Hot off its triumphant global celebration as an Official Selection at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, Film Masters today announced its explosive entry into the ultra-high-definition market with its very first 4K Ultra HD™ physical media release: Roger Corman’s “Machine Gun Kelly” (1958).
Slated for a definitive two-disc UHD/Blu-ray™ release on December 15th, released for the first time since its original 1958 theatrical window, and completely restored to its native, ultra-wide Superscope aspect ratio. This landmark project marks a major industry coup for the boutique archival label. “Machine Gun Kelly” (1958) is a crime drama directed by legendary filmmaker Roger Corman and starring Charles Bronson in a landmark early performance.
Based loosely on the criminal exploits of George “Machine Gun” Kelly, a small-time gangster who became larger than life, the film delivers a tense portrait of ambition, paranoia, and the violent underworld of Depression-era America. This release will include a BD-100 UHD disc, with the feature and trailer in Dolby Vision HDR, as well as an accompanying BD-50 Blu-ray disc with the film and special features.
Long before he became an international action star, Charles Bronson took center stage as George “Machine Gun” Kelly, a bank robber whose fearsome reputation is matched by a deeply buried insecurity. With his partner-in-crime, Florence “Flo” Becker (Susan Cabot), urging him toward ever more audacious schemes, Kelly finds himself caught in a dangerous cycle of violence and desperation. When his crimes escalate from bank robbery to kidnapping, the stakes rise, and the law closes in. As Kelly’s gang fractures and pressure mounts, his carefully cultivated image of a fearless outlaw begins to crumble.
Masterfully directed and produced by Roger Corman, “Machine Gun Kelly” exemplifies Corman’s ability to transform lean, independent productions into compelling cinema. Corman and screenwriter R. Wright Campbell look beyond the familiar mythology of the gangster film to explore a criminal driven as much by insecurity as by ambition. The result is a taut crime drama that combines the urgency of a heist thriller with the psychological tension of film noir. Susan Cabot brings a formidable presence to Flo Becker, while Morey Amsterdam co-stars as Michael Fandango, the stuttering criminal whose fortunes become entangled with Kelly’s increasingly desperate schemes.
For Bronson, the film marked a significant turning point, placing him at the center of a feature-length production and foreshadowing the commanding screen presence that would define his later career. With its stark black-and-white cinematography, hard-edged performances, and unflinching view of criminal ambition, “Machine Gun Kelly” remains a compelling entry in the crime-film canon—and an essential discovery for fans of Bronson, Corman, classic Hollywood noir, and vintage gangster pictures.
“Stepping into the 4K UHD arena is a massive watershed moment for Film Masters, and there is no project more poetically fitting to lead our expansion than Roger Corman’s ‘Machine Gun Kelly,’” said President Phil Hopkins. “To have Julie Corman personally reach out and entrust our team with this film is the honor of a lifetime. Since launching Film Masters in 2023, we have poured everything into preserving Roger’s unmatched cinematic footprint. Celebrating this breathtaking new transfer on the global stage at Cannes was an unforgettable tribute to Roger’s genius, and we are thrilled to bring the absolute definitive physical media presentation of this crime classic to his many fans.”
Special Features:
- Full-length audio commentary by film historians C. Courtney Joyner and Mark Jordan Legan.
- New documentary, Micro Budget Maverick: Roger Corman At AIP in the 1950s, by Ballyhoo Motion Pictures.
- New documentary, This is Superama, by Ballyhoo Motion Pictures.
- Original theatrical trailer in Superama aspect ratio scanned from 35mm fine-grain element in 4K.
- 14-page full-color booklet featuring a new essay by film historian Don Stradley.
Tech Specs:
“Machine Gun Kelly” (1958) is presented in two aspect ratios, in Dolby Vision HDR and 1080p for Blu-ray. One of the only films shot for Superama presentation (2.00:1), this film is also presented in a more traditional 1.37:1 aspect ratio. The discs are region-free and include English SDH. Audio is DTS-HD / Dolby AC3s.
Available on 4K Ultra HD™ December 15th from FILM MASTERS
