Must See Movie...

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

When Kirk Bennett (John Phillips) is convicted of a singer (Constance Dowling)'s murder, his wife (June Vincent) tries to prove him innocent... aided by the victim's ex-husband (Dan Duryea).What you need to know: Roy William Neill (1887–1946) was an English film director best known for directing the last eleven of the fourteen Sherlock Holmes films starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, made between 1943 and 1946 and released by Universal Studios. "Black Angel" was his final film.There are some very stylish shots in this film, especially in the opening scene. The plot and mystery are good, maybe even great. Allegedly the original writer id not care for the script, but not being familiar with the differences I happen to like the film version.

Adultery and blackmail are possible motives for murder in this low-budget mystery thriller based on Cornell Woolrich's novel "The Black Angel". A convoluted plot, flawed characters and an unexpected twist all add to the enjoyment of watching this movie and a race against time to catch the killer becomes increasingly tense as the execution date for an innocent man moves ever closer.Martin Blair (Dan Duryea) attempts to see his estranged wife on the night of their wedding anniversary but, on Mavis Marlowe's (Constance Dowling) instructions, is prevented from entering her apartment building. After sending her a heart-shaped brooch, he sees another man being allowed into the building to see Mavis and decides to drown his sorrows by getting drunk.Next day, a man who was seen leaving Mavis' apartment shortly before her body was found, is arrested for her murder. Kirk Bennett (John Phillips) admits that he was one of her ex-lovers and was being blackmailed by her. He's subsequently tried and found guilty of the crime and sentenced to death. His loyal wife Catherine (June Vincent), is convinced that Kirk is incapable of murder and so sets out to prove his innocence. Her investigation leads her to Martin who she finds suffering the effects of a severe hangover and accuses him of killing his ex. When it transpires that he has a cast-iron alibi, she asks for his help to prove Kirk's innocence and her agrees to help her.Martin, who's an accomplished pianist and composer, is surprised to discover that the man he saw being given access to Mavis' apartment was a nightclub owner called Marko (Peter Lorre) and so he and ex-nightclub singer Catherine decide to audition, as a double act, for work at Marko's club (Rio's). The couple prove to be a great success at Rio's and become convinced that they're on the right track when it seems that Marko may have also been blackmailed by Mavis and could also be in possession of her heart-shaped brooch. When they eventually discover that Marko couldn't have been the murderer and Martin tells Catherine that he's fallen in love with her, she rejects him and he consoles himself by going on another drinking binge. The developments that then follow prove to be a great shock to everyone concerned.As the main character in this movie, Martin Blair is interesting because he's a very talented musician who's so driven by his emotions that when he's dumped by Mavis, his work suffers badly and he also resorts to extreme behaviour to try to ease his pain. His habitual drinking stops during the time that he's with Catherine because he enjoys her company and becomes focused on writing songs for her, just as he had done previously for Mavis (who was also a nightclub singer and recording artiste). When his affections then transfer to Catherine and she rejects him, he predictably relapses into his self-destructive behaviour again. Dan Duryea gives a very affecting performance as this sensitive and vulnerable character who instinctively turns to alcohol as a coping mechanism."Black Angel" begins impressively with a shot of Martin stood in the street outside the building where Mavis lives and then sweeps up to her floor and continues in through the window of her apartment. This piece of visual panache together with the movie's musical sequences and good supporting performances (especially from Peter Lorre) all contribute greatly to making this twisted whodunit both enjoyable and memorable.

Despite starring the likes of June Vincent and Dan Duryea, this is a surprisingly good film--thanks to good writing and acting. I was particularly happy to see Duryea in the film, as he usually only got supporting roles as greasy heavies--here he's given a chance to do a lot more.The film begins with a woman named Mavis Marlow being killed. A guy is convicted of the crime, but his wife (Vincent) is convinced he was innocent. So, with the help of Marlow's ex-husband (Duryea) they investigate. For much of the film, they go undercover at a nightclub run by Peter Lorre but fortunately there is a lot more to this story. While the ending might perhaps be a bit hard to believe, it is pretty original and exciting. I won't say more about this, as I don't want to ruin this excellent film noir movie. I particularly can commend the film for doing so much with so little. It proves you don't need big-name actors to make a very good movie--just a lot of talent, writing and style.

The main things that personify the film noir genre are dark atmospheres and even darker characters. This film features shady examples of both; but neither is dark enough, which makes Black Angel very disappointing. The film is short at only eighty minutes and obviously didn't have a lot of budget; so as a result the plot is rather thin. We focus on the death of a woman and a man she was blackmailing; who gets blamed for her murder. His wife doesn't believe he did it and so sets out to prove his innocence; enlisting the help of drunken barfly and husband of the murdered woman along the way. June Vincent takes the starring role; but never really convinces as a femme fatale, and this brings the film down. She stars opposite Dan Duryea, who isn't particularly gritty as the leading man; and Peter Lorre, who is rather wasted. This film is directed by Roy William Neill; who is best known for his Sherlock Holmes films. This was actually Neill's last feature film before his death later in 1946; and it's disappointing that such a great director couldn't have gone out with something better. The main problem is certainly the plot; which never gets out of first gear and constantly fails to get the audience involved. Overall, this is a disappointing noir effort and I'd only recommend it to completists.