glass Key") Bogart plays a World War II hero who returns to postwar Japan to reclaim the life and wife he had long believed dead.

This is fairly routine melodrama of the era, but Bogart, as always, raises it a notch, elevating the story with a gritty sense of urgency and emotional credibility. The script isn't much to scream about, but Bogart is wonderful as is future "Bridge on the River Kwai" star Sessue Hayakawa.

Review by BoxOffice.com's Wade Major located HERE

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Theatrical Release: October 26th, 1949

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DVD Review: Columbia Tri-Star - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Columbia Tri-Star Home Video - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC
Runtime	1:28:27
Video	1.33:1 Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.18 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:
Audio	English (Dolby Digital 2.0)
Subtitles	English, Japanese, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, Thai, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Columbia Tri-Star Home Video Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Bogart Collection - bio scrolling text screen (4:22) • trailers DVD Release Date: February 10th, 2004 Keep Case Chapters: 16

NOTE: This exact same disc is offered in the COLUMBIA TRI-STAR FILM NOIR COLLECTION VOL.1 from Japan. It contains

In A Lonely Place 1950 Dead Reckoning 1947 Tokyo Joe 1949 The Harder They Fall 1956, and Knock On Any Door 1949.

Comments:

Solid image - bare bones single-layered disc. There are minor speckles and some digital noise but otherwise the image has good contrast and is reasonably sharp. Lots of (yellow) subtitle options and coded for regions 1,2,3,4. No extras save a scrolling text blurb on Bogie and some trailers. The sound is clear and all dialogue audible.

NOTE: The is the EXACT same disc found in the Japanese Columbia Tri-Star Film Noir Collection Vol.1 (it was released two weeks later than this individual US edition of Tokyo Joe).

The film is not premium Bogart but still has some appeal. It is listed as a Film Noir in the Japanese Boxset, but is obviously not in that style grouping at all - its only link would be the director Heisler and his exquisite Noir - The Glass Key - and Bogart himself who starred in many. Ohhh, keep your eye out for Noir bit player Hugh Beaumont (a favorite) who is uncredited.