Strongroom

[MichaelB]

Full specs announced:

STRONGROOM
A film by Vernon Sewell

Released on BFI Blu-ray, Apple TV and Amazon Prime on 23 February 2026
and on BFI Player on 23 March 2026

See the trailer here.

Taut as a drum, Vernon Sewell’s suspense thriller is an outstanding example of the lean British B film. Strongroom, which counts Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese and Edgar Wright among its fans, is presented here in High Definition for the first time anywhere, newly remastered by the BFI. It comes to BFI Blu-ray and digital formats on 23 February and on BFI Player on 23 March, after release in selected cinemas on 30 January by BFI Distribution. Extra features include new audio commentaries and another Vernon Sewell thriller, The Man in the Back Seat (1961).

A trio of small-time crooks’ meticulously planned heist on a suburban bank goes awry, leaving the manager and his secretary locked in an airtight vault over the weekend. The gang have the cash – but with only 12 hours of air in the strongroom, they soon realise they’ll face a murder rap if they don’t somehow free the pair.

Special features
• Newly remastered in 2K and presented in High Definition
• Newly recorded audio commentaries by film historians Dr Josephine Botting and Vic Pratt
• The Man in the Back Seat (1961, 57 mins): another taut thriller from Vernon Sewell, featuring many of Strongroom’s cast and crew
• John Trumper BEHP interview (1992, 158 mins, audio): the Strongroom editor discusses his career
• Footpads (1896, 1 min): one of the earliest British crime films
• A Test For Love (Vernon Sewell, 1937, 27 mins): a public information film on the perils of STDs
• The Awakening Hour (Donovan Winter, 1957, 21 mins): a robbery goes wrong as morning breaks in London
• After Dark (Mike Dodds, 1979, 14 mins): a road safety film edited by John Trumper
• **First pressing only** Illustrated booklet with new essays by James Bell, Barry Forshaw and Tony Dykes; notes on the special features and credits

Product details
RRP: £19.99 / Cat. no. BFIB1561 / PG
UK / 1962 / black and white / 79 minutes / English language with optional descriptive subtitles / original aspect ratio 1.66:1 // BD50: 1080p, 24fps, LPCM 1.0 mono audio (48kHz/24-bit)

[GaryC]

I'll be reviewing this for Cine Outsider and just to clarify the wording in that press release... The two commentaries aren't solo ones by Josephine Botting and Vic Pratt but dual ones for both Strongroom and The Man in the Back Seat.

Also, the John Trumper BEHP interview is an alternate audio track over Strongroom - two of them in fact as it's split into two parts as it's twice the length of the feature.