In the 1950s, filmmaker Fred Zinnemann would score major successes with flicks like High Noon and From Here to Eternity. Though without as much notoriety, Zinnemann established himself as a director in the 1940s, with 1949’s Act of Violence.

Frank Enley (Van Heflin) and Joe Parkson (Robert Ryan) both fought as part of the same unit in World War II, but their post-combat lives end up very differently. While POW survivor Frank gets viewed as a hero and enjoys a pleasant career and family life with wife Edith (Janet Leugh) and young son Georgie (Larry and Leslie Holt), the physically disabled and angry Joe struggles to move past his war experiences.

Frank acted as Joe’s commanding officer and Joe blames Frank for his current misery. This leads to conflicts that put Frank in a difficult and dangerous spot.

A spate of movies about the aftereffects of WWII emerged in the late 1940s. 1946’s Oscar-winning Best Years of Our Lives remains the most notable of this sub-genre.

One shouldn’t expect Act to follow in that path. Whereas it flirts with struggles of veterans, it really exists much more as a noir thriller.

And it does well in that regard. Act comes with a taut little tale that explores its revenge narrative in a positive manner.

Not that the WWII aspects lack resonance. In particular, we see how a form of “survivor’s guilt” sticks with Frank, though it seems up to the viewer to decide whether or not Frank deserves this inner torment.

This form of nuance makes Act better than average. Most movies would treat Frank as true blue and make Joe the sadistic villain – and Act looks like it’ll follow that path for a while.

However, as matters emerge, the audience learns information that creates shades of gray. We don’t get simple good vs. bad here, and that adds a nice layer of complexity.

Zinnemann makes sure to give Act a lot of noir tension as well, especially during the first act. When we do see this as a conflict between a solid citizen and a mentally deranged nutbag, the film creates a strong tone of menace in the way Joe stalks Frank.

In particular, Zinnamann uses Joe’s limp as a source of drama. We just get the sound of Joe’s dragging foot as he approaches, and that forms an ominous vibe.

All of this does a lot to remind me of 1962’s classic Cape Fear. Though the latter clearly cuts its own path, it seems similar enough that I imagine those involved felt the influence of Act

Really, the only misfire I find here comes from the ages of the actors. Only 21 during the shoot, Leigh seems awfully young to be the married mother of a toddler, especially given that Heflin was nearly twice her age.

Otherwise, Act delivers a crisp thriller. A tight little 83-minute affair, the movie zings.

Act of Violence appears in an aspect ratio of 1.37:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Expect a pretty strong presentation.

Sharpness worked well throughout the movie. Some mild instances of softness popped up at times, but these remained insignificant.

No issues with jagged edges or moiré effects occurred, and I saw no edge haloes. Print flaws also failed to become an issue, and grain felt light but natural.

Blacks appeared deep and dense, while shadows looked smooth and clear. The film consistently looked great.

Though not as good, the movie’s DTS-HD MA monaural soundtrack appeared perfectly acceptable for its age. Speech occasionally betrayed a little edginess, but the lines generally came across as accurately rendered.

Music and effects worked in similar ways, as they showed decent accuracy and lacked much distortion. Nothing here excelled, but the audio seemed satisfactory for the material and vintage.

A few extras appear, and we get an audio commentary from film historian Dr. Drew Casper. He delivers a running, screen-specific look at genre domains, story/characters, themes and interpretation, cast and crew, and the movie’s release/reception.

Casper mixes his attempts to dig into the movie’s context and noir domains with production elements, especially as he examines genre areas at MGM. Expect a consistently informative and engaging chat.

Dealing with the Devil runs five minutes, eight seconds. It brings remarks from film historians Richard Schickel and Alain Silver, critic Glenn Erickson and filmmakers Christopher Coppola and Oliver Stone.

The featurette looks at the movie’s approach to its subject matter as well as cast/crew, filmmaking techniques, story and characters. We get a smattering of decent observations but “Devil” seems too brief to tell us much.

In addition to the film’s trailer, we find two animated shorts from the same era as Act. We locate Goggle Fishing Bear (7:21) and The Shell-Shocked Egg (6:50).

Goggle shows Barney Bear as he attempts to nab some fish. Due to an adorable seal, hijinks result but not many laughs come along for the ride.

As for Egg, a half-hatched turtle wanders about while still encased in his shell. While not a classic, it comes with some charm and amusement.

A noir thriller with more character depth than usual, Act of Violence becomes a compelling project. It evolves at a logical pace and ends up as a taut tale of guilt and revenge. The Blu-ray comes with positive picture, appropriate audio and a mix of bonus materials. Expect a well-executed dark drama.