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

ADDITION: Explosive Media Blu-ray (December 2024): Explosive Media have transferred William Asher's Johnny Cool to Blu-ray. This was also released on Blu-ray by Scorpion Releasing in 2020. The 1080P quality of this German edition has plenty of inconsistency with some frame-specific marks and scratches (see samples below.) It's relatively soft which may be a function of the production. It is on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate. Perhaps I am being too critical - spoiled by 4K UHD - there is some depth exported and the overall atmosphere is, suitably, dark. Not much in the way of grain texture and overall it looks like it could have had some cleaning to improve the appearance.

NOTE: We have added 68 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Explosive Media offer DTS-HD Master dual-mono track s(16-bit) in the original English or a German language DUB. Johnny Cool has the usual mobster-violence (excluding a sexual assault left on the cutting room floor) but not much bass response by the transfer. The score is credited to American composer, arranger and trumpeter Billy May (television music for The Green Hornet (1966), The Mod Squad (1968), Batman - with the Batgirl theme, 1967, and Naked City (1960) giving the film a dour jazz-lounge feel that suits the Vegas vibe of the film. 'Billy May and His Orchestra' are also credited as playing themselves in the 1956 Film Noir Nightmare starring Edward G. Robinson. Sammy Davis Jr. also sings the theme song, The Ballad Of Johnny Cool, which has its own appeal. Explosive Media offer optional English or German subtitles on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

NOTE: For the brief Italian language in the opening scenes there are burned-in English subtitles.

The Explosive Media Blu-ray offers only a trailer and image gallery of posters. There are extended Explosive Media trailers as well.

William Asher's Johnny Cool has quite a cast with gritty Henry Silva supported by Elizabeth Montgomery, Telly Salavas, Jim Backus, Mort Sahl, plus brief appearances by Sammy Davis Jr. and Joey Bishop. If you blink you might miss Elisha Cook Jr. (The Maltese Falcon) as "Undertaker". Known for her role as Samantha on the TV series Bewitched, and the boyhood crush of a generation of young males, Elizabeth Montgomery (The Victim, Between the Darkness and the Dawn, Black Widow Murders: The Blanche Taylor Moore Story, The Legend of Lizzie Borden) was also the daughter of actor, director and producer Robert Montgomery (Ride the Pink Horse.) The same month that Johnny Cool was released in the United States (October 1963) she married the director of Johnny Cool, William Asher (How to Stuff a Wild Bikini - in which she appeared at the end of that film as a 'witch' parodying her Bewitched persona.) Fate would have two stars of Johnny Cool, Elizabeth Montgomery and Elisha Cook Jr., both passing on the exact same day; May 18th, 1995. Johnny Cool doesn't flow very smoothly but gives a meaty enough role for Montgomery (who played "Darien 'Dare' Guiness") and I appreciated the downbeat ending that promoted realism. With all the extended cameos this does have a Rat-Pack vibe. We have Johnny Cool on our complete noir list but may shift it to the Neo noir category after a conferences with the voting board. Regardless, it has some positives (cast, jazz score, ending etc.) and negatives (disjointed - poor flow.) The, essentially bare-bones, Explosive Media Blu-ray would be suited to genre completists or fans of the cast. Personally I keep all available 'Miss Montgomery-starring work' on physical media discs. To each his own.

Gary Tooze