The Racket - Warner Archive Collection

Howard Hughes produced his first motion picture at the ripe old age of 21. His fortune enabled him to bankroll his own projects, and his third film, a silent crime drama called The Racket, earned a Best Picture nomination at the very first Academy Awards in 1928. Back then, the story was fresh and Hughes' brash vision, realized by director Lewis Milestone (All Quiet on the Western Front), electrified audiences. Twenty-three years later, Hughes - now the head of RKO Studios - took another crack at The Racket, transferring the story from the Prohibition era to the present day and casting two powerhouse actors (Robert Mitchum and Robert Ryan) to play the upstanding cop and snarling criminal. The result is a solid, but undistinguished film that's interchangeable with countless other mob flicks and doesn't add up to the sum of its parts.

That's surprising, because the 1951 version of The Racket is directed by John Cromwell, who helmed such acclaimed films as 1937's The Prisoner of Zenda, Since You Went Away, The Enchanted Cottage, and Caged, and co-written by W.R. Burnett, author of Little Caesar, High Sierra, and The Asphalt Jungle. The Racket zips along at a brisk pace, contains an exciting rooftop pursuit and car chase, and boasts fine performances by a cast that also includes Lizabeth Scott, Ray Collins, Robert Hutton, and a (fairly) young William Conrad. There's just nothing special or unique about anything in this been-there-seen-that movie.

Mitchum plays police captain Thomas McQuigg, one of the few honest cops left in New York City. Because he refuses to be bought or influenced by the mob, he keeps getting transferred to precincts where the "Big Syndicate" wields little influence. When an offshoot of the gang, led by career criminal Nick Scanlon (Ryan), threatens to infiltrate his newest post, McQuigg vows to stop them and bring Scanlon to justice. His task is complicated by a dirty district attorney (Collins) up for re-election and crooked detective (Conrad), both of whom plot to thwart McQuigg's efforts, but he's aided by nightclub singer Irene Hayes (Scott), who has the goods on Scanlon and is willing to testify against him...if Scanlon doesn't kill her first.

The Racket, which is based on a 1920s Broadway play that starred Edward G. Robinson in the Scanlon role, doesn't have a whole lot of plot; it's more of an episodic tale that chronicles McQuigg's investigation and Scanlon's efforts to foil it. Some of the scenes feel a bit disjointed and Irene's romance with an idealistic young newspaperman (Hutton) lacks heat. Here you have a movie with two rough-and-tumble hunks going toe to toe and you stick the sultry Scott with a bland, somewhat weak character with whom she generates little chemistry. Romantic tension is one of the key components of film noir and The Racket suffers for the lack of it.

Reportedly, Hughes meddled less than usual during and after the shoot, but less for Hughes was still far more than almost all other producers of his era. His serial nitpicking resulted in some script rewrites by an uncredited Samuel Fuller and a few reshot scenes directed by Tay Garnett, Nicholas Ray, and even actor Mel Ferrer, none of whom received any credit. (IMDb lists a total of five uncredited directors.) All those cooks surely spoiled The Racket's broth just a little and account for the choppy feel that sometimes plagues the film.

Sparks flew between Mitchum and Ryan in the blistering anti-Semitism drama Crossfire four years before, and though both men give strong performances here, they seem to try a bit too hard to ignite the same level of fireworks. Mitchum shines a little brighter in a less showy role, using his deadpan demeanor and sulky machismo to great effect, while Ryan flirts with caricature as the sniping, sadistic, cocky kingpin who always believes he has the upper hand. Ryan rarely overacts, but here he seems to relish chewing the scenery and chewing out all the other characters.

Scott plays the hard-knocks singer with a mixture of attitude and tenderness. Few actresses would be able to hold their own against both Mitchum and Ryan, but Scott proves she's up to the task, despite the sketchy delineation of her role. The always colorful Collins adds potency to every film in which he appears and makes the most of his oily character, while Conrad, who wouldn't attain real stardom until the 1970s with the TV series Cannon, grabs attention whenever he's on screen as the sly, duplicitous detective.

There's a lot to like about The Racket, but it doesn't quite live up to expectations. I'm happy to watch Mitchum and Ryan any day of the week, and I'm sure I'll be giving this film noir a couple more spins over the years, but with so many Golden Age crime dramas to choose from, this rather pedestrian exercise might get squeezed by more renowned and better crafted titles.

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray
The Racket 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 nitrate camera negative yields a top-quality 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 transfer that faithfully honors the stark cinematography of three-time Emmy nominee George E. Diskant, who shot many B movies for RKO before transitioning to television in the mid-1950s. Faint grain preserves the film-like feel, while excellent clarity and contrast, dense blacks, bright whites, and a wide grayscale produce a vibrant picture that showcases fine details and exhibits a fair amount of depth. Solid shadow delineation enhances nocturnal scenes, costume textures and patterns are vivid, and sharp close-ups highlight stubble, tears, and Mitchum's chin cleft. No digital anomalies distract and no age-related nicks, dirt, or scratches mar the pristine source. I don't own the 2006 DVD, but it's impossible to imagine The Racket looking any better than it does here.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono track outputs clear, well-modulated sound that nicely balances music, dialogue, and effects. A wide dynamic scale handles all of the score's highs and lows with ease, sonic accents like gunshots, sirens, fisticuffs, and a powerful explosion are crisp, and all the snappy exchanges are easy to comprehend. A bit of surface noise can be detected during quieter moments, but no annoying pops or crackle disrupt the movie's tense mood.

Both extras from the 2006 DVD have been ported over to this Blu-ray release.

• Audio Commentary by Turner Classic Movies host Eddie Muller
• Theatrical Trailer (SD, 1 minute)

Both Mitchum and Ryan made better film noirs, but it's a treat to see them share the screen. The Racket checks all the boxes and delivers solid entertainment. A brand new 4K scan of the original nitrate camera negative and remastered audio elevate this square-jawed crime drama that belongs in every noir lover's collection. Recommended.