Backlash (1947)
Love's Violent Recoil! I caught this movie on demand while doing some other work. It certainly wasn't the best of Noirs, but it had some entertainment value. Basically, a criminal lawyer gets murdered and they start trying to figure out whodunnit. There was a really sweet twist at the end that, in turn, made Backlash worth watching - once. Little known cast but a local connection for me! I guess the main star in this movie was Jean Rogers . I didn't really recognize her, but when I looked her up, she had been in a lot of producti…
The Stranger (1946)
The Most Deceitful Man A Woman Ever Loved ! The Stranger stars Orson Welles , Loretta Young and Edward G Robinson . Although, I think "stars" is more a matter of status as opposed to performance in this film. Sometimes, both in this movie and the way he appears to have lived, Orson Welles seemed a bit over the top. But I've often wondered if that was Welles' schtick or maybe he really was just larger than life! Not sure what brings me back I remember this movie from when I was a kid watching "Million Dollar Movie…
Too Late for Tears (1949)
When Good Girls Go Bad Too Late for Tears is one of those classic Film Noirs that takes good people and turns them on end into - well - not so good. Lizabeth Scott 's character, a new wife, quickly turns bad, and I mean in an
I Wake Up Screaming (1941)
Genre Defining So, this is one of the classic Film Noir movies. In my opinion if you are going to teach someone who knows nothing about Noir, this movie has to be in the top 10. I wake Up Screaming is considered only the second Film Noir movie in the genre, and sets the mood, even more than did The Maltese Falcon .
Dark Passage (1947)
This is One of Those Movies for Me Dark Passage , while not the best picture of all time, certainly was entertaining and engaging. I suppose anytime you get Bogie and Bacall together, it's just hard to not enjoy the movie! I think the premise was fun escaped convict trying to prove his innocence and has back-alley
The Big Combo (1955)
I love Film Noir...(for cryin'-out-loud, look at the name of this blog) and this is one of the best! Cornel Wilde stars as a cop determined to take down Mr. Brown (doesn't that remind you of Reservoir Dogs?), a bookkeeper (played by Richard Conte ) for an absent crime boss, now running the outfit himself. Our vixen Susan ( Jean Wallace ), a sad-eyed moll caught between the two antagonists, "realizes she’s in over her head, and doesn’t see any way out except suicide. She attempts it in one of the film’s early scenes, then sp…
The Night of the Hunter
The Night of the Hunter is one of the creepiest movies I've seen. I'd say it's at least on par with DeNiro's Cape Fear . Robert Mitchum is insanely creepy and evil in this movie, and Charles Laughton's vision of what this movie should look and sound like is downright masterful. Creepier still is the fact that this movie is based on a true story ! Another thought here, for some reason I didn't even realize Shelley Winters was in this one. REVIEWS: Deep Focus Review has an absolutely masterful analysis. I …
The Reckless Moment
There's something just kind of heartwarming about The Reckless Moment . I know that sounds weird considering the movie's about murder, cover-up, blackmail and whatever kinds of mayhem! For being such a low-down crook, Martin Donnelly (Mason) seems awfully reluctant about what he's doing, and is very tender with Mrs. Harper (Bennett). For crying-out-loud, the guy ends up making you wish things could have been different for both of them! Also Like Life has a nice review of the movie, as does Obscure Classics . I almost forgot... …
The Big Sleep (1946)
The type of man she hated . . . was the type she wanted ! I can still remember the first time seeing this movie. It was back in the '70s and I was just a dumb kid sitting on the living room floor eating popcorn with the rest of my family. Even back then I knew this movie was special even if I didn't understand a lot of what was being said.
Gaslight (1944)
Strange Drama of a Captive Sweetheart! Gaslight is a good movie! I just finished watching it on TCM (thank God for TCM!) and I'm surprised I haven't seen it before. As you can see from the movie poster Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman and Joseph Cotten starred. Cotten is one of my favorite noir actors, and of course what can a peasant like me say about Ingrid Bergman? Holy cats! Sociopathic Manipulation This movie, in its own way, is creepy. For his own nefarious reasons, Gregory Anton (Boyer) messes with his wife's (Bergma…
The Red House (1947)
Creepy Doesn't Begin to Describe It OMG! I just watched one of the creepiest movies of all time! I dunno, maybe I'm overstating it a little, but this movie was seriously creepy. I ran into The Red House quite by accident on YouTube and I'm so
