The Glass Key (1942)

"My first wife was the second cook at a third-rate joint on 4th Street.", 8 December 2015

Crooked politician Paul Madvig (Brian Donlevy) decides to go legit by riding the coattails of a respected reform candidate, Ralph Henry. Madvig is taken by Henry's daughter, Janet (Veronica Lake), but so too is Madvig's right-hand man, Ed Beaumont (Alan Ladd). Beaumont would do anything for Madvig including suppressing his feelings for Janet. Throw in the murder of Janet's brother, Madvig as suspect #1, a powerful hood Madvig double crosses, a DA who's on-the-take, a series of poison pen letters, and a brute named Jeff (William Bendix), and you've got the makings of a classic noir/mystery.

The Glass Key is the kind of movie I can watch over and over. There's always something new and fresh to pick-up on. The plot may not be as convoluted as something like The Big Sleep, but there are more than enough twists and turns to keep things interesting. The final twist at the end when the murder is revealed is very nicely handled. 

The cast in The Glass Key is very strong. Ladd and Lake's on-screen chemistry is once again on full display. Their subtle glances during their first meeting is brilliantly played. I wish they would have made a dozen more movies together. Donleavy, Joseph Calleia, and Bonita Granville are all in fine form. Bendix is an actor I've never really cared much for, but here, he's perfect. The perverse pleasure he seems to get from beating the living daylights out of Ladd is a fine piece of acting. The scene with Bendix and Ladd sharing a drink has to be one of the oddest but most compelling I can remember seeing in a long time.

Technically, I've got very few complaints. The movie looks like a million bucks. Scenes are drenched in that noirish lighting I enjoy. The film is nicely paced with few dull moments that don't advance the storyline. Stuart Heisler's direction is on-point and, as i indicated, he skillfully handles the final reveal. It''s a very well put together film.

I've got a few complaints, but most are minor. If I'm pressed to mention one it would be the final scene. A Hollywood "happily ever after" ending is just not appropriate for the twisted tale that came before.

Overall, a very fine film that I'll rate an 8/10.

8/10

The Amazing Mr. X (1948)

John Alton's cinematography is stunning, 27 March 2008

Alexis (Turhan Bey) is a con man preying on people's desires to communicate with their dearly departed. His new target, Christine Faber (Lynn Bari), is a wealthy woman who has lost her husband. But with Christine, the would-be spiritualist may have bitten off more than he can chew when to Alexis' utter astonishment Christine's dead husband makes a return appearance from the grave. Alexis must go from huckster to hero if he's to save Christine and her sister Janet (Cathy O'Donnel), whom he's developed a real fondness for, from this murderous man come back from the dead.

What a ridiculous title for an masterfully filmed and very entertaining movie. In comparison with a lot of the other B-quickies of the 40s, The Amazing Mr. X features a very well crafted script that's an interesting blend of horror and film noir. The movie is well paced with several nice plot twists along the way. Just when you start to think you're watching a Gothic horror piece, the movie shifts gears and turns from a supernatural thriller to a crime thriller. And the character Alexis changes from a medium in communication with the dead to a phony con-man to the film's hero. It's all these twists that keep The Amazing Mr. X interesting throughout. All of the actors involved to an excellent job. I was particular impressed with Turhan Bey as Alexis and Cathy O'Donnell as the sister, Janet. Finally, as almost every comment on IMDb has noted, John Alton's cinematography is stunning. Films with ten times the budget don't look this good. It's an interesting mix of light, shadows, and creative camera angles. Alton certainly deserves all the praise he's received.

7/10

The Big Heat (1953)

"We're sisters under the mink.", 4 May 2007

A policeman commits suicide and everyone in the department seems content to let it go. Everyone, that is, except Det. Sgt. Dave Bannion (Glenn Ford). Bannion starts asking some tough questions and sticks his nose where it doesn't belong. Bannion knows he's on the right trail when one of the people he spoke with turns up dead. But when the violence gets a little closer to home, things change for Bannion. It gets personal.

