This collection features three film noir classics. UNDERTOW (1949) – Best known for fright fare such as House on Haunted Hill, The Tingler and Let’s Kill Uncle, cult director William Castle turns his lens on guns and gangsters for the film noir gem Undertow. Scott Brady (I Was a Shoplifter) stars as Tony Reagan, a gambler just out of wartime military service. No longer interested in wagers and speculations, Reagan wants only to open up a mountain vacation lodge. Before this can take place, however, he is framed for murder and forced to go on the run from both the police and the unknown killers. Dorothy Hart (Larceny) and Peggy Dow (Shakedown) play the love interests in this serpentine tale of mob-and-moll double-crosses, with John Russell (Yellow Sky), Bruce Bennett (Mildred Pierce) and future star Rock Hudson (The Tarnished Angels) in his second film appearance.

OUTSIDE THE WALL (1950) – Richard Basehart (He Walked by Night) stars as Larry Nelson, paroled from prison after serving nearly half of his thirty-year sentence. Larry is determined to not fall into the clutches of the law again and takes a quiet job at a country sanitarium. There he meets and falls for a gold-digging nurse, Charlotte Maynard (Marilyn Maxwell, Race Street), and he knows the only way to enter her web is to make a lot of fast money. So when Larry learns that the sanitarium is a front for a robbery syndicate, he soon finds himself a clay pigeon for the gang. Meanwhile, sweet-and-wholesome nurse Ann Taylor (Dorothy Hart, Undertow) does her best to help Larry out of the unpleasant situation. Also starring Swedish sensation Signe Hasso (The House on 92nd Street), Outside the Wall is a classic noir story of an ex-con’s struggle to go straight.

HOLD BACK TOMORROW (1955) – What Strange Law Answered His Last Request…to Bring THIS Beautiful Woman to His Cell? Hollywood great John Agar (Sands of Iwo Jima, Shield for Murder) stars as Joe, a death row inmate with one final request before his impending hanging: to spend the night with a woman. The police bring him a down-on-her-luck former “waitress” named Dora, played by femme fatale extraordinaire Cleo Moore (On Dangerous Ground, The Other Woman). At first these two tormented souls meet with disdain, but soon gain each other’s respect. After a night of raw and unexpected passion, Joe informs Dora that, with her love, he will not be afraid to die. The nihilistic noir two-hander Hold Back Tomorrow comes written, produced and directed by Czech star and cult auteur, Hugo Haas (The Girl on the Bridge, Bait).

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Video Quality

Undertow, Outside The Wall and Hold Back Tomorrow come to Blu-Ray with the three films each given their own disc. These films share a lot of the same qualities, so I will mostly be judging them as a group while pointing out noticeable differences when necessary. All three films come to high definition with a new 2K master that works quite well for every transfer. The quality amongst these three mostly stays in the “really good” range with the occasional ebb and flow in quality. Every film shows off a small bit of underlying print damage and other source anomalies to one degree or another, but nothing that truly ruins the viewing experience.

The grain field remains intact but can be slightly inconsistent in certain moments, yet we would prefer a brief spike in grain over having anything managed or scrubbed of its texture. Even when it is coming on heavy, nothing ever appears swarmy or unnatural. Print can be found in small specks and scratches, but there is little doubt these have been cleaned up significantly. There is a notable amount of detail present throughout with subtle textures on the outfits and in the environments and production design. The contrast is steady with only a minor level of density fluctuation in the print. Black levels could be given a bit more depth, but there are no substantial occurrences of black crush or compression artifacts across the three. The black-and-white photography holds up well across every film as they make the most of their high definition debut with natural grain intact. Kino Classics has done really well with these.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray set comes with a good DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track for each of these three films that presents them well even with a small bit of age-related wear. The three scores that accompany these films rarely overpower the dialogue and other important information, but they can sound a little weak or shrill at the highest peaks. Dialogue comes through clearly without sounding gauzy or weak. It is balanced well with the environmental elements so information stays prominent in the mix. The only deficits come in the form of some faint hissing, humming and crackles that more than likely date back to the source elements. Kino Classics has provided a satisfying audio experience for these. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for all feature films.

Special Features

Audio Commentary for Undertow: Scott Brady’s Son Tim Tierney and Professor/Film Scholar Jason A. Ney deliver a very fun and informative commentary track in which they discuss the locations featured in the film, the facets of the performances, the careers and lives of the talent involved, the themes of the story, the film’s reception upon its release and more. This is a great treat since the personal anecdotes from Tierney add a lot of great background and context to the feature.

Audio Commentary for Outside The Wall: Author/Film Historian Alan K. Rode provides a very illuminating commentary track in which he discusses the work of filmmaker Crane Wilbur, where this fits in the pantheon of prison-related films, the careers of the talent involved, the legacy of the film and more.

Trailers: There is a two-and-a-half minute trailer provided for Hold Back Tomorrow. There are also trailers provided for Outside The Law, Singapore, Let’s Kill Uncle, Behind The High Wall, Night Has A Thousand Eyes, Fixed Bayonets, Shield For Murder, The Raging Tide and Touch Of Evil.

Final Thoughts

The Film Noir: The Dark Side Of Cinema XII collection provides three more engaging crime dramas that feel thematically coherent but distinct in their goals. The theme of the set appears to be the contending of ghosts from the past and figuring out if you can break free from them or be overtaken. There is truly not a weak title in the bunch, and all of them are supported by a focus on character over simple A-to-Z plot mechanics. There is not a cavalcade of A-list names supporting this set, but the quality speaks for itself. Kino Classics has released a Blu-Ray set featuring a solid A/V presentation and a couple of informative commentary tracks. If you are a film noir fan, this series continues to delight. Recommended

Film Noir: The Dark Side Of Cinema XII [Undertow/Outside The Wall/Hold Back Tomorrow] is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.