Out on Blu-ray on April 23, 2024, from Arrow Video
A group of incorruptible men join to help Eliot Ness in his attempts to put Al Capone behind bars.
Written by Paul Monash based on the book by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley, and directed by Phil Karlson, this Desilu production was originally created as a two-part television pilot and is now available as a film made of those two hours. Here, the story of Eliot Ness and his group of federal lawmen and a few other people come together to catch Al Capone and to, most importantly, put him behind bars for good. The story here is one that is well-known at this point in time, having had many cinematic adaptations. This version in particular sets itself apart due to its production company (that of Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball) and to its source in the book co-written by Eliot Ness himself, leading to what some may see as a closer to reality version than some of the others. As it is, the story is decently written, well-directed, and a bit dated, something that is to be expected from a film that is 65 years old.
The cast here works well together, all giving decent performances, some that are of course tinted by the lens of time at this point, but nonetheless, good performances. In the lead of Eliot Ness, Robert Stack is a charming leading man with plenty charisma and gives the right performance for Ness, one that is serious, on point, and just. The work put here by Stack gives the film a direction, something to lead not just the film, but the rest of the cast. Opposing Stack, Neville Brand plays Al Capone in a much more colorful way, giving him a louder personality, one that overtakes the room, and leads in a much different manner. The supporting cast here gives the performances needed by their parts and the film, rounding out the work and making the film make a lasting impression to this day.
The film here is of course in black and white, the cinematography by Charles Straumer is lovely here, the images are a very nice black and white, one that is just the right balance and the right starkness, giving the images the right impact. The editing by Robert L. Swanson works with these images quite well, giving the film the right dynamics and moving scenes along just right.
These images are perfectly rendered into 1080p Blu-ray, with the right darkness, the right light, it was clearly transferred with care. The audio is uncompressed dual mono 2.0 so it is not designed for fancy, modern surround sound. The look is fantastic of course, the sound is as good as they could make it with the source material at hand. The extras on this release are not as numerous as normally expected from Arrow Video, but given the age of the film, they are solid. The best of the bunch here are the new video essay called Gang Busters by film critic David Cairns about the career of Phil Karlson. The essay on The Scarface Mob, about Eliot Ness, his career, and his representation in films. The set, as a physical piece of collectible media comes with an illustrated collectors’ booklet, six reproduction postcards of lobby card, and new art by Jennifer Dionisio on the reversible sleeve and the double-sided poster included in the box.