Category: crime film
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One Step Beyond: Film Noir and the Supernatural
Edward G. Robinson, ‘Night Has a Thousand Eyes’ (1948). We can all daydream of possessing special powers, because who wouldn’t want greater insight into their life and extraordinary abilities to manipulate the hands of fate? But if there’s one thing that speculative fiction teaches us is that supernatural powers — mind reading, communicating with the…
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Jazz Mania: Film Noir, Bebop and the Devil’s Music
Elisha Cook Jr., ‘Phantom Lady’ (1944) You might be surprised to learn that jazz didn’t show up in film noir right away even though by the 1940s swing was part of the popular music landscape and bebop was well on its way to becoming a solid American art form. But you wouldn’t know it by watching…
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‘Highway 301’: There’s a Killer on the Road
Wally Cassell, Steve Cochran, Richard Egan, Edward Norris, Robert Webber, ‘Highway 301’ (1950). It’s a wonder that anyone gets through the first few minutes of “Highway 301,” a noir based on the true-life crime wave perpetrated by an outfit called the Tri-State Gang. The film is a taut little thriller that starts off with wooden…
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‘Eddie Coyle’ Introduced Us to ‘Boston Noir’
Robert Mitchum in ‘The Friends of Eddie Coyle’ (1973). How Boston labor union muscle terrorized Hollywood film crews No one was quite ready for the grittiness of “The Friends of Eddie Coyle” when it arrived in theaters in 1973. It didn’t look like most films that Hollywood turned out — it had a certain rawness…
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Grifter Aims to Separate a Widow from her Fortune
John Garfield, Geraldine Fitzgerald and Walter Brennan in ‘Nobody Lives Forever’ (1946). By Paul Parcellin As conmen go, Nick Blake (John Garfield) is more likeable than your average grifter. A bit out of practice, he’s ready to get back into the flim-flam game. But first, he’s got a score to settle. In “Nobody Lives Forever” (1946),…
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Hazy Memories of Hollywood
Brad Pitt and Mike Moh, ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.’ Ever since it hit the screen in 2019 there’s been a lot of talk about Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time … In Hollywood,” especially the fight scene between stuntman Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) and martial arts master and actor Bruce Lee (Mike Moh).…
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‘L.A. Confidential’: Wounded Cops Take On the System
From left, Det. Ed Exly (Guy Pearce), Det. Bud White (Russell Crowe) and Det. Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey). “L.A. Confidential” just had its 25th anniversary and that makes us look anew at the astounding saga of police corruption in the City of Angels, circa 1953. A quarter of a century later the film’s authentic retro look,…
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What, Another Insurance Man is Out to Beat the System?
Charles McGraw holds a gun onworrying Peter Brocco in ‘Roadblock.’ On the face of it, “Roadblock” (1951) is a tall tale filled with absurdities. An insurance investigator who can’t conceive of how easily he might get caught if he robs one of his employer’s clients. He’s the same guy who catches perps who rip off…
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‘The Big Clock’: Time Runs Short for Crime Mag Editor
Charles Laughton and Ray Milland in ‘The Big Clock.’ At first glance, “The Big Clock” is merely a workplace crime drama set in a New York magazine publishing firm, a cold-blooded enterprise that gives new meaning to the phrase, “This job is killing me.” But beneath its surface, the film is satire, lampooning corporate…
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In ‘Double Indemnity,’ A Stalled Car is a Flash of Genius
Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray, in ‘Double Indemnity.’ As many times as we pore over “Double Indemnity,” there are still important bits that may be missed. Sometimes that leads to revelations that change our understanding of the film. I’m not talking about the Raymond Chandler cameo that went unnoticed for decades — that was a…