Import Corner: Jet Storm (1959) (Imprint Films) Blu-ray Review + 1080p Screenshots + Packaging Shots

A gem I had never heard of before, Jet Storm, gets a very nice blu-ray release from Imprint Films.

Studio: Imprint Films
Release Date: September 16th, 1959 (theatrical) / July 30th, 2025 (blu-ray)
Run Time: 1 hour 30 minutes 46 seconds
Region Code: FREE

Disc Count:
Picture: 1080p (1.66:1 aspect ratio)
Sound: English LPCM 2.0
Subtitles: English SDH
Slipcover: Yes
Digital Copy: No
Starring: Richard Attenborough, Stanley Baker, Hermione Baddeley, Bernard Braden, Diane Cilento, David Kossoff
Written by C. Raker Endfield, Sigmund Miller
Directed by C. Raker Endfield
Rating: ACB: PG (mild themes, mild violence)

____________________________________________

Poster

____________________________________________

What's It About?

Passengers on a trans-Atlantic flight from London to New York discover that one of them is mentally unbalanced. Believing a fellow passenger is the hit-and-run driver who killed his child, he smuggles a bomb on board and intends to use it.

____________________________________________

Video/Audio

I liked this transfer. It isn't flashy or anything. It's an older master but it's a good older master. The picture is clear with a high layer of grain present. Greyscale is handled well and detail is pretty high. Good stuff.

____________________________________________

Extras/Packaging

Audio Commentary by Jo Botting and Kim Newman

"Film Historian Sheldon Hall on Jet Storm" (22m 50s, HD, 1.78:1) This is a VERY dry interview with Sheldon Hall. He spends the majority of the interview covering Jet Storm's director, Cy Endfield, who seemed to have had a really interesting life and career. The talk about Jet Storm comes up during the last ten minutes or so. Hall is a bit too dry for my tastes but that doesn't mean he's bad. He's not. He knows his stuff. I just found him a bit too dry for me.

Theatrical Trailer (1m 54s, HD, 1.66:1) They never put the title on screen at any time during this trailer. I find that both weird and bold.

In terms of packaging, we start with the slide loading slip box which features the film's original theatrical poster minus the word bubble. The clear, 14mm blu-ray case inside features very generic that was probably used for a DVD release in the late 90s or early 2000s. Inside we find some inner artwork featuring a shot from the film. We also have the disc which features the same poster art as the slip box.

The disc is REGION FREE.

____________________________________________

Overall

JET STORM was pretty good. I had never heard of the film but I figured now was as good as a time as any time, so I watched it. There is a certain sense of dread hanging over the film as we have no idea how this thing is going to play out. The filmmakers are able to make this dread last through the entire film which was fairly impressive, especially given this film's age. Lots of films like this were made during this time and most of them aren't very good. JET STORM, thankfully, is not one of them. The acting goes from really good (Attenborough, of course) to decent to "I want an award." I also loved how the film is 90 minutes. That's it. The film gets in, tells its story, thrills us a bit, and gets out before growing stale. This is definitely one to check out.

Imprint Films' blu-ray is pretty damn good. The picture and sound quality are both nice and the special features package definitely goes for quality over quantity, which is something I wish more labels would do. We don't need a ton of special features. We just need good special features. Both the commentary and interview are top notch and worth a listen. I very much enjoyed both the film and the blu-ray.

____________________________________________

Extras/Menus