Review: 'Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema VI' Brings Four B-Movie Treats to 2K

"Film noir" was coined in 1946 by a group of French critics as a way to describe current films that they saw as dark and fatalistic, with characters that were psychologically complex, alienated antiheroes. These films delved into a moral decay of sorts and were stylized, always black and white, using shadow and light in deliberate fashion. Oh, and there was always a femme fatale. Billy Wilder's "Double Indemnity," Orson Welles' "Touch of Evil," and Robert Siodmak's "The Killers" were great examples of top-notch film noir.

Kino Lorber has done an excellent job of unearthing some of the lesser celebrated noir films for their series of box sets called "The Dark Side of Cinema." These afternoon B-movie treats, while not the crème de la crème, are still worth a look.

Series six begins with John Brahm's "Singapore," starring Fred MacMurray and Ava Gardner, released in 1947. They had me at Ava Gardner, who's gorgeous face we first see reflected in a glass table as MacMurray tries to piece together what happened before WWII destroyed his happiness. MacMurray's never been the most exciting actor, and he's not the most believable pearl smuggler. In addition, the plot is lame, the villains are D-"Casablanca"-grade, and poor Ava's amnesia subplot is just silly. But "Singapore" proves to be an interesting tale about lonely people. That was enough to keep me intrigued – that, and whenever the mesmerizing and underrated Ava was onscreen.

"Johnny Stool Pigeon" is the kind of title that lays it all out there. Directed by the future "The Tingler"-famous William Castle, the movie plays like a Noir PSA as treasury agent Howard Duff goes undercover to uncover a narcotics ring and must bring along his nemesis convict, the titular Johnny, whom he springs from Alcatraz. (Johnny is played by Dan Duryea, having a "you dirty rat" ball.) Future homophobe Tony Curtis (billed as Anthony) appears as a deaf mute (nope, not joking), and he's so pretty in this picture. Stealing all her scenes is the fabulous Shelley Winters, who was still two years away from her first Oscar nomination for "A Place in the Sun." Winters has a blast as a plucky moll who is self-described as having had "a pretty rugged life."

Finally (and if you get seasick you might want to avoid this one), there's George Sherman's "The Raging Tide," which centers on a San Fran gangster who commits murder in the opening scene and must flee. He stows away on a fishing boat, where he's practically adopted by a wise old boat captain (Charles Bickford), but the captain's wayward son (Alex Nicol) is wise to him, setting up one of many conflicts. Shelley Winters, again, co-stars, and practically steals the picture, as a smart talking bad girl who isn't sure what she wants anymore. And this one was released the year she received her Oscar nomination. The conflict at the center of "Raging Tide" is a fascinating one.

All three films are given brand new 2K transfers and, for the most part, look quite good. And all three come with audio commentaries that provide a lot of info about the films and the creatives involved.

Blu-ray Extras Include: