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

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (July 2026): Kino have transferred their third 'Brit Noir Collection' to Blu-ray consisting of three films; Nowhere to Go / The Man Upstairs / and Payroll. We reviewed the Network Blu-ray of The Man Upstairs in 2021, HERE. We cannot ascertain any differences in the video - it looks like the same source - same small marks. The 1080P transfers (sourced from recent or existing scans / restorations) showcase strong overall results typical of Kino Lorber / StudioCanal /BFI collaborations. Contrast, grain structure, and detail are well-preserved, highlighting the films’ distinctive black-and-white cinematography. Nowhere to Go (Paul Beeson - Jane and the Lost City, Starcrash, The People That Time Forgot, Kidnapped,) benefits from inky shadows, deep focus, and expressionistic framing; the image looks sharp with solid blacks and naturalistic textures in London locations and interiors. The Man Upstairs (Gerald Gibbs - Fortune, No Orchids For Miss Blandish, The Leather Boys, Devil Doll, X the Unknown, The Green Man, Whisky Galore!,) captures the boarding-house claustrophobia effectively, with realistic textures in shabby rooms and high-contrast siege lighting; minor source limitations (age-related wear) appear but do not detract significantly. Payroll (Ernest Steward - The Wrong Arm of the Law,  Some Girls Do, The High Commissioner, The Avengers (TV Series,) Deadlier Than the Male, The Brides of Fu Manchu, The Face of Fu Manchu, Ten Little Indians,) shines in its location-heavy Newcastle scenes, offering crisp industrial grit, strong dynamic range in the heist, and detailed faces amid the neo-noir atmosphere. Overall, the presentations feel clean and film-like with appropriate grain, stable encoding, and no major artifacts. They represent a clear upgrade over prior standard-definition releases, though they are not reference-level 4K restorations - still, I was pleased.

NOTE: We have added 236 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Kino use DTS-HD Master dual-mono tracks (24-bit) in the original English language. Sound design prioritizes diegetic realism-ambient noises, silence, and selective scoring-over lush orchestration, heightening tension and isolation. Nowhere to Go offers a cool, brassy modern jazz score by Dizzy Reece (Jamaican musician) punctuates key moments with sleazy energy, driving tension without dominating. Many sequences play in near-silence or with ambient sounds (trains, dogs barking, muted rain, car horns), especially the bravura opening break-in. This selective approach-silence for suspense, jazz for underworld cool-enhances the fatalistic, European-flavored noir mood. The Man Upstairs' use of sound is strikingly minimalist and innovative for the era. No background music score at all-relying instead on diegetic sounds: city wind, a tolling clock, labored breathing, boats hooting on the river, footsteps, arguments, and the escalating chaos of the siege. This amplifies psychological tension and everyday realism, making the silence or sudden noises (e.g., an alarm clock) deeply unsettling. Sound recording (Bill Salter - Footsteps in the Fog, The Teckman Mystery, Spaceways, Four Sided Triangle, Bad Blonde, The Gambler and the Lady, Stolen Face, Man Bait,) emphasizes natural acoustics of the confined space. Payroll offers a jazzy score by Reg Owen (with orchestra; theme released as a single) provides driving, sometimes woozy/exotica-inflected rhythms that underscore greed and tension-ominous double bass, brass stabs. It mixes with diegetic sounds: industrial noise, car engines, dialogue-driven confrontations, and the brutal heist chaos. Less minimalist than the others but still realistic, with the music heightening the fatalistic spiral. The lossless tracks are free of distortion, providing a faithful, immersive mono experience that aligns with the films’ grounded realism.  Kino offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A'-locked Blu-rays.

The Kino Blu-ray set offers three substantive audio commentaries. For Nowhere to Go film historian David Del Valle (Six Reels Under) provides another detailed, enthusiastic track covering the film’s atypical Ealing status, Seth Holt’s direction, Kenneth Tynan’s script contributions, Maggie Smith’s debut, and its noir credentials. For The Man Upstairs the commentary was by film historian Howard Berger with keen focuses on Don Chaffey’s tight real-time direction, Richard Attenborough’s performance, the psychological themes, production constraints, and relevant film comparisons. He is always a pleasure. For Payroll the commentary is by film historians Steve Mitchell and Gary Gerani (Fantastic Television.) They cover Anglo-Amalgamated, heist mechanics, Sidney Hayers’ style, Newcastle locations, strong performances (especially Billie Whitelaw), and the film’s influence on later Brit-crime. Trailers are included for Nowhere to Go plus a selection of other noir/classics (The Intruder, Force of Evil, The Great Gatsby, It Always Rains on Sunday, and Smooth as Silk.)The set is packaged in a standard Blu-ray case housed inside a handsome slipcase.