Just about everything works in this movie as I'm sure director Fritz Lang intended. Interesting plot, gorgeous cinematography, terrific acting, fantastic writing, great atmosphere, believable character motivation, etc. etc. etc. All highlights of The Big Heat for me. There's really nothing significant to complain about. But I suppose I was most impressed with Gloria Grahame. I cannot imagine anyone doing more with or being better in the role of Debby Marsh as Grahame is. Innocent, tough, frightened, street-smart – you name, she played it. And usually to perfection. She literally steals every scene in which she appears. And in the end, well, I don't want to give anything away, but Grahame's final scenes are amazing.

8/10

Macao (1952)

"You know, you remind me of an old Egyptian girlfriend of mine. The Sphinx.", 2 May 2007

Three American's leave Hong Kong headed for Macao. While the three don't know each other, their lives are soon to be intertwined. Macao is essentially run by a gambler and crook named Vincent Halloran (Brad Dexter). He's always on the look out for American cops looking to put the clamp on his operation and take him back to the U.S. to stand trial. Halloran is convinced that one of the new arrivals, Nick Cochran (Robert Mitchum), is his man and wants to get him off the island before Cochran can get the drop on him. Complicating matters is Julie Benson (Jane Russell), who both Cochran and Halloran have a thing for, and Lawrence C. Trumble (William Bendix), a man who seems just a bit too interested in what's going on in Macao.

It's not that Macao is a bad movie, but you can certainly find better. Macao does nothing outstanding or overly memorable that allows it to rise much above the average mark. Take the film's two leads, Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell. I thought the pair was pretty good in His Kind of Woman. But here they're basically playing the same roles. It's the same relationship and dialogue all over again. How about something to spice things up a bit? The rest of the movie is similarly uneventful. Brad Dexter's tough guy Halloran isn't that tough. Thomas Gomez's Lt. Sebastian isn't as slimy and underhanded as he might have been. And William Bendix's character is far too easy to see through and figure out his motivations. Like I said, it's not that Macao is bad, it's just not as good as it could or should have been. If you enjoy watching Robert Mitchum play the same role he played dozens of times and if you enjoy watching Jane Russell sing and wear fabulous clothes, Macao might be the movie for you. If you want real excitement, suspense, and drama and the chance to see Mitchum and Russell do something that will "wow" you, you'll be disappointed.

6/10

His Kind of Woman (1951)

"When I'm broke, I press my pants.", 26 April 2007

In the world of the film noir, His Kind of Woman is something completely different from what I've become accustomed to. Some would argue that it's not even noir, but some sort of crime/adventure/comedy amalgamation. To me, it's definitely noir . . . with a twist. His Kind of Woman features three distinct acts. The first is the hard-boiled, loner with issues, dark noir you might expect. We meet Robert Mitchum, see him drink milk (that's right – milk) at a shady looking bar, and watch as he gets his brains beat in after returning home. End of Act 1. Things start to lighten up as soon as soon as Jane Russell enters the picture. Not really a comedy, the 2nd act instead reminds me of some sort of perverse Ten Little Indians where a diverse group of people seem to have been summoned together for reasons unknown. And it's quite the collection of characters – Mitchum as the tough as nails gambler, Russell the wannabe gold-digger, Vincent Price as the self-congratulatory actor, Jim Backus the gambler looking to take advantage of a young woman, and the assorted hoods, federal agents, and innocents. Act 3 is something different altogether. It features a bizarre contrast between Mitchum taking the beating of a lifetime and Price hamming it up complete with a cape and lines from Shakespeare. Watching Price take charge of a Mexican police force is absolutely hysterical. Even odder is the fact that the movie's leading lady spends most of this time locked in a closet. This unusual mix of film styles and genres may put off some, but the whole thing works for me.

7/10

Night and the City (1950)

"If you ain't got socks you can't pull 'em up, can you?", 24 April 2007

Harry Fabian (Richard Widmark) is a small-time hustler with big-time aspirations. All he needs is that one big chance. Fate seems to be smiling his way when he meets a very famous Greek wrestler and his protégé. If he plays it just right, Fabian is convinced he can turn this chance meeting into a wad of cash and make himself the biggest wrestling promoter in England. Just as things are looking up, forces beyond his control and a series of inopportune events conspire to destroy Fabian's dreams. But at what price to Fabian and those around him?

One word often used to describe film noir is "dark". Night and the City is as dark as they come. It's as dark and black as midnight. None of the characters comes out of this one unscathed. Not Fabian, not his girl, not his business partners, not his wrestlers, not the competing promoter, not the people he once hustled for – No one! There is no "happily ever after" Hollywood-style ending to this movie. Every character with more than 30 seconds of screen-time ends up like damaged goods. But it's this nihilistic view that makes Night and the City so compelling. It's akin to watching a train wreck – impossible to turn away.

