Blu ray review: Thunder in the East (1952)

Alan Ladd stars in this post-war drama set in India in 1947.  Having just gained independence from Britain, India is now run by a maharaja.  Ladd is a former Flying Tiger who is now a gun runner and offers some weapons to the maharaja.  When his offer is turned down, he seeks another buyer, causing serious conflict at many levels.

This is one of Alan Ladd’s last films for longtime studio Paramount (he would make Shane and Botany Bay then not another film for them until The Carpetbaggers which was released posthumously).  He is supported by Deborah Kerr, turning in a fine performance as a blind woman, as well as a cunning Charles Boyer, a kindly Cecil Kellaway, and a seductive Corrine Calvet.  Charles Vidor is the director.

Thunder in the East is an exciting, compelling post-war drama from the period where Alan Ladd is doing some of his best work. It utilizes noir elements of the films that made him a star ten years earlier and brings these into a topical – for the time – story about how an enterprising Ameerican veteran attempts to profit from conflicts away from his own country.

Kino’s print is a 2022 HD master by Paramount Pictures from a 4K Scan.  The blu ray contains excellent, entertaining, enlightening commentary from Lee Gambin and Elissa Rose, who are always welcome commentators. 

The film is available at this link:  THUNDER