Journey Into DVD: The Lineup (1958)

If you've already seen the 5 movies included in Sony's recent film noir box, or maybe if you have DVD or VHS copies of your own, here's an incentive to go for the set: The commentary tracks. I recently enjoyed Don Siegel's "The Lineup" twice, the second time while experiencing a fantastic collaboration between Eddie "Czar of Noir" Muller and James "Greatest Living Crime Fiction Writer" Ellroy.

(If you're thinking of disputing me on the distinction I give Ellroy, don't bother. I got the label from an impeccable source--Ellroy himself in this very commentary).

The movie itself is a blast, and well worth a look-see in its own right. It's not so "noir" as one might expect, perhaps, and it's actually based on the old police procedural TV show of the same name (later known as "San Francisco Beat") but it's a great crime pic, filled with unsavory characters, outstanding location shooting, and a memorable performance by Eli Wallach as a sociopath trying to track down a missing heroin shipment. Thinking back now, some of Wallach's facial expressions stand out to me--just specific ones he gives in individual scenes--and I think that's a sign of a memorable performance. He really is a riot, but then Robert Keith and Richard Jaeckel also stand out to a lesser extent.

One of the hallmarks of "The Lineup" is the awesome late-fifties location shooting in San Francisco. It's a treat, then, to hear S.F. native Eddie Muller pointing out aspects of the geography, sites of interests, and other tidbits as the commentary track unfolds. The saddest threat that runs through it is the constant reminders of a past city that is no longer there in that form and never will be. Muller laments the loss of many of these locations as he points them out. Progress is progress, I guess. At least we have movies like this to preserve some of that history.

That's the saddest thread to me, but some of you might find Ellroy's obsessions sadder. Personally, I find the "Demon Dog" a fascinating observer, especially when he's paired with someone like Muller who is capable of steering the discussion on track as needed.

When Muller and Ellroy teamed up on a commentary for "Crime Wave" in WB's Film Noir Collection Volume 4, skittish Warner Brothers suits/lawyers reportedly censored a heap of it. Well, "The Lineup" is a Sony product, and, well...let's just say the Sony Standards and Practices Department is a helluva lot more mellow.

Throughout this audio commentary, you will hear profanity galore (including the glorious f-bomb), remarks about sexuality, drug references, and all sorts of other fun tangents. Ellroy being Ellroy, he often delves into his own interests, such as labeling seemingly every other character as a homosexual (not that he's always wrong in this regard, as there is some fairly overt stuff in the picture), referring to San Fran as "the Joan Zone" after a former object of his affection from the city, and--perhaps best of all--frequently expressing his fascist wish that police departments had more power; the power, for example, to bash a suspect in the head with a phone book in order to get information or, well, hell, just because.

At the beginning of one scene, Ellroy identifies a character--one we see for the first time, mind you--as homosexual within seconds (if that), and when Muller asks him about it, he just says it's his vibe. Later, as another character interacts with a little girl in a non-threatening way (at least on the surface), Ellroy is the one who "goes there," groaning something like, "Oh, on top of everything else, the guy's a pederast, too." Not that there's anything at all funny about that crime, of course, or even this scene the way it's filmed, but the the way Ellroy says this catches me off guard and cracks me up.

Muller strikes the right tone in dealing with his partner in crime here, indulging his comments without condoning them, often laughing with or sort of at them, too. The guys have a nice rapport that only enhances this bonus feature, and though Ellroy does go a little off the rails sometimes, he is strangely compelling, though Muller could have done an excellent track alone as well.

"The Lineup" is a great crime movie with a thrilling finish and several outstanding scenes. In addition to the great commentary track, there is a featurette about noir and the film's original trailer. I'd say this one is worth the cost of the DVD box set alone, but it's an expensive package, so I'm sure as hell not gonna say it's that good. But if you're interested in the other movies in the set for any reason, go ahead and get it if you can. "The Lineup" will not disappoint you.