Director Elia Kazan's suspenseful 1947 drama mixes film noir narrative technique with semi-documentary realism. Based on the unsolved murder of a priest in a small Connecticut city, the film stars Dana Andrews as state's attorney Henry Harvey, who is called upon to defend vagrant John Waldron (Arthur Kennedy), after the latter is accused of killing an elderly cleric. The evidence seems conclusive, but something about the case strikes Harvey as fishy, and he endeavors to prove his client's innocence despite antagonism from the locals. Distinguished character actor Lee J. Cobb all but steals the movie from Andrews with his fine portrayal of a police detective harassed by press and politicians while trying to do his job. Kazan's direction is excellent and the location shooting in Connecticut achieves a gritty realism that would likely have been absent if the film had been lensed on a Hollywood backlot. Unseen for decades, Boomerang was initially scheduled for earlier release on DVD but withdrawn due to copyright issues. DVD extras include an insightful audio commentary by film historians Alain Silver and James Ursini, and a stills gallery. Highly recommended. (E. Hulse)[Blu-ray Review—Nov. 15, 2016—Kino, 88 min., not rated, Blu-ray: $29.95—Making its debut on Blu-ray, 1947's Boomerang features a nice transfer with stereo 2.0 sound. Extras include audio commentaries (one by film noir historian Imogen Sara Smith; the other by film historians Alain Silver and James Ursini), and trailers. Bottom line: a noir classic shines on Blu-ray.]
Boomerang
Fox, 88 min., not rated, DVD: $14.98 Volume 23, Issue 6
Boomerang
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