Mickey Spillane’s two-fisted private detective Mike Hammer makes his film debut in I, The Jury, now available in stunning 4K UHD, Blu-ray and 3D Blu-ray in this special limited edition from ClassicFlix.
After his best friend and war buddy is mysteriously gunned down, Mike Hammer (Biff Elliot) will stop at nothing to settle the score for the man who sacrificed a limb to save his own life during combat. Along the way, Hammer rides a fine line between gumshoe and a one-man jury, staying two-steps ahead of the law—and trying not to bumped off in the process.
At the time I, the Jury was adapted for the silver screen in 1953, Mickey Spillane was the best-selling mystery writer in the world. Capitalizing on Spillane’s acclaim, producer Victor Saville bought the rights to Jury and tapped screenwriter Harry Essex (Kansas City Confidential) to both write and direct. Saville also secured the services of cinematographer John Alton (Raw Deal, T-Men)—the master of light and shadows—to lense this iconic film noir and famed composer Franz Waxman (Sunset Boulevard, A Place in the Sun) to produce the score.
Co-starring Preston Foster (The Informer) and Peggie Castle (The Long Wait), Jury also boasts solid support from Alan Reed, John Qualen, Tom Powers, Margaret Sheridan, Mary Anderson, Frances Osborne, Nestor Paiva, Joe Besser and Elisha Cook, Jr.
FEATURES:
Theatrical Year: 1953
Runtime: 88 Minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1
# Discs: 2
Genre: Crime, Drama, Film Noir
Category: Classic
Language: English
Subtitles: English
Director: Hary Essex
Actors: Biff Elliot, Preston Foster, Peggie Castle, Margaret Sheridan, Alan Reed, Elisha Cook, Jr., Mary Anderson, Tom Powers, Joe Besser, John Qualen, Nestor Paiva, Frances Osborne
Region: A
Rating: NR
Color/B&W: B/W
Special Features:
Audio commentary by Mike Hammer continuation writer Max Allan Collins (Road to Perdition), co-author of Spillane - King of Pulp Fiction (with James L. Traylor)
Archival commentary with Biff Elliot from 2004 with nephew Josh Shalek (with thanks to Connie Elliot)
Excerpts from archival interview with Biff Elliot from 2006
Unaired Mike Hammer TV Show Pilot from 1954 written and directed by Blake Edwards and starring Brian Keith
Two rarely seen O. Henry Playhouse TV episodes, one with Preston Foster and the other with Peggie Castle
Episode of TV Series Public Defender featuring Biff Elliot"
