Blu Ray Review: Shakedown (1950)

Kino Lorber is releasing a lot of solid lesser-known noir films from Universal, and Shakedown is an exceptionally strong one. Joe Pevney makes his directorial debut with this tight drama about an ambitious freelance photographer (Howard Duff) who has a gift for charming people into doing things they ordinarily don’t do. This results in his getting a notorious crime lord (Brian Donlevy) to actually pose for a picture, landing him a job on the newspaper. He soon becomes know for getting exclusive photos of various events because his connection to gangsters gives him information ahead of time.

Released in August of 1950, Shakedown is a good primary example of the post-war American crime drama that represented a certain style that was later dubbed film noir by French film scholars who studied American cinema. The film’s co-writer, Nat Dallinger had been a photographer for a newspaper syndicate and co-wrote the film with Don Martin, as well as acted as its technical adviser. Joe Pevney transitions from stage directing to film with a concentration on the story and the actors. Working with a cast that also includes Lawrence Tierney, Peggy Dow, Bruce Bennett, and a small bit by a newcomer named Rock Hudson, Pevney seems to understand the film noir style already with this debut. He bathes certain scenes in darkness, uses camera angles to emphasize the dramatic texture of certain scenes, and maintains a suspenseful rhythm that keeps the narrative compelling.

Quintessential post-war noir appears to have been a staple for Universal studios and the more we explore these bypaths within the sub-genre, the more enlightened and impressed we’ve become with the studio’s output during this period. It is fascinating to realize that while they were making money on bread-and-butter releases with Abbott and Costello, Ma and Pa Kettle, and Francis the Talking Mule, Universal also spent the early 1950s with taut, entertaining crime dramas like Shakedown.

Kino’s blu ray is a beautiful print bolstered by an informative and interesting commentary track by Professor Jason Ney, notable for some exceptional essays in Noir City magazine.

The blu ray can be purchased at this link: SHAKEDOWN