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

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (March 2025): Kino have transferred Gilles Grangier's Hi-Jack Highway to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "4K Restoration by TF1". This is on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate. Hi-Jack Highway is a striking example of mid-1950s French cinema, steeped in the aesthetics of film noir and post-war realism. Shot in black-and-white by cinematographer Pierre Montazel, the film uses its monochromatic palette to craft a moody, gritty atmosphere that complements its crime-driven narrative and working-class setting. The film’s visual style leans heavily on high-contrast lighting typical of noir influences, with stark shadows and bright highlights that emphasize the tension of the story. Nighttime scenes, such as the pivotal moment when Jean Chape (Jean Gabin) accidentally runs over a body on an icy road, are shrouded in darkness, pierced only by the headlights of his truck or dim streetlights, creating a sense of isolation and foreboding. The 1080P Blu-ray is dark (wet roads, foggy landscapes) but well-layered contrast not obscuring detail and there is healthy grain textures. The result is a film that looks both timelessly atmospheric and distinctly rooted in its mid-century setting via this 4K-restored digital transfer.

NOTE: We have added 74 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Kino use a DTS-HD Master dual- mono track (24-bit) in the original French language. The audio of Hi-Jack Highway plays a crucial role in shaping its atmosphere and reinforcing its gritty, realistic tone. As a French crime drama rooted in the working-class world of truck drivers, the film’s soundscape - comprising its soundtrack, sound effects, and dialogue - complements its noir-influenced visuals and understated narrative. The musical score was composed by Henri Verdun (Naughty Girl), a lesser-known but capable composer of the era who worked on several French films in the 1950s. Verdun’s music for Hi-Jack Highway is sparse and functional, adhering to the film’s minimalist aesthetic. The lossless reproduces a clean and effective sound. Kino offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Kino Blu-ray offers a new commentary by film critic and author Simon Abrams (Guillermo del Toro's The Devil's Backbone.) He provides an in-depth exploration of the film, enhancing the viewing experience with Abrams’ insights as a seasoned critic whose work has appeared in outlets like The New York Times, Vanity Fair, and The Village Voice. Abrams likely emphasizes Gabin’s performance as Jean Chape, discussing how his stoic, weathered persona - already well-established by this point in his career - anchors the film’s blend of realism and suspense. He tends to be detailed and analytical, balancing production trivia with broader cultural observations. It's an excellent commentary. There is also a trailer for Hi-Jack Highway (Oil-Gas) and a handful of others - similar in genre (Touchez Pas Au Grisbi, Back to the Wall, Port of Shadows, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Razzia Sur La Chnouf, The Diary of a Chambermaid, Speaking of Murder, The Bride Wore Black and Maigret and the St. Fiacre Case.)

Gilles Grangier's Hi-Jack Highway was adapted from the novel Du raisin dans le gaz-oil by Georges Bayle. The film is notable for marking the first collaboration between iconic Jean Gabin (La Grande Illusion, Le Jour Se Leve, Le Plaisir,) and Michel Audiard (Série noire, Taxi for Tobruk, Greed in the Sun,) a renowned screenwriter known for his sharp dialogue, although this early pairing doesn’t yet showcase the full flair of their later, more established works together. Hi-Jack Highway (aka "Gas-Oil") emerged in the wake of the 1953 film The Wages of Fear, another French classic about truck drivers facing perilous stakes, and it fits into a wave of mid-1950s films celebrating rugged, working-class protagonists. While it lacks the bombastic dialogue or grandiosity of later Gabin-Audiard collaborations (The Red Light is On, Maigret Sets a Trap, The Possessors, A Monkey in Winter,) it’s a solid, unpretentious crime flick with a strong cast - Jeanne Moreau (The Diary of a Chambermaid, Eve, Elevator to the Gallows, The Bride Wore Black,) still early in her career, plays a schoolteacher - and a showcase of French cinema’s knack for blending everyday life with suspense. It’s a snapshot of a bygone era, offering both a character study of a man caught in unexpected trouble and a glimpse into the post-war French trucking subculture. It’s a product of its time - post-war French cinema transitioning from the poetic realism of the 1930s to the harder-edged narratives of the 1950s - blending noirish shadows with a documentary-like eye for detail. Hi-Jack Highway is absolutely enjoyable - "very French" - and the Kino Blu-ray has a pristine 4K-restored image, lossless audio and an expert commentary. Strongly recommended to fans of French noir, Gabin, and/or Moreau. Delightful.

Gary Tooze