The Killer is Loose Blu-ray

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

directed by Budd Boetticher
USA 1956

Detective Sam Wagner’s job is never easy. But this is no ordinary stressful day for Wagner (Joseph Cotten, The Third Man) or his wife Lila (Rhonda Fleming, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral). After pegging a recent bank robbery as an inside job orchestrated by the deceptively mild-mannered, bespectacled clerk Leon Poole (Wendell Corey, I Walk Alone), Wagner heads to the suspect’s apartment to make a peaceable arrest. Instead, Poole’s beloved wife is accidentally killed in the crossfire of a violent shootout. Sent to prison, and believing Wagner is responsible for his wife’s death, Poole is desperate for revenge. Escape and murder soon follow with the maniacal Poole hell-bent on taking away the woman Wagner loves. Helmed by the gritty Budd Boetticher, director of Horizons West, Wings of the Hawk, Seven Men from Now and The Tall T, The Killer Is Loose takes the filmmaker’s unique visual style away from the plains and into the world of suburbia for this taut and terrifying noir thriller. Close your windows, lock your doors—The Killer Is Loose!

***

A bank robber's (Wendell Corey) wife is shot during his arrest by a cop (Joseph Cotten). He escapes to kill the cop's wife (Rhonda Fleming) as retribution. Despite the cop's protest, the police decide to use Fleming as a lure.

***

Detective Sam Wagner’s job is never easy. Even an average day proves stressful for him and his family. But this is no ordinary day for Wagner (Joseph Cotten) or his wife Lila (Rhonda Fleming). After pegging a recent bank robbery as an inside job orchestrated by mild-mannered clerk Leon Poole (played by a bespectacled Wendell Corey), Wagner heads to the suspect’s apartment to make the arrest expecting him to be alone. Instead, Poole’s beloved wife is with him and caught in the crossfire of a shootout leaving her dead. Sent to prison, and believing Wagner is responsible for his wife’s death, Poole is desperate for revenge. Escape and murder soon follow with the haunting Poole bent on taking away the woman Wagner loves. Will the detective and his men save her in time? Helmed by the gritty Budd Boetticher, The Killer is Loose takes the director’s unique visual style away from the plains and into the world of suburbia for this taut and suspenseful thriller. Close your windows, lock your doors -- The Killer is Loose!

Posters

Theatrical Release: March 2nd, 1956 (USA)

Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews

Comparison:

MGM (MGM Limited Edition Collection) - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Classicflix - Region 'A' - Blu-ray vs. Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Big thanks to Gregory Meshman for the DVD Review!

Box Covers
			BONUS CAPTURES:
Distribution	MGM Region 0 - NTSC	Classicflix - Region 'A' - Blu-ray	Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:13:06	1:13:08.217	1:13:38.455
Video	1.33:1 Open Matte format Average Bitrate: 7:46 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1.85:1 1080P / 23.976 fps Single-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 21,363,476,240 bytes Feature: 21,262,626,816 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.99 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video	1.85:1 1080P / 23.976 fps Single-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 23,457,797,325 bytes Feature: 19,738,257,408 bytes Video Bitrate: 32.11 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate
Bitrate Classicflix Blu-ray
Bitrate Kino Blu-ray
Audio	Dolby Digital Mono (English)	DTS-HD Master Audio English 1771 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1771 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)	DTS-HD Master Audio English 1555 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1555 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -31dB
Subtitles	None	English, None	English (SDH), None
Features	Release Information: Studio: MGM Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen - 1.33:1 Edition Details: • None DVD Release Date: June 14th, 2011 Keep Case Chapters 8	Release Information: Studio: Classicflix 1.85:1 1080P / 23.976 fps Single-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 21,363,476,240 bytes Feature: 21,262,626,816 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.99 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • None Blu-ray Release Date: June 13th, 2017 Standard Blu-ray Case Chapters 17	Release Information: Studio: Kino 1.85:1 1080P / 23.976 fps Single-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 23,457,797,325 bytes Feature: 19,738,257,408 bytes Video Bitrate: 32.11 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian/Screenwriter Gary Gerani • Theatrical Trailer (Textless) - Newly Remastered in 2K (2:18) Blu-ray Release Date: December 31st, 2024 Standard Blu-ray inside slip[Case Chapters 9

