Although Union Station is billed as a film noir (it was even included in Olive Films' Film Noir Collection Vol. 1 Blu-ray set; this is the same disc), it's mostly just a straightforward thriller. Although it's a suspenseful and entertaining film, it's not particularly bleak or despairing, is free of brutal karma, and only kind of includes a femme fatale. I'm guessing the resume of director Rudolph Mate (D.O.A.) is what gets it lumped in with the genre. Try as I might, I also failed to pick up much in the way of subtext, either. Could the police squad more than willing to rough up criminals to get the information they need be a social criticism? Or maybe the station represents some kind of existential crossroads. At the very least, Joyce and Calhoun's opposing viewpoints on how to handle the kidnapping might represent some thematic thread? No, not really. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

William Holden has always been a reliably engaging screen presence, and Union Station is no different. There's not much to his character, a cop who thinks of himself as the "common man" despite the fact that he puts duty and process before people, and who hates being called "Willie." Most of the movie is made up of suspense sequences, and although Holden is involved in the majority of them, they're not exactly a glowing example of character development. In this case, this is Holden in sympathetic mode, where his stern exterior gives way to reveal a charming man underneath with a sense of humor. When Joyce is simultaneously tending a wound he's received while chasing the suspect and teasing him about his lack of emotional sensitivity, he yelps in pain before breaking into a big grin. His straightforward nature is contrasted slightly with that of his superior officer, Inspector Donnelly (Barry Fitzgerald), who shows a bit more emotion in trying to catch the criminals.

On the other side of the film's central relationship, Nancy Olson doesn't get much more of an opportunity to flesh out her character than Holden. At first, it seems as if Lorna's safe return will be a torch for Joyce to carry, as both the conductor and Calhoun initially treat her report with a certain dismissive skepticism. She also takes matters into her own hands, following one of the perps during a distraction and gathering crucial information. Instead, she always feels as if she's in the background from the moment Calhoun takes over the investigation, always present but rarely the center of attention. A couple of scenes where she and Calhoun talk outside of their many sting operations develop their chemistry, but it comes off like a footnote rather than a crucial thread. The bad guy's girlfriend, Marge, played by Ace in the Hole's Jan Sterling, makes more of an impression in half the time as a kidnapper with a conscience.

Still, despite the movie's fairly flimsy characters and lack of dramatic depth, Mate has an assured hand when it comes to the suspense sequences, which are more than enough to keep Union Station engaging for its short 81-minute running time. The first major sequence finds Calhoun and his crew tailing a perp across town on the elevated train. The end of the sequence is not only unique, but technically dazzling for the time period and executed nicely. There is also a brief shootout on the steps of a brownstone, and of course the inevitable chase inside the train station, and underneath it, in a series of underground tunnels. Lyle Bettger, as the film's villain, gets closest to that noir feeling with his desperation in trying to make a big score, which goes nicely with the tunnel sequence, filled with long hallways bathed in deep, evocative shadows.

The Blu-ray
As is the standard for Olive Films Blu-rays, Union Station arrives with its poster art repurposed as a beautiful, striking Blu-ray cover, a sepia-toned collage of action and characters, surrounding the title on a bold red card. The single-disc release comes in a cheap Infiniti Blu-ray case, and there is a postcard insert advertising other Olive Films Blu-ray releases.

The Video and Audio
Presented in 1.33:1 1080p AVC, Union Station looks mostly impressive on Blu-ray. There is some print damage and jitter, but it is relatively minor. The majority of the film looks a touch soft but features impressive depth and clarity, with nicely balanced contrast. Other sequences appear to be a generation removed, exhibiting the kind of reduced detail and flattened contrast as shots containing optical effects often do. On the disc end, no unfortunate manipulation of the image is apparent, nor are there any serious compression artifacts or banding to speak of. All things considered, this is a fine-looking disc.

Sound is a DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 soundtrack, which offers a bit of wear and tear but is generally as satisfactory as the video. During one silent scene, some light crackling can be heard, and there is little to no separation between the dialogue and other effects and music even though all three come through clearly enough. The more disappointing aspect is that there are no subtitles or captions of any kind on the disc (not that the track prompts one to look for them, but just that such things should be standard on Blu-rays and DVDs).

The Extras
None. As the disc has no alternate audio or captioning options, the only two selections on the main menu are "Play" and "Scene Selections."

Conclusion
Union Station is a perfectly agreeable thriller. Whether or not it's a true film noir is probably debatable, but it's got some strong chase sequences and is well cast even if many of them don't get to stretch themselves very much. Lightly recommended, although the box set is probably a better value than this stand-alone release.