Manhattan Night

The noir film genre has taken a back seat to other more action-packed thrillers these days. Hopefully that will all change with Lionsgate's new Blu-ray "Manhattan Night," a slow burning yet highly charged mystery that gives actor Adrien Brody a chance to strut his brooding, moody acting chops.

It's also the debut helmed film from director/writer/producer Brian DeCubellis, a name that should be forever engrained in the minds of movie fans. "Manhattan Night" may evoke shades of Alfred Hitchcock and give nods to such 1980's fare like "Fatal Attraction" in its depiction of an icy blonde, femme fatale. Yet DeCubellis makes "Manhattan Night" all his own.

The plot of an investigative reporter (Brody) who tries to solve the gruesome death of a wealthy widow's husband may sound like it could be pulled from other 1950's potboilers. But because the noir genre is sorely underused, "Manhattan Night" becomes a highly original affair.

Special features on Lionsgate's must-have Blu-ray follow the norm of other releases, but they show the respect the cast and filmmakers had for each other. In the "Behind the Scenes" featurette, interviews with actors Adrien Brody, Yvonne Strahovski, Campbell Scott, and director/writer Brian DeCubellis prove that "Manhattan Night" was a labor of love for all involved. Strahovski claims the film was her most difficult challenge of all eight films she's made thus far in the U.S.

"The Watcher" refers to Adrien Brody's voyeuristic character in the film and talks to the actor about his approach to playing Porter Wren.

Four deleted/extended scenes can be viewed, where one notable extended scene features actor/producer Campbell Scott in an unbroken, 10-minute point-of-view segment.

An audio commentary with DeCubellis gives some extensive detail on his filmmaking process but it's the unique featurette "Director's Notebook and Storyboards" that's most enjoyable. It shows the mad genius director at work, comparing his notes to the novel "Manhattan Nocturne," the film's source material.

"Manhattan Night"
Blu-ray
$19.98
www.lionsgate.com