These three late-1950s/early-1960s British films - Nowhere to Go (1958/59, dir. Seth Holt,) The Man Upstairs (1958, dir. Don Chaffey,) and Payroll (1961, dir. Sidney Hayers) - form a loose cluster of gritty, downbeat crime/psychological dramas often grouped under "Brit noir" or transitional British crime cinema. They emerged at the tail end of classic film noir influences, amid the rise of kitchen-sink realism and New Wave social dramas, reflecting post-war anxieties, class tensions, institutional failures, and the fragility of masculine identity and criminal "codes." All are black-and-white - relatively low-budget, and prioritize realism, location shooting (or confined tension), moral ambiguity, and inevitable downfall over glamour or tidy resolutions. They share a bleak worldview where plans unravel, trust erodes, and society’s systems (police, underworld, welfare) prove inadequate or brutal. Nowhere to Go (1958,) Seth Holt’s (Blood from the Mummy's Tomb, The Nanny, Station Six Sahara, Scream of Fear) directorial debut (co-scripted with Kenneth Tynan) and one of Ealing Studios’ final productions (often called "the least Ealing film ever made"), is a cool, uncompromising crime thriller with strong noir elements. George Nader (The Human Duplicators, The Female Animal, Appointment with a Shadow, The Unguarded Moment, Six Bridges to Cross, Robot Monster, The Prowler,) stars as Paul Gregory, a Canadian con artist who meticulously robs a wealthy widow’s rare coin collection, stashes the proceeds, deliberately gets caught expecting a short sentence, then breaks out when the term is longer than planned. Betrayed by his partner (Bernard Lee - Ring of Spies, The Battle of the River Plate, Cage of Gold, The Spy Who came in From the Cold,) he relies on a chance connection with a young woman  - Maggie Smith in her feature debut. Don Chaffey's (Jason and the Argonauts, Creatures the World Forgot, One Million Years B.C.,) The Man Upstairs (1958) is a psychological siege drama / character study rather than a traditional crime film. Richard Attenborough (The Ship That Died of Shame, Danger Within, Séance on a Wet Afternoon, Dancing with Crime, Jet Storm, 10 Rillington Place, Eight O'clock Walk, Brighton Rock, The League of Gentlemen, The Flight of the Phoenix, A Severed Head,) plays Peter Watson (aka John Wilson), a tormented former scientist in a London boarding house, suffering insomnia, pain from a head injury, and crushing guilt over a lab accident that killed his fiancée’s brother. It echoes Le Jour se Lève (1939) in its trapped-man suspense but emphasizes societal responses-kindness vs. brute force-over poetic individualism. Sidney Hayers' (Burn, Witch, Burn, Revenge, Circus of Horrors, Quest For Love) Payroll (1961), adapted from Derek Bickerton’s novel, is a hard-edged heist-gone-wrong neo-noir set in Newcastle (with strong location shooting). Michael Craig (Life for Ruth, The Fourth Victim, Yield to the Night, Turkey Shoot, Eyewitness, Mysterious Island,) leads a gang that robs a payroll van with inside help from a weak accountant (pressured by his ambitious wife, played by Françoise Prévost - The Murder Clinic.) The heist kills the driver; his vengeful widow (Billie Whitelaw - Gideon of Scotland Yard, The Flesh and the Fiends, Hell Is a City, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Charlie Bubbles, Start the Revolution Without Me, Gumshoe, Frenzy, Night Watch, The Omen, An Unsuitable Job for a Woman, Hot Fuzz,) becomes a relentless pursuer alongside police and internal betrayals / greed. Nowhere to Go is a character-driven escape/con artist noir with stylish flair. The Man Upstairs is more psychological drama / siege thriller (chamber-piece focus on reactions). Payroll is a full heist/revenge thriller with ensemble sprawl and action. Kino’s Brit Noir Collection III Blu-ray is a highly recommended set for enthusiasts of British crime cinema and classic noir. It rescues three atmospheric, thematically rich films-united by fatalism, social undercurrents, and strong performances-from relative obscurity and presents them in respectable HD with engaging, informative commentaries. Video and audio are solid and film-authentic, capturing each movie’s distinctive visual and sonic personality without major flaws. While it lacks lavish extras beyond the tracks and trailers, the focused package prioritizes the films themselves and offers excellent bang-for-buck. This collection is a worthy addition to Kino’s Brit-noir series and should please fans seeking gritty, realistic alternatives to Hollywood glamour. Highly recommended for genre collectors. I'm keeping it as I enjoyed all three films - Payroll is excellent.

Gary Tooze