Phil Karlson (1908–1985)

Great newspaper story as reporter Derek, who is very good in this role, turns detective to track down the Lonely Hearts Killer, with the assistance of lovely Donna Reed, and under the more than watchful eye of editor Broderick Crawford--who has good reason to be watchful. No one did this type of film better than Karlson.

“Kansas City Confidential” is a cracking piece of film noir from director Phil Karlson that served as partial inspiration for Quentin Tarantino’s “Reservoir Dogs”. The set-up sees mysterious gang boss Foster (Preston Foster) recruiting three tough guy cons - Pete Harris (Jack Elam), Tony Romano (Lee Van Cleef) and Boyd Kane (Neville Brand) - to pull off a bank job. Wearing masks, so that only Foster knows their identities, and following the successful robbery, they agree to meet up show more in Tijuana to allow Foster to split the $1.2m take from the robbery with them. Unfortunately for the gang they frame Joe Rolph (John Payne) a war vet, with a criminal past who's now trying to go straight as a fall guy for the job. Payne is pulled in by the cops and although eventually released he ends up losing his job. Angered at being set-up he sets off to track down the mobsters and finds his way to Tijuana and the gang. But things begin to get really complicated in Tijuana, when he falls for Foster's daughter Helen (Coleen Gray). The screenplay by George Bruce and Harry Essex is imaginative and provides for a neat little crime caper. Phil Karlson’s direction provides a grim, brutal atmosphere and plenty of pace and momentum. The film contains many of the typical noir themes, so there’s an anti-hero in the wrong place at the wrong time; plenty of hard-boiled dialogue and no real moral distinction between the police and the criminals. From a visual perspective, however, Karlson avoids most of the typical noir visual elements, so few dark shadows and innovative camera angles; instead there is plenty of brutal and visceral violence and a simmering sense of resentment. Karlson does an excellent job in maintaining a sense of tension, particularly as the identities of the gang members are known throughout. John Payne is an excellent leading man - charming, tough and decisive, while Jack Elam, Lee Van Cleef and Neville Brand are the epitome of the '50's tough guy thugs. Overall "Kansas City Confidential" is a tightly plotted and taught noir, with plenty of brooding atmosphere and a real sense of barely suppressed violence. Although probably not in the very top ranks of the film noir genre, it is still a superior piece of work that provides a brutal lesson in straight-talking film noir style and ethics. show less

It's impossible to watch this in 2024 without seeing how utterly unrealistic this is. Despite being based on the true story of the mob who controlled Phenix City and murdered Alabama Attorney General-elect Albert Patterson, this story shows his son John in fistfights and even having a black man persuade him from killing his father's murderer. This same John Patterson, after taking his father's place as Attorney General, was elected Alabama's Governor with the backing of the Ku Klux Klan! In show more later life (he lived a LONG time), he repented, and even voted for Barack Obama, but this 1957 film plays up the good citizens of Alabama fighting the mob while ignoring or pretending the racism they also felt didn't exist. The reporter interviewed in the excruciating 13-minute opening of the film with an incredibly stiff Clete Roberts went on to head an organization that produced a film that claimed Martin Luther King was basically a Communist. Nothing here is what it seems, but I must give credit to two things. First, the location filming in Phenix City is superb. This film looks great. Second: Among a host of good performances, Edward Andrews, as the evil mob boss is absolutely superb. I had only seen him in the other million films he made, playing rather comic or ridiculous characters. But here he is the smiling face of evil, and he is perfect. It must have been the performance of his career. Still, there isn't a whole lot to recommend this film. There isn't much suspense, because you know what happens from the prologue. Still, you have to give the film credit for timeliness. It was made less than a year after the events it semi-depicts. But despite this film's supporters (including Martin Scorcese) it is more a historical curiosity than a really good film. As an Alabama native, take it from me. This is more of a docudrama than a serious film, despite its trappings. And again, why is Clete Roberts so stiff? show less

Intriguing premise and a great chance to see some memorable actors, but the film drags toward the middle and is a bit over-melodramatic. Payne is great, however, as the man trying to get to the bottom of how he almost did 20 years in prison for someone else's perfect heist. Elam, VanCleef, and Brand make a memorable trio of bad guys. I love the way they're all supposed to be on vacation in Mexico, but they wear suits all the time!