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Kiss of Death: Tommy Udo- “I won’t give you the peel off a grape.”

Kiss of Death: Tommy Udo- “I won’t give you the peel off a grape.”

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Released: August 1947 Directed by: Henry Hathaway Cast: Victor Mature, Brian Donlevy, Coleen Gray, Richard Widmark, Taylor Holmes, Howard Smith, Karl Malden, Anthony Ross, Robert Adler, Rollin Bauer, Harry Bellaver, and Mildred Dunnock as Mrs. Rizzo. Spoilers? You betcha! In Kiss of Death, it’s appropriate that we first meet Tommy Udo (Richard Widmark) in a New York City Courthouse holding cell. Muttering insults to the guards and befriending fellow cellmate Nick Bianco (Victor Mature). While Nick is tentative, Tommy sees…

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Crime of Passion: A Film with Two Great Leads, Very Little Spark.

Crime of Passion: A Film with Two Great Leads, Very Little Spark.

Directed by: Gerd Oswald Released: January 1957 Cast: Barabra Stanwyck, Sterling Hayden, Raymond Burr, Fay Wray, Virginia Grey, Royal Dano, Robert Griffin, Dennis Cross, Jay Adler, and Stuart Whitman as Laboratory Technician. First-time viewing. Crime of Passion is a noir film that indeed begins with a crime of passion. Concludes with a crime of passion. But lacks spark, despite the performances of the two leads. Kathy Ferguson (Barbara Stanwyck) is a big time San Francisco columnist who is draw into…

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Gun Crazy: “Thrill Crazy… Kill Crazy… ‘Deadly is the Female.’”

Gun Crazy: “Thrill Crazy… Kill Crazy… ‘Deadly is the Female.’”

Released: January 1950 Dir.: Joseph H. Lewis Cast: Peggy Cummins, John Dall, Berry Kroeger, Anabel Shaw, Harry Lewis, Nedrick Young, Russ Tamblyn. Right from childhood Bart Tare (John Dall) was crazy about guns. So much so he tried to break into a hardware store to steal a revolver. His attempt failed and earned him 5 years up the river to reform school. Bart learned his lessons the hard way, at the ripe old age of 7 he shot a baby…

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Night and the City: Hollywood Noir Meets British Noir.

Night and the City: Hollywood Noir Meets British Noir.

Released: 1950 Dir.: Jules Dassin First time viewing reaction. When you mix Hollywood Noir with British Noir, add Richard Widmark, Gene Tierney, and a healthy dose of Herbert Lom, you get Night and the City. A gripping non-stop story of ambition exceeding one’s grasp. Harry Fabian (Richard Widmark) is a hustler on the loose in London. He works hard and talks fast for what amounts to peanuts, but there is big money to be had in London and that comes…

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The Phenix City Story: Ripped From the Headlines.

The Phenix City Story: Ripped From the Headlines.

Released: 1955 Dir.: Phil Karlson Once upon a time there was a town called Phenix City, located on the Alabama side of the Chattahoochee River, and for a very long time Phenix City was ruled by vice and corruption. Politicians, the police force, lawyers, judges, juries all bought and paid for by the Syndicate. Anyone who apposed the rulers of Phenix City ended up in the river, with a couple of extra holes, cause of death: accidental drowning. It had…

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The Killing of a Chinese Bookie: A Different Take on Neo-Noir.

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie: A Different Take on Neo-Noir.

Released: 1976 Dir.: John Cassavetes First time viewing reaction and refers to the preferred 1978 edit rather than the 1976 theatrical version. Last night I had my first run in with a John Cassavetes film, not as an actor, but as writer/director. I’ve heard you’re either going to love or hate Cassavetes films, and I have to say, I really liked The Killing of a Chinese Bookie. A unique take on the film noir/neo-noir genres. The film tells the story…

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T-Men: Undercover in the Dangerous World of Counterfeiters.

T-Men: Undercover in the Dangerous World of Counterfeiters.

Released: 1947 Dir.: Anthony Mann While working in home video distribution for 8 years, then another 15 years working at a video store, one thing remained constant; what almost everybody wanted was the newest releases. Anything older than three weeks was completely unacceptable, no matter how good the film was, it was old news. End of story. So, the very thought of something in black and white, from a bygone era, was unthinkable. It’s old, artificial, corny and…boring. Oh, they…

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In a Lonely Place: Overshadowed Bogart Performance.

In a Lonely Place: Overshadowed Bogart Performance.

Released: 1950 Dir.: Nicholas Ray First time viewing reaction. I received a DVD copy of In a Lonely Place the other day for my birthday and completes my collection of essential Humphrey Bogart films. It’s also a film that has eluded me for years, often overshadowed by Bogart’s many other great films. It’s also a film I’ve read very little about, so it came as a great surprise to me what I saw and felt. Bogart plays Dixon Steele, a…

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Odds Against Tomorrow: The Last Great Noir Film.

Odds Against Tomorrow: The Last Great Noir Film.

Released: 1959 Dir.: Robert Wise Growing up I’d been led to believe that Touch of Evil (1958) was the end of the film noir era. Then I saw Odds Against Tomorrow. Directed by noir legend Robert Wise, Odds Against Tomorrow is the story of three desperate men, from three distinctively different backgrounds, who all have the same goal. To make some quick money, and just maybe a fresh start. Johnny Ingram (Harry Belafonte) is a jazz musician with a gambling…

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Elevator to the Gallows: Turning Film Noir on its Head.

Elevator to the Gallows: Turning Film Noir on its Head.

Released: 1958 Dir.: Louis Malle First time viewing.               Deep in my gut, which can be a dark and foreboding place, I knew Elevator to the Gallows was going to be good. What I didn’t realize was how good it was going to be. It’s not just good, it’s great, especially if you like seeing Hollywood formulas turned on their head.               Elevator to the Gallows is a French film noir/new wave crime story that reimagines the classic story of…

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