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directed by Paul Wendkos
USA 19
5
8

The Case Against Brooklyn was based on an "expose" article by Ed Reid. Darren McGavin plays rookie cop Pete Harris, who goes undercover to help smash a Brooklyn bookie ring. The problem here as that the crooks have been bribing other cops to look the other way. As if Harris wasn't courting enough trouble by going up against his "own," he also falls in love with gambler's widow Lil Polombo (Maggie Hayes), even though he's already married to Jane Harris (Peggy McCay). Daniel B. Ullman's screenplay adheres to the facts as recorded by Ed Reid, right down to the semi-unhappy finale.

***

Columbia Pictures' The Case Against Brooklyn (1958) belongs to a brood of crime films sired by the historic "Kefauver Hearings," aka The Senate Special Subcommittee to Investigate Crime in Interstate Commerce. Headed by Democratic Kentucky senator C. Estes Kefauver, this government road show and protypal media circus traveled the breadth of the United States in 1950 and 1951, subpoenaed a conga line of criminal capos and their hyperhidrotic hirelings (who duly showed up like so many Survivor contestants to testify or plead the Fifth) and televised its sessions in a bid to expose "syndicate" crime in America. The hearings beget feature films from the sublime (Elia Kazan's On the Waterfront [1954]) to the ridiculous (Fred F. Sears' Chicago Syndicate [1955]). Adapting the True magazine story I Broke the Brooklyn Graft Scandal by Ed Reid (later the coauthor of The Green Felt Jungle, an early expose of Las Vegas crime and corruption), The Case Against Brooklyn distinguishes itself from other mafia-minded movies of this period by focusing not on gangsters but corrupt policemen..

Excerpt from TCM located HERE

Poster

Theatrical Release: June 1958

Reviews                                                      More Reviews                                                          DVD Reviews

 

DVD Review: Sony Pictures - Region 0 - NTSC

  Individual Release Also available in the 5 disc Sony Film Noir Collection Volume 1 which contains (already reviewed) The Case Against Brooklyn, Criminal Lawyer, The Crooked Web, Escape from San Quentin and The Shadow on the Window
DVD Box Covers

 

 

 

 

 

Distribution

Sony Pictures

Region 0 - NTSC

Runtime 1:20:42
Video

1.85:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 4.32 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 1.0 (English)
Subtitles None
Features Release Information:
Studio: Sony Pictures

Aspect Ratio:
Original - 1.85:1

Edition Details:
• None

DVD Release Date: March 4th, 2011
Keep Case

Chapters 8

 

 

 

Comments

Firstly, this is also available in the 5 disc Sony Film Noir Collection Volume 1 which contains (already reviewed) The Case Against Brooklyn, Criminal Lawyer, The Crooked Web, Escape from San Quentin and The Shadow on the Window.

It's a standard Sony MoD (Made-on-Demand) product - standard single-layered but progressive and anamorphic in the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio and looks decent enough. The image is consistent aside and has modest detail notable in some of the close-ups. There is some grain texture and contrast levels are adept for SD. The disc supports the film with a watchable transfer with some interesting shadows and light cinematography.

The mono sound is decent but unremarkable and there are no subtitles, nor even a menu, offered. There are no supplements at all. You would buy this solely to see the film.

I wouldn't say The Case Against Brooklyn is a great film, but it does have an interesting pace and sneaky action sequences. We can't recommend the bare-bones disc but there is significant value in the relatively cheaper Film Noir Volume 1 package. Very much worth indulging for fans of the cycle.  

  - Gary Tooze

 



 


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  Individual Release Also available in the 5 disc Sony Film Noir Collection Volume 1 which contains (already reviewed) The Case Against Brooklyn, Criminal Lawyer, The Crooked Web, Escape from San Quentin and The Shadow on the Window
DVD Box Covers

 

 

 

 

 

Distribution

Sony Pictures

Region 0 - NTSC

 




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