Review: 'The Red Ball Express' A Minor Entry in An Illustrious Career

In the bygone era of World War II films made during the '50s, it was clear that the U.S. government and military both had influence on Hollywood projects made about the war. "The Red Ball Express" is no exception to the rule, as Budd Boetticher's matter-of-fact style and hardboiled moralism come off subdued in a film with a bit more on its mind than being a routine 'B' programmer in 1952.

The original Red Ball Express was a unit made up primarily of Black soldiers, and that gets lost on the story, which is apparently part of why Boetticher didn't have a great experience making the film. All in all, this is a minor entry in the illustrious career of a master technician.

Kino Lorber and their Studio Classics label bring this under-seen (maybe for the better) war film from Boetticher to Blu-ray with a sturdy video presentation that's probably the best the film has ever received at home. Plus, a new audio commentary with historian Steve Mitchell and author Steven Jay Rubin digs deep into the dated aesthetic hallmarks of an old war picture, like using stock footage and dropping the audience in a story that starts in media res.

In August 1944, General Patton and his Third Army advanced so far into Paris that it was nearly impossible for supply runs to reach them without being attacked relentlessly. Allied HQ employs an elite military truck unit to drive a convoy full of supplies to Patton. Lt. Chick Campbell (Jeff Chandler) leads the unit, but clashes with Sgt. Red Kallek (Alex Nicol) over an incident when they were civilian truck drivers.

Boetticher wasn't an impersonal filmmaker and took many jobs in between his bigger films. "Red Ball Express" is one of those gun-for-hire efforts, but it still cleverly combines action, drama, and comedy in ways Boetticher would revisit and refine in his other films. That being said, Sidney Poitier's performance as Cpl. Andrew Robertson earned him high acclaim, and even though it's a character mired in an age-old representation of Black soldiers fighting in WWII, the actor's signature gravitas shines through.

Other than the audio commentary, there are no special features here. I'd only recommend "Red Ball Express" to Boetticher diehards, but it's never not a pleasure to see minor efforts like this getting a worthwhile home entertainment treatment from Kino Lorber.

"Red Ball Express"
Kino Lorber Blu-ray
$24.95
https://www.klstudioclassics.com/product/view/id/7148