A Month of Noir Day 7 - D.O.A.

I try to always include a trailer for the films I review, mostly because I'm a trailer junkie.  Being late to the theater means missing the best part of going to the movies, so I'm often there twenty minutes early, anxiously awaiting for those lights to go down.  Oddly enough, I couldn't find a trailer for D.O.A. that I could embed.  Normally I'd consider this a problem, but today, it's not so bad, because I was able to find a clip of the films opening ten minutes, which if you haven't seen the film should convince you far better than any words I write. Sp before I start rambling on, take the time to watch the excellent tracking shots of  Edmund O'Brien as he walks through the police station to the homicide division. From there he presents one of the best "hooks" ever to open a film.

"I want to report a murder."
"Sit down.  Where was this murder committed?"
"San Francisco, last night."
"Who was murdered?"
"I was."



Since this movie, that type of scenario has been used numerous times, and of course, it's novelty has worn a bit thin.  But had I been a patron of the moving pictures back in 1950, that would have put my knickers in a twist.  Immediately hooks you into the film.  And just think, without this film, Jason Statham would have never given the world the joys that are Crank and Crank 2.

But once you get past the clever plot device of a man trying to solve his own murder, you still have to have a good film.

Frank Bigelow goes to San Francisco for a weeks worth of fun before returning to his accounting business and his fiance Paula.  She's a bit miffed at him for leaving, but decides they just might need the week alone before settling down.

While in San Francisco, Frank goes out on the town with a group of businessmen.  At an excellent jazz club, Franks drink gets swapped out for another, and by morning he's sick.  A doctor's test reveals that he swallowed a luminous toxin for which...THERE IS NO ANTIDOTE! 

Instead of accepting his own death, Frank decides to find his killer, following each and every lead he can before his time runs out.

D.O.A. is by necessity, a fast moving picture.  People talk fast, they move fast, and they act fast.  The film cruises along at this pace, and is better for it.  We can feel Frank's desperation, knowing that unless two doctors were wrong, he will be dead by the films end.  Will we find out who killed him?

As the film progressed, I realized I didn't care.  I was just happy to be along for the ride.  Along with strong performances by Edmond O'Brien (Frank) and Pamela Britton (Paula), the film is paced well by director Rudolph Mate.  The only issue I had about the film was an annoying as hell slide whistle noise that happened every time Frank saw a pretty lady in the hotel.  It's a small complaint, but damn, it felt like an effect from a Three Stooges short.

D.O.A. is a staple of film noir for a reason.  It's got an excellent cast, great atmosphere, and a pace that doesn't let you go until the final moments of the film.  It is truly worthy of it's hook. 

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars, with an extra half star for the premise. 

A Month of Noir Day 6 - The Damned Don't Cry!

After a few days of the gents running the show, I figured it was time to spotlight a femme fatale, and I can't think of a better place to start than with Joan Crawford in The Damned Don't Cry.

A body is found in the desert, and it happens to be a dead mobster, Nick Prenta (Steve Cochran).  As the police investigate his murder, they realize it is somehow connected to a missing socialite, Lorna Hansen Forbes (Joan Crawford).  The deeper the police dig into the crime,  the more they discover that Forbes (if that is indeed her real name..dum dum dum!) is very much a woman without a past.

Cue the flashbacks!

It seems Lorna is actually Ethel Whitehead, a poor woman with a life that she hated.  She wanted more and was willing to do anything to move up in life.

Mostly, that involved men. 

I believe Ethel Whitehead became the woman that all of of our mothers warned us about. 

But not first.  After the death of her son Tommy, she starts small, abandoning her husband, whom she blames for his death. At this point in the film she's rather brave and sympathetic.  Leaving her husband, and starting over was a tough decision.  Any comfort she had is tossed away, the hope of a better life worth more than security.

She inches her way up the ladder by selling cigars in an office lobby.  Flirting with a dress maker in the building and soon gets her a job modeling dresses, which seems a little more glamorous, but is actually quite demeaning.  The men are as lustful and grabby, and don't exactly treat her as anything for than an object of pleasure, which technically, I guess she is.  As her friend says, "What else do we have to sell but a face and a figure?"  Soon, she is an escort and double crossing her friend/partner, becoming a little bit tougher.

Then comes the romance with the accountant.  He deals with taxes, and while it's not the most exciting of jobs, Ethel sees a chance to move out of the escort/hustling business.  She works her charms on the poor schlub, realizing he makes no money, but his accounting skills can be used elsewhere.  He ends up helping the owner of a fancy pants restaurant, and soon has his business, mostly thanks to her prodding.  She pushes him further into other jobs, following along behind him, meeting some rather unsavory people.
  
Then she starts to get a little scary.  Before long, she's in deeper than she could have ever imagined.

