‘Time Table’ races towards a frantic conclusion with twists and turns along...
The longevity of television’s Dexter speaks to audience interest in and creative potential of the premise in which an authoritative figure, a Bloodstain Pattern Analyst in the case of the Showtime...
View Article‘Johnny O’Clock,’ despite the talent involved, lacks bite
Balancing plot and character must be a complex feat to pull off. It seems that, on a weekly basis, especially with the plethora of blogs and websites dedicated to film reviews, articles and podcasts...
View Article‘Desert Fury’ is a passionate film about love, rebellion, and how we perceive...
Perception plays a spectacularly large role in how people behave and process information. Everything one does or chooses to do is at least partly a function of one’s perceived reality. Sometimes one...
View Article‘Born to Kill’ has a sexually charged an unstoppable force encounter an...
Robert Wise is up to his usual tricks with his 1947 character study Born to Kill. Wise was an incredibly skilled director whose creative talent could be applied to almost any genre. Some of his best...
View Article‘The Blue Dahlia’ is Raymond Chandler’s only original screenplay but not his...
The Blue Dahlia Written by Raymond Chandler Directed by George Marshall USA, 1946 Three wartime veterans who served in the Navy return home to Los Angeles. They are Johnny Morrison (Alan Ladd) and his...
View Article‘Shed No Tears’ spares no expense at making its wacky plot as amusing as...
Shed No Tears is bereft of any singular identity when contrasted against other thriller of the period. It is not a comedy but nor does it always dedicate itself to absolute seriousness. The post ‘Shed...
View Article‘Rififi’ lives up to its imaginative, evocative name
Rififi Written by Auguste le Breton, Jules Dassin and René Weeler Directed by Jules Dassin France, 1955 Having recently concluded a prison sentence, Tony ‘le Stéphanois’ (Jean Servais), former thief,...
View Article‘The Big Heat’ is a bitter tale of corruption and the fight for true justice
The Big Heat features one of the more mature stories to be found in noir. It deals with some extremely heavy material, some of which would understandably encourage its characters to give in to...
View Article‘The Lady from Shanghai’ is the noir version of an Orson Welles fun house
Is the film this bizarre because of what Columbia did after the original shoot or did they in fact make an utter mess somewhat comprehensible? A fascinating debate to be sure, sadly one for which the...
View Article‘The Amazing Mr. X’ has a great story and some unexpectedly terrific special...
The Amazing Mr. X is a potluck of genres and styles that come together under Bernard Vorhaus’ direction to produce a surprisingly entertaining experience. The film is more of a lark than a deadly...
View Article‘A Perfect Murder’ is well directed, but suffers from an uneven script
A Perfect Murder is anything but. Far from a complete misfire, Andrew Davis starts things off very nicely and definitely manages to cover some of the cracks in the armor with some slick direction and...
View Article‘Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye’ has a cunning, scheming Cagney rip institutions and...
Small warts aside, Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye is a well put together drama that invites viewers to observe how one very intelligent and confident man works his way around the law to get ahead in life....
View Article‘Pursued’ sees another dark past give chase to Robert Mitchum
Pursued Written by Niven Busch Directed Raoul Walsh USA, 1947 In a small, dilapidated home in the middle of the New Mexico desert, the beautiful but worried Thor Callum (Theresa Wright) arrives to...
View Article‘Phantom Lady’ sells itself on incredible craftsmanship and an impressive...
There is a visible craftsmanship to Phantom Lady that helps it reach the upper echelon of movie magic. It is a slick, well produced bit of entertainment that takes bold chances with its plotting....
View Article‘D.O.A.’ shows that one’s perception of everything changes in the face of...
D.O.A. Written by Russell Rouse, Clarence Greene Directed by Rudolph Maté U.S.A., 1950 In a terrifically dramatic opening, D.O.A. begins with a series of smooth tracking from behind one man as he walks...
View ArticleGotham, Ep. 1.01, “Pilot” gives Gordon the spotlight
Batman is one of the most iconic comic book superheroes of all time and has been amongst the pop culture zeitgeist for, at most, three quarters of a century, being adapted into all kinds of media from...
View Article‘Ride the Pink Horse’ rides hard and strong with its unique interpretation of...
Seasoned film noir viewers who take a chance on Robert Montgomery’s Ride the Pink Horse for the very first time are in for a unique experience. The director and fellow screenwriters Ben Hecht and...
View Article‘Behind Locked Doors’ is serviceable, but fails to unlock its full potential
Behind Locked Doors, directed by Budd Boetticher, is, for all intents and purposes, a precursor to a much more widely known film from 1963, Sam Fuller’s Shock Corridor. Working on the same principle of...
View Article‘Lady in the Death House’ isn’t terrible, but doesn’t earn a ‘get out of...
Stories told via framing devices are a tricky proposition, highly dependent on the nature of the framing device employed. One that strongly suggests or outright reveals the plot's outcome runs the risk...
View Article‘The Set-Up’ stands tall in both Robert Ryan’s and Robert Wise’s oeuvres
Director Wise was, in many ways, the Steven Soderbergh of his day. He could navigate virtually any film genre and produce a terrific final movie, one that understands the nooks and crannies of said...
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