The acting in Night and the City is, for the most part, outstanding. Widmark, Herbert Lom, Hugh Marlowe, Mike Mazurki, Francis Sullivan, and Googie Withers are all tremendous. But the performance that really caught my eye was that of Stanislaus Zbyszko as the Greek wrestler Gregorius. Zbyszko was a wrestler – not an actor. And the fact that his performance is as good as the trained and noted members of the cast is no small feat. Not only does he dominate his scenes physically, he more than holds his own when it comes to conveying emotion and feeling. It's truly an awesome performance.

But as good as Night and the City is, it is not without faults. Two that standout are Gene Tierney and the film's runtime. Notice I wrote that the acting was good "for the most part". The exception is Tierney. She does absolutely nothing to distinguish herself. She's merely adequate. But, it's not like she had much to work with. I wonder why the money was spent to hire a "name" like Tierney and then so underutilize her talents? As for the runtime, the movie feels a little long. A tighter script that eliminated some of the extraneous "stuff" would have made the film even better to me. But then again, who am I to criticize the editing decisions made on a classic like Night and the City?

8/10

Man Bait (1952)

The ineffective George Brent, 4 September 2006

A respectable book shop manager, named John Harman (George Brent), gets mixed up in blackmail and murder when he crosses paths with Ruby Bruce (Diana Dors). It's either pay up or she'll go to the police with a made-up story of Mr. Harman attacking her. He agrees to hand over the money and thinks he's put the whole matter behind him. But things only get worse for Mr. Harman when Ruby's dead body is found in his house.

Horror icon Terence Fisher directed this sordid tale for Hammer. He does a good job of wringing tension out of what is essentially a weak script. There are certainly moments to enjoy, but overall, Man Bait is to uneven to consider it anything other than average at best. For example, the acting of the principles is terrible. Dors is terribly miscast and doesn't come across as the temptress she playing. Even worse is Brent. What a mamby-pamby man! The whole notion of this milk-toast being on the run from the police is hysterical. A complete change in casting would have gone a long way in making Man Bait a much better film.

5/10

Stolen Face (1952)

Are there really fans of Lizabeth Scott out there?, 4 September 2006

I've now watched three of the Hammer noirs that were recently released on DVD and while each is okay, there's nothing very memorable about any of them. That's precisely how I feel about Stolen Face – it's a decent watch, but it's nothing I would go out of my way to see again. While Paul Henreid gives a nice performance and Terence Fisher's direction is solid, the screenplay really lets them down. There just aren't any surprises. It's all nicely done, but I've seen it before. And if you haven't seen it, you can probably predict the film's outcome with a great deal of success. It's about as subtle as a hammer (pun intended) to the head. My enjoyment of the film isn't helped any by the presence of Lizabeth Scott. I've only seen her in two movies that I can name off the top of my head (this one and The Strange Love of Martha Ivers) and that's two too many. I can't stand the woman!

One interesting aspect of Stolen Face is the interjection of little elements horror/sci-fi. After all, this is Hammer and this is Terence Fisher. It somehow seems appropriate.

6/10

Bad Blonde (1953)

Payton's personal life may be sad, but that doesn't make her an actor., 30 August 2006

Bad Blonde is a great title for a very average movie. It's also the first of the Hammer noirs made in the 1950s I've had a chance to watch. I've always been a fan of Hammer's horror output, so it's a treat to get the opportunity to see what the studio was doing pre-1957. The movie tells the (somewhat unoriginal) story of young up-and-coming boxer who gets mixed up with his promoter's steamy, blonde wife. She bends him to her will and uses him to get what she wants – even if that means committing murder. In a broad, general sense, Bad Blonde kept me entertained throughout. Director Reginald Le Borg keeps things moving at a good pace. The film looks good and the country estate set is a standout. And the movie features a wonderful performance from Sid James. The man carries much of the film on his own. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about some of the rest of the acting. The problems I have with Bad Blonde that make it just barely above average relate almost completely to the two leads. Tony Wright and Barbara Payton, are terribly unconvincing. For Wright, this was his first film, so I can forgive some of his stiffness. But for Payton, Bad Blonde was supposed to something of a return to glory. After only four years of making films, she was already washed-up by 1953. Her story may be a sad one filed with every possible form of self-destruction imaginable, but it doesn't change my opinion of her acting. With the exception of a few memorable moments, she doesn't come across as the smoldering sexpot she's supposed to be. To the contrary, I actually found her quite unappealing.

