The Maltese Falcon / Satan Met a Lady

Who knew? There are earlier versions of the Maltese Falcon. The first Maltese Falcon is serviceable but merely slick with no oomph. Satan Met a Lady is pretty much hopeless except as an asterisk to the Maltese Falcon.

Pickup On Sixth Street

My new favorite director is Sam Fuller. McCarthyite McGuffin lets Richard Widmark deflate the stupid proles of their delusions. Thelma Ritter's performance exceeds all expectations. Many moments of noir effect. Lightning Louie stands out for me.

The Lady From Shanghai

This movie isn't about anything in particular. There's a bit of plot, but the reason to watch is for the cinematasmique in evidence. Rita Hayworth at her most beautiful, Welles at his most arch and tortured. Irish accent notwithstanding.

Railroaded

Hugh Beaumont is the flattest of flatfeet ever! I was drawn in by the promise of "perfumed bullets" but was disappointed. The show is handsomely staged, but the pace was turgid.

Kiss Me Deadly

I am not a particular fan of Mickey Spillane but in interviews he comes off as an interesting person and I avoided the Stacey Keach Mike Hammer even though I like Stacey Keach's acting chops most of the time, but none of that explains how I have had zero knowledge of Kiss Me Deadly. The whole thing looks and sounds like Perry Mason except everything is inverted on the right-wrong axis and pushed up the the violence scale. The common point is two points sleazeward of Paul by 36 degrees to the sexpot of Della. It scores surprisingly high on the Giant Robot Ant test with a .05 (most noir has undetectable amounts of Giant Robot Ant). Suffice to say, I liked it a lot.

Dick Tracy (RKO)

Dick Tracy, Detective (... vs. Splitface)
- According to the commentary there is debate about who plays Tracy more convincingly. As a mostly disinterested observer, I can say that Morgan Conway has the better nose, body language and voice, if not accent. The show is actually pretty violent.
Dick Tracy vs. Cueball
- Of the four, this tale has the most reasonable plot. The bad guy almost manages to bull his way through but has some bad luck at the end. He takes it like a man, though.
Dick Tacy's Dilemma (... vs The Claw)
- Ralph Byrd has a good chin for Dick Tracy. His accent is more diffusely midwestern which seems appropriate but his delivery is film-strip dull.
Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome
- Boris Karloff's intense charisma overmasters the entire production. The plot is frankly ridiculous and thereby hilarious.

Night and the City

An especially tatty view of London's underworld following the ultimate exploit of a confused, energetic loser. Moody lighting, dense compositions, interesting and busy score by Franz Waxman, fine acting (with possible exception of Gene Tierney who has very little to work with and does not make the most of it) and an amazing wrestling sequence.

Dark Corner

20th Century Fox noir. Lucille Ball gets top billing! She's pretty good as the practical and infatuated secretary to the nominal protagonist, who is a bit of a likable weenie. William Bendix and Clifton Webb are the pillars of the show, however. Henry Hathaway directed.

Key Largo

Succeeds in spite of itself. Water-logged conflicts, talky-talk moral parade, slow middle, loose ends tied up with no finesse and generally over-ripe fruity performances. Yet it all hangs together. My favorite bit is when Edward G. Robinson triple-slaps Bogart.

Criss Cross

Burt Lancaster and Dan Duryea are unable to redeem this potboiler although they provide journeyman performances. Burt's wardrobe is the real star. Be sure to check out the two tone jacket. One of the tones is tweed!

Dark Passage

Preposterous goings-on seem rational somehow when performed by Bogart et al. Great supporting cast.

House of Strangers

Richard Conte is much more comfortable in the role of unprincipled avenger than stolid psychologist. Some grim noir touches in spite of being set in the thirties. Check out the bust of Mussolini!