Joseph H. Lewis (1907–2000)

Well made film noir with memorable lead performances. Cummins and Dall are immediately attracted to each other because of their love for guns. But when they run off together and start a a life of crime, bad things happen--imagine that! You know where it is going, but at least it gets there with style!

A couple sharpshooters go on a crime spree.

2.5/4 (Okay).

This is remarkably similar to "They Live by Night," which was released the previous year (and which I coincidentally watched last month). This movie has a better story, following a traditional tragedy arc rather than They Live By Night's inescapable existential doom. And the action scenes here are handled better. But They Live By Night had a better cast; it had a love story and a sort of warmth that really made you care about the show more characters. This movie is stock Noir characters being horny and making bad decisions.

(May 2021) show less

Wilde and Conte are sensational as a determined police lieutenant and the ruthless gangster he is after. Wallace (Wilde's real-life wife) is Conte's troubled girl, with no seeming way out of her predicament. Wilde's character has had her followed for six months and his boss says he's in love with her. Maybe so, but beautiful dancer Helene Stanton has a thing for Wilde, and she's a lot more balanced mentally. Ms. Stanton only made about 10 films before marrying a doctor, a marriage that show more lasted 52 years until his death. But it was a loss for Hollywood. She was beautiful and had charisma to spare. Van Cleef and Holliman are great as Conte's hired guns, who perpetrate more than a bit of mayhem during the running time, and Donlevy is effective as Conte's cowed second in command--who gets no respect from nobody. Everything about this film is well done. Highly recommended. (Worth noting: I kept staring at Wilde in the beginning of this film wondering where I had seen him--and I came to realize that he bears a striking resemblance to Gary Sinise!) show less

2025 movie #96. 1949. The fictionalized story of how the FBI really caught Al Capone (called "The Big Guy" here). Told in a documentary-type style that is pretty gripping considering it's all about accounting. I'm a big Glenn Ford fan and he is great in this.