Even though Bad Blonde didn't knock my socks off, I'm looking forward to giving the other five films in the new Hammer Film Noir Collector's Set a chance. At a minimum, and if for no other reason, it's interesting to see how the American B-noirs were translated to Great Britain.

6/10

The Big Combo (1955)

"I'm gonna break him so fast he won't have time to change his pants.", 8 July 2006

I picked-up The Big Combo as a blind buy for very little money. And I couldn't be happier with my purchase. Director Joseph H. Lewis created a wonderfully good-looking and compelling film full of atmosphere and interesting characters. This incredibly dark, relatively unknown noir deserves a much wider audience. And when I say dark, I mean as dark as midnight. No one comes out of this one unscathed. All of the characters, even the supposed good ones, are flawed and dramatically affected by the events of the movie. And technically, the movie is just as good. Lewis masterfully uses light and shadows along with interesting camera angles. Most every scene is a feast for the eyes.

At the center of the plot is mobster Mr. Brown. He's an untouchable. The police have been unable to pin anything on him even though he's the mastermind behind a successful criminal organization. Richard Conte is Mr. Brown, the head bad guy in The Big Combo. It's a remarkable performance and what makes this movie so special. He oozes evil with the best of them. The only person he cares about is himself. He's the kind of guy who can turn against someone on a dime – even those who have helped him get ahead. Conte's Mr. Brown is easily one of my favorite heavies I've so far run across.

If you're a fan of noirs, The Big Combo is worth seeking out.

8/10

Fallen Angel (1945)

Another winner from Preminger, 21 June 2006

Stella (Linda Darnell) is the kind of woman men fall for. And Eric Stanton (Dana Andrews) has fallen very hard. Unfortunately for Eric, Stella wants two things that he cannot immediately give her – a ring and money. Eric hatches an elaborate plan to come up with both through wooing, marrying, and stealing from June Mills (Alice Faye), the town's rich, young, unmarried woman. But shortly after their married, Stella is murdered. Eric quickly become suspect #1. Can Eric prove his innocence?

I've seen several of Otto Preminger's noirs for the first time recently and Fallen Angel is one of the best. It's got everything you could ask for in a noir. Atmosphere you can cut with a knife, terrific performances from the entire cast, an intriguing plot, interesting cinematography and lighting, and just about everything else you could name are as good as you'll find. Fallen Angel also has some very nice mystery elements. The final reveal really caught me off guard. I would have never guessed the real killer's identity. It's just a wonderful movie.

9/10

The Shanghai Gesture (1941)

A tragic story with quite the entertaining group of characters, 30 April 2006

'Mother' Gin Sling (Ona Munson) runs a very successful gambling house in Shanghai. Through her doors pass a wide variety of individuals from every exotic corner of the globe. One such individual is a spoiled young woman who goes by the name of "Smith" (Gene Tierney) with a penchant for gambling and drink. It's not long before "Smith" is up to her eyeballs in IOUs and well on her way to becoming a complete lush. Coinciding with these events, a wealthy man named Sir Charteris (Walter Huston) arrives in Shanghai. Part of his business deal involves the land that 'Mother' Gin Sling's establishment sits on. 'Mother' Gin Sling believes she may have previously met Sir Charteris, but under a different name and in far different circumstances. To save her business, 'Mother' Gin Sling puts two and two together to connect "Smith" with Sir Charteris and lets the chips fall where they may.

Many of the people who care about and enjoy older films like The Shanghai Gesture will no doubt pick-up the film because of Gene Tierney – the biggest "star" in the cast. But they'll quickly discover that The Shanghai Gesture is so much more than Tierney. The movie features a wonderful ensemble cast playing a group of highly eccentric characters. To begin with, there's Ona Munson as 'Mother' Gin Sling. Maybe it's the costuming and maybe it's the attitude, but I bought her performance. Next, there's Victor Mature as Dr. Omar the Arab gigolo. He's the kind of fellow best described as slimy. Two of my favorite characters in The Shanghai Gesture are Eric Blore as Ceasar the English bookkeeper to 'Mother' Gin Sling and Clyde Filmore as 'Mother' Gin Sling's flunky, Percival Montgomery Howe. Mix in an American showgirl, a Russian barkeeper, a rickshaw driver of questionable origin, and about a half-dozen others and you've got quite an eclectic and entertaining group of actors and characters.

