Blu-Ray Review: Union Station

By Brad Henderson

I love all genres but I’m more partial to horror and that’s what I’m better versed in when it comes to film. There are some other genres that I’m quite knowledgeable about but I really lack when it comes to film from the ‘50s and ‘60s. There is just so much out there that it’s a little overwhelming and I don’t know where to start. Luckily, there are companies like Olive Films that are picking the great ones and bringing them to the table, sparking renewed interest in the films, and giving them new fans such as myself.

It’s been fun going back and watching these oldies and seeing what directors have borrowed from and have been inspired by. Even though these plots are not all that intricate the films rely a lot on direction and tone. Being new to these films and so desensitized from modern cinema, films like these provide something that is visually timeless.

Recently I watched Union Station, which I thought was fantastic. It has some legitimate suspense that had me going for a little while. It is an eyewitness account from a woman who spots a gun in a train station and notifies authorities. By doing a good deed she helps uncover a blind girl that has been kidnapped and our story unfolds from there.

One thing that I dig quite a bit with films from this era is that a lot of them didn’t have a soundtrack or score. Yeah, they had music and soundtracks, but this was before they started scoring an entire film. Now we incorporate music during certain scenes to intensify the situation, but back in the day films didn’t do this as frequently. Back then filmmakers relied on the actors to make the scenes more intense along with great editing. Union Station is a prime example of all of these things and that’s what makes it so damn good.

There are many sequences in Union Station that I’m now obsessed with and replaying in my mind constantly since my viewing. There are a couple of things in the film that stand out: the tailing sequence and the shootout in the caves. I found myself in a trance and not breathing during these scenes because they are so well done. Filmmakers can definitely take notes from a film like this and use it as reference in order to construct scenes to create something more tight and concise rather than the current trend of fast paced, choppy editing, and extreme close-ups to show us an action scene is happening.

I love Olive Films and they have been doing nothing but good since they have existed. Of course this disc comes up short with features and extras but I forgive that in most of their titles because I’m sure there isn’t enough material available to produce anything worth their time. Most of their discs are bare bones but the transfers are really decent.

If you find yourself wanting to educate yourself with old films I would suggest looking into the Olive Films catalogue and you will be pleased with what you find.

Union Station was released by Olive Films on December 23.