Crawford was perfect for this role.  Her harsh beauty, with those focused eyes and sharp features and tongue, creates a woman who is strong and smart enough to seduce, use, and abuse any man she chooses, be they accountant or gangster.  She recognizes opportunity quickly, and always seems to cash in.  She walks a tightrope the entire film, holding on to that initial sympathy we feel for her, and slowly becoming someone we shouldn't like, but still can't say no to.  You know the type of girl.  It's easy to see why every man falls for her, despite all common sense saying otherwise.  She might have won the Oscar for Mildred Pierce, but she is just as good in this. 

Look for her in other film noir classics such as Possessed and Sudden Fear.

Rating: 4 out of 5

A Month of Noir Day 5 - Never Enough Bogart

I only reviewed The Desperate Hours  yesterday because I hadn't yet seen it.  Had I wanted to choose another Bogart movie, it would have been simple.  The man has been in some amazing film noirs.  Check out the trailers for some of those I have had the pleasure of watching.

The Maltese Falcon



The Big Sleep



Key Largo



The Enforcer



In A Lonely Place

A Month of Noir Day 4 - The Desperate Hours

Humphrey Bogart, in his last villainous role, is Glenn Griffen.  Along with his brother Hal (Dewey Martin) and man-boy Kobish (Robert Middleton), the trio have recently escaped from prison and are on the run, hoping to meet up with Glen's girlfriend.  They drive through suburbia, looking for a place to hole up.  Unfortunately for the Hilliard's, it's their house that is chosen. 

Over the next few hours, patriarch Daniel Hilliard (Fredric March), is forced to live a father and husbands worst nightmare as his family is constantly threatened.  Daughter Cindy (Mary Murphy) is constantly leered at by Kobish, and spunky son Ralphie (Richard Eyer), also a target of Kobish, actually foils an attempt to throw the criminals out through his own stupid bravery.

With the tensions slowly ratcheting up, and the girlfriend a no show, Glen begins to realize his plan might not go as well as he hoped.  There is a reason the film has the title it does.

Interestingly, this film is actually based on a Broadway play, starring Paul Newman, which itself was based on a book, all three written by Edgar Award winner Joseph Hayes.  I would have liked to see this performed on a stage, because the mostly one house setting must have translated well to the theater. 

As for the film itself, what really worked for me was the terrible trio, and specifically their casting and costume design.   

By this point in his career, Bogart was already a film legend starring in such films as Angels with Dirty Faces, The Big Sleep, Key Largo, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Casablanca, and had won an Academy Award for Sabrina.  As soon as he appears on screen, it's obvious he's the man in charge.  He plays Glen as a smart, but cruel, man.  He's not afraid to frighten and threaten the family when necessary, but smart enough to keep Kobish under wraps. 

Dewey Martin didn't have a lot to do with his role, other than get bossed around by his big brother.  But he played Hal as wounded and melancholy, hurt by the fact that he couldn't live the normal life of those whose house he found himself in.  A great scene shows him watching a car full of teens pick up a friend as he watches from a window.  He allows a small smile to escape as quickly as it disappears.  He knows he will never be able to live this way.

And lastly, is the overall wearing man-child, Kobish.  Before he's ever seen on screen he's described as a beast, and although he certainly doesn't appear "that" large, compared to Bogart, he's a giant of a man.  He switches back and forth between the demeanor of a child (his love of playing with toy guns and airplanes) to that of a wounded animal (don't let him drink!) with ease.  It's a creepy and convincing portrayal.

As with most hostage films, it's easy to see the situation isn't going to end well for one of the parties involved, be it the criminals or the family.  Since it was the 50's, it was pretty easy to guess exactly who was going to meet an unfortunate end, but it didn't make the film any less enjoyable.  Unfortunately, Bogart died after only making one more film, The Harder They Fall.  It would have been interesting to see him grow older and hopefully play a few more roles like this one, his mug showing both wisdom and menace, as he aged. 

Rating: 3.5 Stars out of 5

The Desperate Hours was remade in 1990, as Desperate Hours, and despite the talent involved, Michael Cimino, Mickey Rourke, and Anthony Hopkins, I've been told by numerous sources to avoid it.

A Month of Noir Day 3 - Crossfire

"You still don't know where he is?"
"No.  I didn't know when I came in here, and I haven't suddenly gotten any brighter."

Against a wall, two shadows fight it out, throwing punches only visible for a moment before their tussle knocks over the lamp, filling the screen with darkness.  As the light is turned back on, we see two men struggle to leave the room, while a third lies dead on the floor.  We see no faces. 

One woman knows the dead man, and soon a detective is brought in.  He will listen to everyones story, and determine where the blame should be placed.

"Have you ever killed anybody?"
"Yeah."
"Where?"
"Where you get medals for it."

