Blu ray review: The Web (1947)

Kino Lorber has released, on blu ray, this taut, entertaining B-level noir from Universal-International. With a cast that includes Edmond O’Brien as an attorney, William Bendix as a tough smart cop, Vincent Price as a wily embezzler, and Ella Raines as Price’s savvy secretary, The Web is a compelling piece of entertainment that banks on its talented actors effectively. Director Michael Gordon was early in his career at this time, having helmed entries in the Boston Blackie and Crime Doctor series as preparation for this project (he would later branch out to include Doris Day comedies and a western with Dean Martin). The screenplay is by William Bowers (Larceny, Pitfall, Criss Cross), and Bertram Millhauser, who wrote some of the Sherlock Holmes entries with Basil Rathobone, and whose career dated back to silent films.

Price hires O’Brien as a bodyguard, convincing him a former colleague recently released from prison for embezzlement, is out to kill him. O’Brien kills the man in self defense, but soon discovers, with the help of cop friend Bendix, that Price is not the innocent businessman he claims to be.

Made during the post-war quintessential period for murder mysteries with dark imagery and dialog spoken with a simmering monotone, The Web is sustained mostly by its magnificent cast of top actors of the period. Vincent Price is at his slimiest, and the fact that his 6 foot 4 inch height towers over the other actors adds another element to his presence as the bad guy pretending to be a good guy. William Bendix, spent a lot of time as both a good guy and bad guy in 40s cinema before television defined him as a loveable buffoon on the Life of Riley series. Here he is at his gruff, powerful best. Ella Raines slinks and smarms with an agenda that serves her character’s best interests. Raines is decidedly underrated among 40s-era actresses (in later years, she taught acting at the college level).

It is Edmond O’Brien who carries the bulk of the interest, even with such a fine supporting cast. Ranking alongside his other career-best performances in movies like Shield for Murder (which he also directed), White Heat, and D.O.A, O'Brien exhibits aggressive confidence as a small time attorney who slowly realizes the man he is protecting is the one he should be pursuing.

This fine film is beautifully restored by Kino Lorber, and the blu ray includes a commentary track by professor and film scholar Jason Ney, who agrees with the fact that this film is underrated and offers a lot of interesting insight as to its significance, and some truly fascinating background information.

The Web was never released on VHS, Laser Disc, or DVD, so Kino Lorber's blu ray release is its first appearance on home video. It is most highly recommended and can be ordered at this link: THE WEB.