Wonderful Movie

Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

This is above all a fascinating intrigue. None of the actors are anything special, they are all good enough but not more, while the intrigue is more like a labyrinth of webs than a jigsaw puzzle. The film opens with an unknown man getting murdered for unknown reasons by an unknown man, and the poor widow of foreign origin is terrified to death to state anything else than that he committed suicide. That's just the first of a number of murders and attempts, and more and more people are getting involved all the time.Most of the action takes place at night in darkness, there is of course an exotic night club ("The Blue Angel" - what else?) with a dangerous blonde sounding the alarm at long distance for obviously being one of the spiders in the web knowing too much and too many people in too high positions, but she is not the only dangerous lady.The political undercurrent is rather remindful of "Keeper of the Flame" six years earlier about American underworld fascism, but this is after the war, and although there are hints at racism and nazism, the secret society here has no colour and is the more menacing for being open with many leads in society.The story is complicated but makes sense all the way, the logic is infallible, and there are many instances where you almost feel a Hitchcock behind the camera. It's only 72 minutes, so it's rather condensed and therefore thick and certainly hard for some to follow, wherefore it would be worth while seeing it again, especially for the Hitchcock references.

A different and at times dark and disturbing noir/crime/political drama starring Franchot Tone. Tone plays Assistant District Attorney Howard Malloy who is investigating a couple of strange murders, including that of his friend and newspaper columnist Charles Riggs, that seem to have ties to an underground hate group called The Crusaders. Though it is not ever mentioned by name, the film seems to point towards the emerging dangers of communism. The film is well acted by Tone and his supporting cast including Jean Wallace, Marc Lawrence, Myron McCormick, Winifred Lenihan and Betty Harper. Though only competently directed by Fletcher Markle, there are some interesting camera angles and the finale in a dark, shadowy museum is the real highlight of the film. The movie appears to be filmed on location in New York City and the keen eye will spot quick walk-on and cameo appearances from stars such as Marlene Dietrich, Henry Fonda and Burgess Meredith. A unique, dark, if at times slow film that makes for a real interesting watch.

This is an effective minor film noir with some good acting and sharp dialog. Although the quality of the print (Classic Film Noir, Volume 2) and sound track is inferior, the cinematography is good with plenty of well-composed shots. The movie is flawed by clumsy direction and uneven editing but there are many scenes where everything comes together nicely and flows smoothly. Franchot Tone's suave performance as a special prosecutor is convincing and is supported by a good cast. The rambling convoluted plot about his investigation of a commercial Neo-Nazi "hate-group" business is important social commentary that elevates the movie above the typical crime dramas of that era.Not a great movie but one with redeeming features.

... There has to be a limit. This movie is pretty much a mess. It doesn't feel like New York City, of which I am a native and almost-lifetime resident. It has too many plots going at once. They add up but only with force on the part of the writers.It starts out as a sort of Northern "Storm Warning." (Now, there we have a superb, underrated movie!) I guess the racist posters that set off the plot are symbolic of the beginning of the McCarthy witch-hunts. If they aren't, they don't make any sense: OK, granted: According to my parents Manhattan at that time was not always friendly to people other than Caucasians. But were there actually plots and mobs? I can't believe it.The casting gives it some noir cred. I'm not talking about the brief cameos by big stars. Nor,really, about Franchot Tone. He is OK but he isn't exactly a noir staple and he's maybe a bit old for the role.But we have Jean Wallace. We have Marc Lawrence.For me, the single best feature of the film is the presence in a fairly small but significant role of an actress I had never before tonight heard of: Winifred Lenihan.I see that she was the first person to play the title role in Shaw's "St. Joan" on Broadway. She is in very different territory here. But whoever cast her did so with genius: She is absolutely perfect.Also, I wonder about the character played by Hedley Rainnie. He's ambiguous in many ways. He wears a beard and maybe that's meant to signify his foreign origins. I wonder, though: Is he intended to be gay? The way the character is portrayed reminds me of the intentionally creepy go-between for the Senator and his ex lover in the better known and overrated "Advise and Consent" almost a decade later.It isn't a good movie, in sum. And the print I saw was really bad. But watch it for Ms. Lenihan. In a very quiet way, she's brilliant!