Blu-ray Review: Kansas City Confidential

Synopsis: ​A mysterious fellow (Preston Foster) contacts a trio of criminals (Jack Elam, Neville Brand, Lee Van Cleef) to help with a bank heist. The four wear masks and remain strangers to each other, planning to reunite in Mexico to divvy up the loot. Joe Rolfe (John Payne), the man they framed to take the heat, gets his charges dropped, and the police offer him a reward if he can help recover the cash. He agrees, and when one of the thieves meets his end, Rolfe assumes his identity to catch the crooks.

Main Feature: I enjoy a good noir film, even if I have barely scrapped the surface on viewing films from the genre. So when I saw a chance to see Kansas City Confidential and it's synopsis, it intrigued me. And boy was I pleased. It almost plays out like a western, with the framed man like a hired gun to ride into the wild desert searching for the men responsible. The twist of anonymous identities only adds to the age-old belief there is no honor among thieves. Seeing Elam and Van Cleef in this film only adds to the Western vibes. I thoroughly enjoyed this introduction to the movie (I see it's fingerprints all over Quentin Tarantino's works, most importantly his debut film Reservoir Dogs), with the HD transfer looking sharp.

Bonus Features: A film historian commentary and some liner notes are the lone extras. A sharp slipcover artwork and region-free disc could be considered bonuses as well, to some.

Final Call: Kansas City Confidential is a sharp under-the-radar film of influence, no hidden identity to many other filmmakers, with an HD presentation worthy of study.

Grade: A-