As much fun as the people in the film are, at its core, The Shanghai Gesture is a terribly tragic and sad story. Most of the people who come to 'Mother' Gin Sling's place do so because they have to, not because they want to. Whether it's "Smith" looking for her next gambling fix or those who do her bidding like Dixe the American showgirl, they come because 'Mother' Gin Sling holds something over their heads. Nobody seems to really want to be there. Deep down, most of these people seem miserable. The ending of The Shanghai Gesture takes the bleakness from just beneath the surface and thrusts it into the light of day. I won't give it away, but I will say that there are no winners in The Shanghai Gesture. Everyone comes out a loser.

Finally, one of the most impressive aspects of The Shanghai Gesture is the set design. Instead of a seedy, back-alley sort of gambling joint, 'Mother' Gin Sling's place is like an Art Deco shrine. I'm continually amazed at the care and money that went into these sets found in films from the 30s and 40s. Today, much of it would be done with computer effects. So when I see something like the four-story, circular gambling house in The Shanghai Gesture, I can't help be amazed.

8/10

Cover Up (1949)

Well worth the $2.99 I paid for it, 23 April 2006

Before his company will pay out, an insurance investigator (Dennis O'Keefe) arrives in a small town to look into an apparent suicide. But he immediately begins to suspect something's not quite right. No gun, no powder marks, no bullet, no coroner's report, and no sheriff's report seem to lead to no suicide. Was it suicide – or was it something even more sinister?

It may not be the noir I was expecting, but Cover-Up is a nice little 40s style mystery. The plot kept me going up to the end. It's full of red herrings and I could have never guessed the outcome. Other than the It's a Wonderful Life style ending, I've got nothing to complain about. The cast is more than capable with Dennis O'Keefe, William Bendix, and Barbara Britton giving nice performances. I'm not all that familiar with Britton, but it's easy to see why she was a Revlon Girl for more than a decade. The cast also features Doro Merande who steals every scene in which she appears.

I picked up the DVD on the budget Geneon label. If you don't mind a lack of extras (and that includes the absence of a menu), it's not a bad deal for the money. The cover art is misleading. I have no idea what movie it was taken from, but it most certainly wasn't Cover-Up.

7/10

Blonde Ice (1948)

Leslie Brooks is dynamite!, 22 April 2006

For most if its runtime, Blonde Ice is a very entertaining b-noir. Leslie Brooks is about as evil a woman as you'll see in one of these movies. She's beautiful, ambitious, and completely ruthless – it's a deadly combination. She's perfectly capable of chewing-up and spitting-out anyone who gets in her way. And, she's not above committing a little murder if the need should arise. Brooks gives a dynamite performance as far as I'm concerned. The rest of the cast is adequate, but nothing spectacular. The weakest point in the film, unfortunately, comes in the final scene. It's almost as if the screenwriters had no idea how to end Blond Ice. What they came up with is so ridiculous and out of character that it really hurts the overall film.

A word on the DVD - from what I've read, the VCI disc is the only way to go. The price is not much more than what you would pay for the Alpha DVD and the VCI disc has a much better transfer and a plethora of features.

7/10

The House on Telegraph Hill (1951)

Robert Wise scores again, 16 March 2006

The House on Telegraph Hill is a wonderfully entertaining thriller dealing with a woman living under an assumed identity and the child she claims as her own. The movie may be part of Fox's Film Noir Collection, but it's really more of a Hitchcock "woman-in-peril" type film. The movie may seem unusual when seen today with the modern emphasis on the plot twist. Throughout most of the film, I kept waiting for the inevitable twist that never materialized. The lack of a twist each time I thought I saw one coming was, in its own way, the best twist of all. The House on Telegraph Hill is deliberately paced and shot beautifully by Robert Wise. Some of the interior scenes, especially those in the hallway of the old house, look as good as you'll see. The acting is great with the relative unknown (at least unknown to me) Valentina Cortese giving a real standout performance. She has an undeniable screen presence and the ability to draw a viewer in. I really felt for her character's situation throughout the movie. The ending of the film is very nicely done and had me on the edge of my seat. As I was waiting for a twist, I was completely surprised by the final act. The drama and suspense are almost palatable throughout the film's finale. Overall, The House on Telegraph Hill is a very nice, under-seen film.