ClassicFlix Blu-ray

Merrily We Live (1938)	Raw Deal (1948)	The Killer is Loose (1956)	The Man Who Watched Trains (1952)	The Noose Hangs High (1948)	T-Men (1947)	Tomorrow is Forever (1946)	You Only Live Twice (1937)

Comments

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

ADDITION: Kino Region 'A' - Blu-ray - January 2025: Kino have also transferred Budd Boetticher's "The Killer Is Loose" to Blu-ray. The a/v is as strong as the 2017 ClassicFlix - maybe a few pixels shifted here and there. I'll give a minor edge to the new Kino as the contrast appears more delineated with finer grain textures and the dual-mono lossless audio may have a touch more bass response from the effective score by Lionel Newman (The Girl Can't Help It, A Kiss Before Dying, Compulsion, The Boston Strangler, The Proud Ones.) Either way, probably not a deal-breaker for most.

NOTE: We have added 46 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

This Kino Blu-ray includes a new commentary by film historian / screenwriter Gary Gerani (Fantastic Television) - where he talks a lot about Budd Boetticher, his best-known westerns, cinematographer Lucien Ballard who worked on Boetticher's Buchanan Rides Alone (1958), The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond (1960), A Time for Dying (1969), Stanley Kubrick's The Killing, and five Sam Peckinpah films including the 1960 television series The Westerner etc., the novelette on which the story is based, written by John and Ward Hawkins and published in The Saturday Evening Post, and much about the cast and their careers. It's an well-researched and interesting commentary. There is also a textless theatrical trailer newly remastered in 2K. The package has a slipcase.

Boetticher's "The Killer Is Loose" has elements of a semi-documentary police-procedural, a suburban noir and shows dark mental-illness characterizations of the villain (think Norman Bates from Psycho with military-service induced PTSD.) Nice to see Joseph Cotten (Orson Welles' Citizen Kane, The Magnificent Ambersons, and Journey into Fear,) Rhonda Fleming (Inferno), Wendell Corey (Hitchcock's Rear Window) and Alan Hale Jr. ("Gilligan, little buddy!") working together. Noir aficionados should strongly consider.

***

ADDITION: Classicflix Region 'A' - Blu-ray - June 2017: This is ClassicFlix second Blu-ray - their first was another Essential Noir, Another Man's Poison. Someone has some good taste!

Thankfully ClassicFlix transfer it in its proper 1.85:1 aspect ratio. You can see that the superfluous space in the top of the frame is removed with more on the side edges. This composition looks far more correct than the SD treatment. I'd say the image quality is a success - darker, richer black levels, depth and wonderful grain texture. This is a gigantic improvement over the chroma-infested DVD for this lesser-known 'Dark Cinema' gem! This is great news - sweet!

As for the audio, ClassicFlix go DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel - 1771 kbps (24-bit). It sounds clean and the lossless nails the score by Lionel Newman (The Girl Can't Help It, A Kiss Before Dying, Compulsion, The Boston Strangler, The Proud Ones). I thought I noticed some sync issues but, generally, crisp all-around and there are optional English subtitles on the region 'A'-locked Blu-ray disc.

No extras, as per Another Man's Poison. I'm okay with that as they seem to be just venturing into 1080P and doing a fine job. Perhaps in the future they will start adding commentaries etc. like smaller labels like Film Detective. This is a delicious 'B' Noir - great characterizations - especially Corey. Presently pricey but who can but a value on this nostalgic high-art? Absolutely recommended!

***

The Killer Is Loose is a minor noir from Budd Boetticher, mostly known for his excellent westerns with Randolph Scott (SEE HERE) - I was also quiet amused by Legs Diamond. Joseph Cotten and Rhonda Fleming are good in their role of a detective and his wife, but the film belongs to Wendell Corey as the titular killer on the loose to avenge his wife's death.

Unfortunately this made-on-demand release from MGM has some major issues. The ancient transfer is in open-matte ratio, very soft, with poor contrast, some damage and often has chroma issues (check a tie on the fourth capture). Mono soundtrack is ok. There are no subtitles or captions and no extras, not even a trailer. A very poor presentation that, unfortunately, unlikely to get an upgrade in the near future.

- Gregory Meshman