Tonight's Movie: Short Cut to Hell (1957) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

SHORT CUT TO HELL (1957) is the final film reviewed from the terrific Kino Lorber Dark Side of Cinema XXI collection.

I previously reviewed the set's SHACK OUT ON 101 (1955) and CLOAK AND DAGGER (1946).

SHORT CUT TO HELL is something of a curiosity, the only film directed by James Cagney. Cagney, who is said to have directed as a favor to producer A.C. Lyles, appears in a brief pre-credits sequence to introduce unknown lead actors Robert Ivers and Georgeann Johnson; that's his only screen time.

SHORT CUT TO HELL is a Paramount Pictures film remaking the studio's earlier hit THIS GUN FOR HIRE (1942). If Paramount was hoping that Ivers would strike the same lightning as Alan Ladd did in the original film and become a star, that didn't happen, but it's an interesting movie nonetheless.

Is SHORT CUT TO HELL a pallid remake of the original, with stars Ivers and Johnson lacking the sizzling chemistry of Ladd and Veronica Lake? Yes.

Is SHORT CUT TO HELL a quite entertaining film despite its deficiencies? Also yes, especially if a viewer loves relatively minor fare as I do.

It's fun very much on the level of STEP DOWN TO TERROR (1958), the next year's low-budget remake of Hitchcock's SHADOW OF A DOUBT (1943); the films also share in common a 15-year gap between the first classic version and the remake. I liked both remakes and would watch them again, while also acknowledging they aren't anywhere near the caliber of the originals.

In SHORT CUT TO HELL hit man Kyle Niles (Ivers) first meets singer Glory Johnson (Johnson) on a train from Oakland to Los Angeles, where Glory has a nightclub gig.

Niles has just killed two people in a hit commissioned by Bahrwell (Jacques Aubuchon, reminiscent of the original's Laird Cregar). Bahrwell betrayed him with marked bills, and the cops, coincidentally including Glory's police detective boyfriend (William Bishop), are now on Niles' trail.

The screenplay, written by Ted Berkman and Raphael Blau based on W.R. Burnett and Albert Maltz 1942 script, loosely follows the original for much of its 89 minutes.

A lengthy chase in the film's final third is transferred to a warehouse, with some evocative fluorescent lighting filmed in VistaVision by Haskell Boggs. (Incidentally, the following year Boggs filmed HOUSEBOAT (1958), reviewed here a few days ago.)

There's some creative staging of that warehouse sequence by Cagney, including the use of an overhead crane, though it runs on too long. I could say that about the movie in general, as somewhat surprisingly this film is several minutes longer than the original.

I found Robert Ivers adequate, if fairly colorless, while Georgeann Johnson, who much later played Jane Seymour's mother in several episodes of DR. QUINN, MEDICINE WOMAN, was quite likeable. A lengthy discussion between the two in the warehouse gets a little "stagey" and obvious, but for the most part they do fine, in keeping with the overall level of the film's performances.

Ivers, as a side note, was long married to the pretty '50s Universal Pictures actress Marcia Henderson.

Offscreen Johnson was eight years older than Ivers, and her relationship with him in this film seems more motherly than romantic; each time they meet she ends up as the wise older friend trying to get him to take a good look at himself and what he's doing with his life.

Bishop, who's attractive and appealing in a fairly small role, was also eight years older than Johnson, but they are a well-matched pair. Sadly Bishop would pass away just a couple years later.

Beyond the enjoyable Johnson and Bishop, the film's appeal for me was a good story with some familiar faces and nice Southern California location work.

The cast includes Richard Hale, Sarah Selby, Yvette Vickers, Murvyn Vye, and Douglas Spencer (THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD).

The movie's locations included an unnamed train station along with the warehouse. More significantly, quite a bit of filming was done at the Cravens Estate in Pasadena. The estate was owned by the Red Cross from 1962 to 2018, when it was sold to Michael Feinstein.

While much of the film looks fairly ordinary, as previously mentioned there are some excellent visual moments thanks to Haskell Boggs' cinematography. The Kino Lorber Blu-ray print is an HD master from a 4K scan and is clean of scratches or other problems.  

Disc extras consist of a commentary track by Gary Gerani; the trailer; and two additional trailers for other films available from Kino Lorber.

This Dark Side of Cinema XXI set has proven to be one of my favorites in a wonderful series, featuring two excellent -- but very different -- espionage films along with this enjoyable remake. Recommended.

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray.

Tweet