Every film should have this many Roberts, as the triple threat of Robert Mitchum, Robert Young, and Robert Ryan deliver the goods.  Mitchum, ever reliable, delivers in the role of Keeley, the Sergeant with the quick answers and the desire to see his friend not charged with murder.  Robert Young is Detective Finlay, the man charged with discovering which military man is responsible for the murder of Mr. Samuels.  And last, and best, is Robert Ryan, as Montgomery the heartless bastard with a mean streak.  He was deservedly nominated for an Oscar, one of five that this film received.

And while it's easy to view this film as just another noir, it's important to note that Crossfire was one of the very first films to tackle a taboo social problem.  The book it was based on, The Brick Foxhole by Richard Brooks, originally dealt with homophobia, a subject that wouldn't have passed the censors of the time.  So instead they chose the topical subject of anti-semitism.  The makers of the film felt that audiences wouldn't flock to see a "message" film, so they dressed it up in a murder mystery, and strangely enough, shot it in noir style to save both money and time.  And despite a clunky speech on hate from Detective Finlay, it works.  Mostly thanks to Ryan's portrayal of a man filled with hate.  It's an amazing role, and unfortunately, it would typecast him for years to come.

If you want to see what a prototypical noir film is, this would be an excellent start.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars

A Month of Noir Day 2 - Blast of Silence

I've read numerous reviews of Blast of Silence, and 90% of the time, all the reviewer can talk about is how this was the death knell for classic noir.   Not that they say this film killed an entire genre, but it might have been one of the last ones made.

Such reviews are unfair.

This film should not be compared to the noir films of the previous two decades, and yes, I have reasons.

Blast of Silence, while fluent in the language of noir, is not a noir film, at least not in my opinion.  Sure, there is the lone killer stalking his prey, surrounded on all sides by unsavory characters, but to focus on these few traits is to ignore everything that makes this film amazing.

To me, this film birthed the films of the seventies that I loved.  Listening to the pulpish narration and watching Frank walk down the streets of New York, I cannot help but think of Taxi Driver or Midnight Cowboy.   As he reaches out and connects with a woman from his past, perhaps for the first time in years, I think of Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek in Badlands.

And the acting!  Writer/Director/Lead Actor Allen Baron is fantastic as Frank Bono, the hitman charged with taking out Troiano.  He doesn't speak often, so his face does most of the acting.  At times I swear I see flashes of a young DeNiro with those eyebrows of his. 

But the man who owns the film is Larry Tucker as Big Ralphie.  What could be a stock character, gun supplier, is brought to a very interesting place thanks to his soft spoken demeanor and rat adoring idiosyncrasies.  It's his involvement that sends the plot spinning out of Frank's control.

Criterion does an excellent job with the DVD.  The picture looks great, the sound, while a bit on the quiet side is clear, and the extras, especially the documentary, are fascinating.

So when you view this film, and you really should, don't think of it as the death of noir.  Consider it an evolution instead.

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

A Month of Noir Day 1 - The Asphalt Jungle

"One way or another, we all work for our vice."

John Huston is one of the greatest directors ever to look through a lens, so it's no surprise that his film, The Asphalt Jungle, looks absolutely beautiful. From it's opening shots of Dix Handley (Sterling Hayden) walking through the city streets avoiding the police, to the bank heist, to the individual getaways, each shot is a master class in lighting and framing. It's not surprise the Director of Photography, Harold Rosson, was nominated for an Oscar. His work here is exemplary, a shining example of what a noir should look like.

The camera work is not all that can be enjoyed, as the acting is superb. Hayden plays Dix, a hayseed from Kentucky, having himself a hell of a time in the city. He's a small time Hoodlum, with a bad gambling problem. His bets never seem to work out for the best, but to this point he's managed to stay afloat. Just one good win will give him the cash to go back home to his beloved farm.

And he's not alone in the city. Doll (Jean Hagen) has her eyes on him, and she'd like nothing more than their friendship to move forward. And local diner owner Gus, a man with a bad back and a chip on his shoulder, is a good friend to him. On his suggestion, Dix is brought in on a heist that could give him the capitol he needs.

Recently released from prison, Doc Riedenschneider has a plan to rob half a million in jewels. With the help of a Boxman, a Driver, and a Hooligan, they can walk in and out with the score of a lifetime.

There is just one problem, and he happens to be my favorite character in the film. Alonzo Emmerich is a seemingly well to do lawyer, but his life isn't all he's hoped for. He's got a sick wife who he can barely stand to spend time with, and a mistress (Marilyn Monroe) who is bleeding his cash dry. When the Doc and his friend Cobby come to him for the seed money, he assures them he's good for it. But all the while, he's planning on a double cross.

And while the caper does indeed work, it's the aftermath where this film starts to shine. Everything falls apart, and it wouldn't surprise me if this film was a direct influence on Reservoir Dogs.

It's an excellent film, and a great kickoff to Noir Month.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars