The Verdict (1946) - Warner Archive Collection

Though they're both called The Verdict, the 1946 film noir mystery and 1982 courtroom drama that netted Paul Newman a Best Actor Oscar nomination have only their title in common. The 1982 Verdict is by far the better known movie, but that doesn't mean we should dismiss its very distant 1946 cousin as a cinematic footnote. Not by a long shot. The 1946 Verdict stands on its own as a riveting whodunit that's distinguished by an airtight plot, colorful characters, plenty of suspense, and atmosphere galore. You may never have heard of it, but once you see it, you'll understand why it enjoys such a stellar reputation.

In 1890 London, the smug Scotland Yard superintendent George Grodman (Sydney Greenstreet) celebrates the hanging of a notorious killer who was convicted largely on circumstantial evidence...until he's informed his department didn't fully investigate the accused's alibi, which has turned out to be airtight. Ashamed he sent an innocent man to the gallows and embarrassed by his dereliction of duty, Grodman resigns his post, allowing his archrival John Buckley (George Coulouris), who has long coveted the position, to inherit it.

Not long after, Arthur Kendall (Morton Lowry), the murder victim's wealthy, ne'er-do-well nephew, is found dead in his apartment. Kendall's social circle included Grodman, rich playboy Victor Emmric (Peter Lorre), and esteemed Parliament member Clive Russell (Paul Cavanagh). Kendall was also embroiled in a volatile relationship with Lottie Rawson (Joan Lorring), a sexy, gold-digging nightclub singer. With few clues to aid his investigation, the newly promoted Buckley becomes increasingly frustrated and flummoxed, much to Grodman's glee, but will the pressure to make an arrest and gain a conviction force Buckley to make the same mistakes that destroyed Grodman's career?

The Verdict marks the ninth and final time Greenstreet and Lorre would appear together in the same film, but more importantly it marks the directorial debut of Don Siegel, who would really hit his stride a quarter of a century later when he partnered with actor Clint Eastwood on such noteworthy projects as Dirty Harry, The Beguiled, and Escape from Alcatraz. Siegel amps up atmosphere and intrigue with an often arresting visual style that includes a dazzling dream sequence early in the film and interesting camera angles and noir accents throughout.

All mysteries live and die by the quality of their plots and scripts, and The Verdict earns high marks on both fronts. The story holds up well under a microscope and the screenplay keeps us guessing as it deftly mixes suspense with key revelations and moments of comic relief. All the characters are colorful and almost all of them harbor a viable motive for the crime. While watching the movie, I often felt like Martin Balsam in the 1974 version of Murder on the Orient Express, thinking to myself "He did it" and "She did it" whenever a new piece of evidence cropped up. That's the sign of a really good, really engrossing whodunit.

Greenstreet and Lorre often were relegated to supporting parts in their films together (most notably in The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca), but their high level of talent coupled with their distinctive, polar opposite physiques endeared them to audiences and enabled them to headline a few movies. Greenstreet dominates The Verdict with his grit and girth, filing a nuanced portrayal of a complex character, but Lorre is equally good as the elegant, slightly creepy Victor, who skulks through the London fog, hides in closets, and always looks like he's harboring a deep, dark secret.

Lorring, who earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress the previous year for The Corn is Green, plays the trampy singer with plenty of Cockney sass and coquettish allure; Rosalind Ivan, who portrayed Charles Laughton's shrewish wife to perfection in The Suspect, steals her share of scenes as Victor's flighty, nosy landlady; and the always reliable Coulouris (who would ironically appear in Murder on the Orient Express 28 years later) makes a fine foil for Greenstreet. Watching them match wits and trade barbs as both try to solve the crime and one-up the other is one of the movie's many pleasures.

The Verdict is a satisfying mystery with loads of style that holds up well over repeat viewings. Siegel proves he's got the right stuff, and Greenstreet and Lorre prove once more that sometimes the oddest screen couplings are the most compelling. The two actors won't win any beauty contests, but just try to take your eyes off of them...and this well-crafted movie.

Vital Disc Stat: The Blu-ray
The Verdict 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 yields an often stunning 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 transfer that faithfully honors the moody noir cinematography of Ernest Haller, who won an Oscar for Gone with the Wind. The film's original grain structure remains intact, ensuring the look and feel of celluloid without exhibiting excessive texture. The omnipresent London fog is especially well rendered, as is a striking dream sequence that features seamlessly integrated process shots that contribute to the eerie atmosphere. Excellent clarity and contrast, superb shadow delineation, deep blacks, crisp whites, and finely graded grays combine to produce a picture that's packed with period detail and flaunts a fair amount of depth. Sharp close-ups showcase Greenstreet's jowls and double chins and Lorre's sunken cheeks and bulging eyes, and no print damage breaks the movie's mesmerizing spell.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono track supplies nicely balanced sound that greatly enhances the narrative. Sonic accents like a tolling church bell are distinct, while a range of subtleties delicately heighten suspense. A wide dynamic scale gives the foreboding music score by four-time Oscar-nominee Frederick Hollander plenty of room to breathe, and though Greenstreet's accent, guttural vocal tones, and poor enunciation make some of his lines difficult to understand, the bulk of the dialogue is clear. No distortion could be detected and just a hint of surface noise during a few quiet moments sullies the otherwise pristine track.

A few vintage extras add luster to the disc.

• Vintage Cartoon: Hair-Raising Hare (SD, 8 minutes) - An animated Peter Lorre makes an appearance as a mad scientist in this eerie and amusing Bugs Bunny short that pits Bugs against a giant red furry monster. Guess who wins the battle.
• Vintage Cartoon: Birth of a Notion (SD, 7 minutes) - Lorre also crops up in this Daffy Duck cartoon as - you guessed it - a mad scientist who requires a duck bone for one of his experiments. Even Daffy manages to outsmart the deranged Lorre.
• Vintage Radio Programs (88 minutes) - Three radio dramas starring Lorre are included on the disc. Black Sea Gull (29 minutes) was broadcast on March 7, 1943 as part of the Inner Sanctum series. Till Death Do Us Part (30 minutes) aired on December 15, 1942 as part of the long-running Suspense series. And Stamped for Murder (29 minutes), which co-stars Sydney Greenstreet, was broadcast on October 20, 1950 as part of the New Adventures of Nero Wolfe series.

The verdict is in, and it's unanimous that The Verdict is a top-notch thriller that's intellectually stimulating, visually arresting, and just plain fun. Greenstreet and Lorre prove once again they're one of the Golden Age's most mesmerizing screen teams, and Siegel proves he's a force to be reckoned with in his directorial debut. A new HD master struck from a 4K scan of the original camera negative, remastered audio, and a few vintage extras make this disc a must for noir and mystery fans. Highly Recommended. 

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