8/10

Kiss of Death (1947)

"You know what I do to squealers?", 4 March 2006

Small-time hood Nick Bianco (Victor Mature) is sent up the river for a jewel heist. He refuses to cooperate with the D.A. and will not turn stool-pigeon on his pals. But after he learns of his wife's suicide, he changes his tune. He's got to get out of jail to take care of his two little girls. The D.A. agrees to help Bianco if, in return, Bianco will help the D.A. Bianco fingers Tommy Udo (Richard Widmark) for a murder and even agrees to testify at the trial. But, when Udo is acquitted, Bianco knows he's a marked man – as are his new wife and his young daughters.

Kiss of Death is a solid entry in the crime/noir cycle of the 40s. The movie looks good, has some great acting, an intelligent plot, characters you can care about, and enough twists to make it all very interesting. But instead of writing at length about the acting or technical aspects of the film or plot twists or anything else, I'll limit this to a few comments on Richard Widmark. If you look over Widmark's filmography, you'll notice that Kiss of Death was his very first film. Now I haven't seen everything Widmark made, but based on what I have seen, his portrayal of Tommy Udo has to be the performance of a career. He's brilliant as Udo. You can see the evil in his eyes. He's the kind of guy who would just as soon put a bullet in you as look at you. And that maniacal laugh – it's nothing short of chilling. This is not meant to be hyperbole when I say that he's the quintessential 40s hood played to perfection. I've seen a lot of noirs in recent weeks and I don't think I've seen a performance or character that I've enjoyed more than Widmark's Tommy Udo.

8/10

Whirlpool (1949)

Too unbelievable for me to enjoy completely, 20 February 2006

I didn't think it was possible for Otto Preminger and Gene Tierney to make something this un-extraordinary. Preminger does a decent job with the direction, the acting (other than Richard Conte who comes across as a stiff) is fine, and the movie looks good. So what went wrong? The plot has so many points that stretch believability to the limit that I couldn't ever "get into" Whirlpool. There's too much of that psycho-mumbo-jumbo that really annoys me. What I know about hypnosis wouldn't fill a thimble, but I simply refuse to believe it's possible to use in the manner presented in this film. Without a strong grounding in reality as I understand it, an otherwise normal film about a murder isn't believable. I would love to go into more detail, but I don't want to ruin the film for those who haven't seen it. Just trust me when I say that what Jose Ferrar's character is capable of is as far-fetched as any fantasy film I've seen.

5/10

The Dark Corner (1946)

"I can be framed easier than 'Whistler's Mother'.", 16 February 2006

The Dark Corner is the story of a P.I. framed for the murder of his ex-partner. Not only does he appear to have had the opportunity to commit the crime, he also has a very good motive. The partner was responsible for the P.I.'s two-year stay in prison. But who's the real murderer? With the help of his plucky girlfriend, the P.I. has to get to the bottom of this case before the police find the dead body and send him back to prison.

I've seen several wonderful noirs lately that have become "new" favorites, but I can't include The Dark Corner on this list. It's good, but it's just not great. Much of the blame has to be put on the P.I. as played by Mark Stevens. He is one of the most un-charismatic characters of this type I've seen. For the movie to work, you have to care about his plight and I just couldn't feel anything for him. If it weren't for his secretary/girlfriend, I doubt he would have ever been able to clear himself. He's just doesn't seem that bright or ambitious enough to pull it off on his own. I'm not that familiar with him, but if this is the way Stevens played characters in his other films, it's no wonder he never became a big star.

The rest of the cast is generally good with a real standout performance from Lucille Ball (yes, the same Lucy who would go on to eat chocolate off a conveyor belt and stomp grapes with her bare feet). I had no idea Lucy could "play it straight". She's wonderful. I'll have to track down some of her other early film roles. Other cast members include William Bendix as a big bruising heavy and Clifton Webb basically reprising his role from Laura. But as good as each of these actors are, they never felt like more than actors. The roles were too stereotypical to be as believable as I would have preferred.

