Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema, Volume IV: Six Bridges To Cross (1955)

Details: By Loron Hays; 20 July 2020

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Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema, Volume 4

Because not everyone can be saved.

Inspired by the Great Brink's Robbery of 1950, Six Bridges To Cross makes its targets known early: trigger-happy cops and unrepentant criminals. Civil unrest. That’s what happens when a police officer (George Nader) shoots a kid during a robbery, but policeman Edward Gallagher makes amends and befriends the kid, trying to mentor him and turn him away from a life of crime.

"The performances throughout the movie are riveting. So, too, is the dialogue as writer Sydney Boehm"

It’s a lifetime commitment, full of ups and downs. How does the saying go? You can take the kid out of the streets, but you can’t take the streets out of the kid and that’s what Gallagher doesn’t believe is true as he begins his journey trying to fix Jerry’s life.

Gallagher believes he’s up to the task of trying to turn Jerry Florea (who, as an adult is played by Tony Curtis) away from the dark side. But Jerry doesn’t back down, taking the rap for things he didn’t do and getting the book thrown at him as a result. He loves the life and turns a deaf ear to everything Gallagher has to say about life and how it should be lived.

Gorgeously shot by legendary cinematographer William H. Daniels (Thunder on the Hill) and co-starring Sal Mineo (Rebel Without a Cause) and Jay C. Flippen (Night Passage), Six Bridges to Cross is hard-hitting in its portrayal of street life and criminal activity, cascading toward a car crash that left even me speechless. Gallagher just can’t give up on Jerry. Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema, Volume 4

The performances throughout the movie are riveting. So, too, is the dialogue as writer Sydney Boehm (Rogue Cop, Violent Saturday) brings both the filth and the fury together for an epic showdown as Jerry tries to persuade Gallagher for a chance to serve his country as America enters WWII. But there are two things Jerry can’t ever be: a father and a citizen of the United States. Can he even walk the straight and narrow? It doesn't seem like it.

Urban dramas don’t get much better than they do in Six Bridges to Cross. Directed by Joseph Pevney (Man of a Thousand Faces, Tammy and the Bachelor) and featuring an original song by Henry Mancini and sung by Sammy Davis, Jr., the movie is now on blu-ray - newly remastered in HD - as a part of Kino Lorber’s Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema, Volume IV, a three movie set which includes Calcutta and An Act of Murder.

4/5 beers

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Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema, Volume 4

Blu-ray Details:

Home Video Distributor: Kino Lorber
Available on Blu-ray - July 14, 2020
Screen Formats: 1.37
Subtitles: English SDH
Audio: English
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; three-disc set
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

From Joseph Pevney, the outstanding director of Foxfire, Female on the Beach, The Midnight Story, Man of a Thousand Faces and The Night of the Grizzly, comes this classic film noir starring screen great Tony Curtis (The Vikings, Trapeze) with George Nader (The Female Animal) and Julie Adams (Bend of the River). For decades, policeman Edward Gallagher (Nader) has tried to steer his lifelong friend and charming thief Jerry Florea (Curtis) from his life of crime. As Jerry graduates from two-bit hood to criminal mastermind, he must choose between the chance at redemption offered by his friend, or the irresistible allure of the crime of the century. Gorgeously shot by legendary cinematographer William H. Daniels (Thunder on the Hill) and co-starring Sal Mineo (Rebel Without a Cause) and Jay C. Flippen (Night Passage), Six Bridges to Cross is a thrilling crime drama inspired by the infamous Great Brink's Robbery of 1950.

Video:

With a crisp black-and-white transfer, Six Bridges to Cross lands on blu-ray thanks to the crackling efforts of Kino Lorber. Shadows, while not too terribly detailed, are thick and atmospheric throughout. Presented with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, the film looks marvelous and easily beats the poor appearance on television and on home video DVD that has previously dogged it. The blacks and grays are handled expertly by the transfer. Beads of sweat are visible, wet city streets, textures in clothing, and even the dirt in the pavement is all visible with fine textures throughout.

Audio:

Bang! Bang! Bang! Shots are fired on the DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track which accompanies this film noir flick.