The Threat - Virginia Grey

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

(aka "Terror" )

directed by Felix E. Feist
USA 1949

Killer Red Kluger (Charles McGraw) busts out of Folsom Prison and makes for a bleak desert hideout. But first he makes a violent detour to Los Angeles to kidnap the three people he blames for his ticket to the gas chamber: a cop (Michael O’Shea), the DA (Frank Conroy) and ex-girlfriend (Virginia Grey) he believes betrayed him. Before Red gets out of the country, he’s going to get even, one sweating, sadistic murder at a time. In this gripping, relentlessly paced B-movie, film noir great McGraw – who breathed menace even when he played a cop or a detective – dominates the screen with a presence so ice-cold cruel not even the pitiless Mojave sun could melt it. Jittery with fear and suspense, The Threat is the kind of little-known gem every film fan rejoices in discovering.

***

"The Threat" is an effective "B" film noir that is kind of a junior league "White Heat" with Charles McGraw starring as an escaped killer seeking vengeance on those who sent him up. The storyline is relatively clever and the threadbare production values are easily overlooked due to the earnest acting and fast pace.

Excerpt of review from Alan K. Rode for imdb located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: 1 December 1949 (USA)

Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews

DVD Review: Warner Home Video (Warner Archive Collection) - Region 0 - NTSC

Big thanks to Gregory Meshman for the Review!

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Warner Home Video Region 0 - NTSC
Runtime	1:05:56
Video	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 7.57 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	Dolby Digital Mono (English)
Subtitles	None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Warner Home Video Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen - 1.33:1 Edition Details: • None DVD Release Date: July 12th, 2011 Keep Case Chapters 7

Comments

I love these fast-paced B-noir thrillers, especially from RKO studios and running just over one-hour mark. Here is another such film made available through Warner's Archive Collection program. Third-billed Charles McGraw literally steals this film from all other cast members and the role secured his contract with RKO, which resulted in his superior B-noirs by Robert Fleischer, Armored Car Robbery and The Narrow Margin.

This is another strong transfer from Warner Home Video, progressive and with good contrast. There is a noticeable damage in both video and audio near 40-minute mark, at the reel change, but picture stabilizes once the next reel begins. (see the last capture). Per usual standard, there are no subtitles and unfortunately there is no trailer included - it would be interesting to see how the picture was sold to the masses. For further reading, see an article by Alan K Rode about the film at Film Noir of the Week blog or check out his excellent biography of Charles McGraw, a recommended reading for any film noir fan.

- Gregory Meshman

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