One of the highlights for me is the feel and look of The Dark Corner. The film has a dark, gritty feel to it that adds to the characters' desperation. Lighting and cinematography are more than adequate. Director Henry Hathaway has given The Dark Corner a mood and atmosphere second to none. And, as a bonus, The Dark Corner includes some wonderful on-location shots of New York City in the 40s. Forget about studio sets when you can film in the real thing.

6/10

Dark Passage (1947)

My only interest in your head is how easy it'll crack open.", 15 February 2006

Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall only made a handful of movies together. Three of these movies – The Big Sleep, To Have and Have Not, and Key Largo – are in that special class of films that I call great. Dark Passage, on the other hand, is merely a good movie. It's not great by any stretch of the imagination – just good. The story involves a man wrongly imprisoned for the murder of his wife and the woman who wants to help him prove his innocence after he escapes from jail. As you might expect, Bogart and Bacall have a very natural on screen chemistry. There's nothing fake here. The scenes in Dark Passage that feature both of them are some of the real highlights of the movie.

Unfortunately, their on screen time together is limited by the decision not to show Bogart for the first third of the movie. The whole concept of telling the story from the first person perspective until Bogart's character has plastic surgery is, at first, a novel idea that presents the opportunity for several unusual and innovative scenes. But I've always felt this goes on far too long. What starts as "novel" turns into "tiresome" before we finally get to see Bogart's mug.

Beyond Bogart and Bacall, there's quite a bit to enjoy in Dark Passage. The cinematography is nice, the San Francisco locations are interesting, and the dialogue is snappy. The supporting cast is more than adequate with Agnes Moorhead being the standout. Although her role is limited, she steals scene after scene from Bogart and Bacall – something that doesn't appear to have been an easy thing to do.

I suppose the biggest weakness I see in Dark Passage is the implausibility of certain plot elements. For example, when Bogart's character escapes from prison, he just happens to end up on the road that Bacall's character just happens to be driving on. She just happens to notice an abandoned car on the side road and just happens to recognize Bogart when she pulls her car over. Too many coincidences for my liking.

7/10

Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950)

Amazingly well made, 10 February 2006

At first glance, it would seem natural to compare Where the Sidewalk Ends with Laura. Both have noirish qualities, both were directed by Otto Preminger, and both star Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney. But that's where most of the comparisons end. Laura dealt with posh, sophisticated people with means who just happen to find themselves mixed-up in a murder. Where the Sidewalk Ends is set in a completely different strata. These are people with barely two nickels to rub together who are more accustomed to seeing the underbelly of society than going to fancy dress parties. Where the Sidewalk ends is a gritty film filled with desperate people who solve their problems with their fists or some other weapon. Small-time hoods are a dime-a-dozen and cops routinely beat confessions out of the crooks. Getting caught-up in a murder investigation seems as natural as breathing.

While I haven't seen his entire body of work, based on what I have seen, Dana Andrews gives one of his best performances as the beat-down cop, Det. Sgt. Mark Dixon. He's the kind of cop who is used to roughing up the local hoods if it gets him information or a confession. One night, he goes too far and accidentally kills a man. He does his best to cover it up. But things get complicated when he falls for the dead man's wife, Morgan Taylor (Tierney), whose father becomes suspect number one in the murder case. As Morgan's father means the world to her, Dixon's got to do what he can to clear the old man without implicating himself.

Technically, Where the Sidewalk Ends is outstanding. Besides the terrific performance from Andrews, the movie features the always delightful Tierney. She has a quality that can make even the bleakest of moments seem brighter. The rest of the cast is just as solid with Tom Tully as the wrongly accused father being a real standout. Beyond the acting, the direction, sets, lighting, and cinematography are all top-notch. Overall, it's an amazingly well made film.

If I have one complaint (and admittedly it's a very, very minor quibble) it's that Tierney is almost too perfect for the role and her surroundings. It's a little difficult to believe that a woman like that could find herself mixed-up with some of these unsavory characters. It's not really her fault, it's just the way Tierney comes across. She seems a little too beautiful, polished, and delicate for the part. But, her gentle, kind, trusting nature add a sense of needed realism to her portrayal.

9/10