DVD review: ‘New York Confidential’ and ‘Night Train to Munich’

” New York Confidential” (1955) was one of the hot tickets earlier this year at the American Cinematheque’s annual film noir festival at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. The gritty drama had been out of circulation for years and available only in inferior prints because of rights issues. But the rights were recently purchased by the Kit Parker Films distribution company, which specializes in orphan and “lost” films, and the newly restored film made its DVD debut last Tuesday.

FOR THE RECORD:
“Night Train to Munich”: A review of the DVD release of “Night Train to Munich” in Tuesday’s Calendar section said that Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne played rugby fanatics in the 1940 British film. They played cricket fanatics. —

So does it live up to the hype?

Definitely. Though it looks like it was shot on a dime budget, the film fairly bristles with sharp dialogue from the Oscar-nominated writing team of Russell Rouse, who also directed, and Clarence Green, and features well-defined characters and hard-hitting performances.

Broderick Crawford is all bluster and bombast as a New York mob boss who believes in the old adage an eye for an eye. His answer to any problem is to knock off the competition.

A young Anne Bancroft plays his daughter, who hates what her father does for a living and tries to strike out on her own. Noir icon Richard Conte is a hit man brought in from Chicago who becomes the mob boss’ right-hand man. Rounding out the set of players are Marilyn Maxwell as Crawford’s mistress, J. Carrol Naish as Crawford’s assistant and Mike Mazurki as another of Crawford’s vicious hit men.

VCI Entertainment, the company releasing the film on DVD, also has included informative commentary from film noir historian and writer Alan K. Rode and film writer Kim Morgan, an advertising gallery and a before-and-after look at the restoration.

Meanwhile, the Criterion Collection is shining the spotlight on a classic 1940 British film, “Night Train to Munich.” Though not as obscure as “New York Confidential,” the clever thriller has fallen through the cracks in recent years.

Directed by Carol Reed and written by Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launder of “The Lady Vanishes” fame, “Night Train to Munich” stars Margaret Lockwood (also of “The Lady Vanishes”) as the daughter of a Czech scientist (James Harcourt). As soon as the Nazis invade the country, they pursue the scientist to work for the Third Reich. His only option is to escape to England. But his daughter is arrested and sent to a prisoner of war camp, where she meets a fellow prisoner (Paul Henreid, then known as Paul von Henreid) who devises a successful escape plan. She reunites with her father, and they are aided in England by a quirky, handsome undercover agent ( Rex Harrison, at his sexy Rexy best). But Henreid, who is not exactly what he seems to be, reenters the picture and the fun begins.

The film also stars Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne reprising their delightful roles as the rugby fanatics Charters and Caldicott, whom they introduced in “The Lady Vanishes.”

Filled with twists, turns, comedy and high drama, “Night Train to Munich” is a journey you simply have to take. The Criterion DVD features a lovely, newly restored, high-definition digital transfer, a conversation between film scholars Peter Evans and Bruce Babington about Reed and the screenwriters, and a booklet featuring an essay by film critic Philip Kemp.

susan.king@latimes.com