Violent Saturday (Blu-ray)

(Twilight Time, 7.8.2014)

One of the greatest triumphs of intermittently virtuosic director Richard Fleischer (The Boston Strangler, The New Centurions), Violent Saturday offers a fascinating take on the heist film that proves no less memorable than classics of the genre like The Asphalt Jungle, The Killing, and Reservoir Dogs. Much of the credit goes to noted noir screenwriter Sydney Boehm (The Big Heat), who breaks from convention in several striking ways. Rather than place all his emphasis on the planning of a robbery (which takes place late in the film), he also explores the interpersonal issues of a seemingly unconnected group of characters. It eventually becomes clear that these people have one thing in common: they’re all present at the robbery Fleischer and Boehm patiently build toward. The time spent getting there is stylish, atmospheric, and rich with possibility, but the payoff somehow manages to exceed expectations, making for a strikingly muscular and unsentimental crime melodrama that is one of the best of its kind.

As always with Twilight Time, this Blu-ray is limited to 3,000 copies, available exclusively through Screen Archives and the TCM store. In 2011, Violent Saturday became the company’s second DVD release, but the Blu-ray improves upon that disc in several crucial areas. In addition to the two extras from the earlier disc (an isolated score, liner notes by Julie Kirgo), this Blu-ray includes a vivid new transfer and a terrific commentary by Kirgo and Twilight Time co-founder Nick Redman.

This commentary offers a fascinating and comprehensive overview of the film. Kirgo and Redman go to some lengths to make sense of the film’s conflicted link to both film noir and the melodrama. In discussing this hybrid, Redman astutely finds parallels to the work of David Lynch, as there is a dark underbelly beneath Violent Saturday’s theatrical, carefully composed surface. Apt comparisons are also made to the writings of John Cheever (The Swimmer) and Richard Yates (Revolutionary Road). In addition, Kirgo and Redman detail the film’s troubled history on home video and the recent efforts (including their own) to resurrect this overlooked gem. If you have yet to experience the wonders of Twilight Time, Violent Saturday is an ideal place to start. -- Jonathan Doyle