Blue Christmas (2024) [Blu-ray review]

Blue Christmas is the latest film from Max Allan Collins. I say that realizing that I forgot Collins had directed Mommy. Hell, I know him more from his writing and his brief tenure at DC Comics. Right before the Holiday season, it’s typical to drop a ton of Christmas themed material. Hell, I’m kinda shocked it hadn’t started sooner. That being said, I wish there was more Detective to this Christmas Detective story. Oh well, let’s start talking about it.

A Gumshoe Holiday Special

Blue Christmas, written and directed by Max Allan Collins and released in 2024, is a deeply emotional drama that tells a poignant story about grief, forgiveness, and the importance of family. With its recent Blu-ray release, viewers can experience the heartfelt journey of its characters with enhanced visual and audio quality. Featuring powerful performances and an evocative storyline, Blue Christmas is a film that resonates long after the credits roll.

Sam Spade meets Scrooge

Blue Christmas takes viewers on a haunting journey through private eye Richard’s past mistakes, his present state of moral decay, and a bleak future that awaits him if he refuses to change. With each ghostly visit, Richard is forced to confront the choices that have led him to his current path, including the betrayal of his partner and his selfish attempts to escape responsibility. As he delves deeper into the mystery of Jake Marley’s death, Richard realizes that the key to solving the case lies in his willingness to change his ways and seek redemption.

The narrative is a unique blend of holiday spirit and classic noir, drawing inspiration from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol while adding a hard-boiled detective twist. The story captures the moodiness of 1940s Chicago, complete with smoky alleyways, jazz-filled bars, and an overarching sense of despair that ultimately gives way to hope and transformation.

What if I don’t like Detective Stories?

Well, Blue Christmas might not work for you. But, that’s OK. When the actual outlaw Bonnie Parker shows up to walk him through his childhood, I groaned. I’ve seen this story before, even the Ghost of Christmas Present that walks our lead through a recent death. Finally, we have Elvis future ghost that just kinda exists. If you were having a hard time hanging with the narrative to this point, you might get lost.

So, take a step back. It’s not quite Noir, but it’s also pretty funny. That being said, what Blue Christmas asks of you is to consider Richard Stone as a man of the 40s and someone possible of redemption. It’s not quite A Christmas Carol, as Scrooge never had to avenge Marley. But the flip around here puts more agency on Stone. It’s just how does it actually work? I’ve watch the film twice and I still don’t have an idea of the world that exists at the end of Blue Christmas.

Let’s talk about that Blu-ray

The Blue Christmas Blu-ray arrives in mid November with an excellent package. The bonus features range from a commentary track to Q&A highlights to a documentary. It’s all pretty nice and expansive, but the commentary track is what shined. Hearing Max Allan Collins take the time to explain some of his choices in Blue Christmas made the overall narrative function for me.

However, I can’t say that I really loved what I saw. The A/V Quality is pretty sharp. The 1080p transfer plays with cool blues and a lush color scheme effectively. The audio track is typical for most VCI releases, yet it sounded the best out of any I heard in 2024. Give it a shot for the Holidays.

Blue Christmas comes to Blu-ray on November 12th from VCI

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