This gritty and quintessential film noir is drenched in greed, cynicism and corruption of the soul, as embodied by John Garfield (The Postman Always Rings Twice, He Ran All the Way) in one of his most memorable roles. Garfield is perfectly cast as Joe Morse, a lawyer whose connection to a ruthless racketeer has nearly destroyed his sense of morality. His participation in a rigged numbers racket could prove disastrous for his high-strung brother (superbly played by Thomas Gomez, Key Largo), whose small-time policy bank stands to go broke when the rigged numbers pay off. Writer and director Abraham Polonsky (in his masterful directorial debut) was later victimized by the Hollywood blacklist, curtailing his career for decades until he directed Robert Redford in 1969’s Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here. Force of Evil also features a scorching supporting cast which includes Beatrice Pearson (Lost Boundaries), Paul Fix (Guns, Girls and Gangsters), Howland Chamberlain (House by the River) and film noir queen Marie Windsor (The Killing).

For thoughts on Force Of Evil, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/Gq72yhAZ0tk?si=2qkiY1eMENvNm-zu&t=1277]

Video Quality

Kino Classics presents Force Of Evil with a stellar Blu-Ray in 1.37:1 from a new 4K restoration conducted by Paramount Pictures, UCLA and The Film Foundation. The film was previously released on Blu-Ray over a decade ago by Olive Films, but we do not have that release to compare. That being said, when these entities get involved in the restoration process, you are usually in for a monumental treat. The presentation is a knockout throughout the duration of the runtime with image stability and delineation being handled flawlessly.

This transfer retains the natural film grain of the presentation with no moments ever seeming clumpy or swarming. We did not spot any unexpected softness in the transfer as the brilliant black-and-white photography has a firm grasp on the gradients. Black levels hold up well with next to nothing in the way of crush. Instances of print damage such as nicks and lines have been eradicated with overall clarity and detail remaining high. Kino Classics has brought new life to this classic film noir.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a nice DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that likewise handles the material well. This track shows no egregious signs of age related wear and tear such as dropouts, hissing or popping. Dialogue and background noises are balanced admirably with all complementary elements. The David Raskin score maintains a fine fidelity as it enhances the atmosphere of the narrative. Despite the strength of this element, nothing ever overwhelms the dialogue or other important information. All of the sound effects and music appear to be accurate to the intent of the creative team. You could not ask for better from Kino Classics. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Film Historian Imogen Sara Smith provides a very informative commentary track in which she discusses how this film compares to the source material, how this fits into the career of John Garfield, the background of the ensemble players, how this responds to American values, how the Black List ruined many careers and much more.

Introduction From Martin Scorsese: A nearly four-minute introduction from filmmaker Martin Scorsese in which he discusses why this film is a classic, how it has impacted his career, the themes of the film and more.

Trailers: The minute-and-a-half trailer for Force Of Evil is provided here. There are also trailers provided for He Ran All The Way, The Killing, The Girl In Black Stockings and Singapore.

Final Thoughts

Force Of Evil is a film with its fair share of famous admirers, and that is for good reason. The story is one that contains more complexity than might appear at first blush, and the way it wrestles with morality is extremely compelling. The performers are very strong across the board, and the direction from Abraham Polonsky in his debut makes you sad that we had to go so many years without new work from him due to the blacklist. In a crowded film noir landscape, this one stands out. Kino Classics has released a new Blu-Ray featuring a great A/V presentation and a cool couple of features. Fans of old school film noirs should not pass the one by. Recommended

Force Of Evil 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.