Conflict - Warner Archive Collection

Once The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca transformed Humphrey Bogart into a screen hero, he thought his days as a heavy were finally over. So imagine his reaction when studio chief Jack L. Warner cast him as wife-killer Richard Mason in Conflict a few years later. Bogie wasn't at all anxious to return to his roots and repeatedly turned down the role until a threat of suspension changed his mind. Lucky for Bogart, Richard is an intriguing, complex character - quietly diabolical and cold-blooded one minute and psychologically tortured the next - and that allows the legendary actor to once again paint a fascinating portrait of a flawed man.

Unlike the poor saps who commit murder to win favor with a beautiful, manipulative femme fatale in such classic film noirs as Double Indemnity and The Postman Always Rings Twice, Richard kills his wife Kathryn (Rose Hobart) so he’ll be free to pursue her younger sister Evelyn (Alexis Smith), who only has the faintest inkling he's interested in her. That hardly seems like a burning motive to commit a capital crime, but it soon becomes clear Richard's conflicted and fractured brain forces him to such extremes. That twisted brain also exacerbates his guilty conscience, which shifts into overdrive after a series of strange circumstances make him question whether Kathryn is really dead.

Directed by Curtis Bernhardt, who's best known for helming romantic “women’s pictures” starring Barbara Stanwyck (My Reputation), Bette Davis (A Stolen Life), and Joan Crawford (Possessed), Conflict occasionally falls victim to plot holes and some hard-to-swallow narrative turns, but it's a stylish, engrossing picture with film noir and Freudian accents. Though Richard's guilt is never in doubt, the movie somehow still keeps us guessing. Just as Richard begins to wonder about his wife’s fate, so too do we. Could it all be a dream? Or a hoax? I don't think Conflict influenced Hitchcock, but it's hard not to draw parallels between it and Vertigo, which the Master of Suspense would mount 13 years later.

Conflict is largely a cerebral mystery fueled by slow-burn tension that never rises to the fever pitch we expect. It’s one of those “perfect murder” yarns, in which the fun stems from discovering what tiny slip-up will keep the villain from evading justice. The script is literate, but it lacks the sparkle that distinguishes so many Bogart vehicles of the 1940s.

Thankfully, a strong cast is on hand to make the material seem better than it is. Bogart, who wears his trademark trench coat throughout much of the movie, proves you can go home again by filing a brooding, understated portrayal that seethes with malevolence. The screenplay doesn’t give him many quips, but he delivers the few he gets with his typical sardonic inflections. His chemistry with Smith, who would drive him to try and murder another screen wife (Barbara Stanwyck) in The Two Mrs. Carrolls a couple of years later, is tepid at best, but the dearth of passion serves the story well, making Richard’s actions seem even more disturbed.

As always, Sydney Greenstreet - in a rare sympathetic role - shines as an erudite psychiatrist who tries to help Richard deal with his demons, but it’s Hobart who steals the show as the unfortunate Kathryn. Her sophisticated bitchiness is venal enough to get under Richard’s skin, but she’s far from a shrew. Her finely etched performance enlivens the film and engenders a bit of sympathy, too. Once Richard bumps her off, Conflict loses some steam and doesn’t quite regain it until its last half hour.

Conflict doesn’t stand as one of Bogart’s best features, but it’s better than its lack of notoriety would lead one to believe. Overshadowed by the likes of Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, and all his movies with Lauren Bacall, it’s a classy production that hits several strong notes. The few sour ones, however, keep Conflict from scaling the lofty heights to which it aspires.

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray
Conflict arrives on Blu-ray packaged in a standard case. Video codec is 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 and audio is DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono. Once the disc is inserted into the player, the static menu without music immediately pops up; no previews or promos precede it.

A brand new HD master struck from a 4K scan of the original camera negative brings Conflict to brilliant life on Blu-ray. The 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 transfer embraces the movie's noir accents with terrific contrast and clarity, deep blacks, and superior shadow delineation. Light grain preserves the feel of celluloid while supplying the texture that's such an essential component of the noir genre. Some special effects are seamlessly woven into the film's fabric, background elements are easy to discern, fabric and jewelry details are distinct, and sharp close-ups nicely highlight Bogart's careworn face, Greenstreet's jowls, and Smith's peaches-and-cream complexion. A couple of shots exhibit a hint of softness, but you really have to be alert to catch them, and any dirt, debris, or nicks that plagued the previous DVD have been meticulously erased. Bogart fans will be thrilled with this high-quality presentation and shouldn't hesitate to upgrade.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono track supplies clear, well-modulated sound. A wide dynamic scale handles all the highs and lows of the Max Steiner-esque music score by four-time Oscar nominee Frederick Hollander without any issues and all the dialogue is easy to comprehend. Sonic accents like driving rain, shattering glass, and screeching tires are crisp and no age-related hiss, pops, or crackle intrude. Conflict is primarily a talky film, but the sound quality is still top-notch.

Warner Archive supplies its usual plethora of vintage extras.

• Vintage Cartoon: Life with Feathers (HD, 8 minutes) - This amusing romp chronicles a suicidal bird's tireless efforts to get Sylvester the cat to eat him. In a clever twist, Sylvester can't bring himself to put the bird out of his misery.  
• Vintage Cartoon: Trap Happy Porky (HD, 7 minutes) - Move over, Bugs. Porky Pig is the star of this amiable animated short that lacks the cleverness of other Looney Tunes entries, but is entertaining nonetheless. In this entry, a sleep-deprived Porky battles some pesky mice who continually interrupt his slumber.
• Vintage Short: Peeks at Hollywood (HD, 9 minutes) - This behind-the-scenes one-reeler is most notable for a cameo by screen heartthrob Errol Flynn, but also contains appearances by teenagers Jane Withers and Virginia Weidler, entertainer Ken Murray, and actor Arthur Lake, who's best known for his portrayal of Dagwood Bumstead, the hapless husband of comic strip heroine Blondie.
• Vintage Short: Are Animals Actors? (HD, 14 minutes) - This two-reel short takes us to the training school where dogs learn the tricks that get them into the movies. We also get to see some impressive displays of talent by seals, ponies, rabbits, lions, tigers, and bears. Oh my!
• Vintage Radio Adaptation (25 minutes) - Originally broadcast on 9/11/1945 as part of the Theater of Romance series, this severely truncated adaptation features narration by Richard, which lets us into the twisted musings of his brain. Bogart reprises his role and gives a stellar performance.
• Theatrical Trailer (SD, 2 minutes) - The film's original preview includes a snippet that didn't make it into the final cut and claims "Never has the screen presented a more daring motion picture."

Conflict never quite scales the same heights as its more famous noir cousins, but it's a solid genre entry that's stylishly directed and contains stellar performances. Bogart commands the screen as usual and keeps us engaged even when the narrative sputters. Warner Archive serves up another delicious transfer that's struck from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative, supplies clean, clear audio, and tops the disc off with several engaging vintage supplements. There's no conflict here. This Blu-ray is Recommended.