A predictable noir

Please Murder Me! (1956)

We have always seen Angela Lansbury as a busy bodied middle-aged lady who simply appeared as jinx causing mayhem and murders in 'Murder She Wrote' the TV series. I bet you have seen here as a drop dead femme fatale. Here in this classic noir movie, she is one.

A predictable story of a lawyer (Raymond Burr of Perry Mason fame) defending his girlfriend (Myra, Angela Lansbury) who is charged with murder. The case carries a heavy emotional burden on the lawyer because he was saved in Iwojima (WW2) by the girlfriend's husband. As expected, the lawyer is being used to get a get-out-of-jail free card. Myra actually has a college boyfriend waiting for her.

The attorney soon comes to realise the trap. The ensuing story is how he ensnares Myra to bite the bait to expose her deceit.

He did it? Did not?

The Naked Edge (1961)

Just happened to bump into this obscure movie. It is Gary Cooper's very last film in his illustrious career. It has all the characteristics of a noir film with over-dramatisation of background movie and suspense hanging thriller right to its end.

Redcliffe testifies against a fellow worker, Heath, when his boss is robbed and fatally stabbed.

Even though the substantially large amount of the robbed money was never found, Redcliffe, invariably send Heath to serve long incarceration.

Every one moves on. Soon after the boss' death, Redcliffe allegedly 'made a killing' at the share market and goes into partnership. Five years on, he has made it.

The tranquility in Redcliffe's household in disturbed when Mrs Redcliffe receives a poison letter accusing the husband of murdering his boss, squandering the money and sending an innocent to jail as a fall guy.

One by one, everything makes sense and put the husband as the villain. Pretty soon the wife realises that her life may in danger. The whole cat and mouse game reaches a climax to end with a twist. A good relatively unheard movie.

Not all who scold loathe you!

Cry of the City (1948)
Another obscure film noir from the yesteryear forgotten in annals of the ticking time. This offering had nothing extraordinary to offer to mankind. The particular message that struck a cord with me is the message that it carried at the end of the show.
Firstly, humble beginnings, poverty and scarcity in appreciating the finer things in life is no justification to one's involvement in crime and vice. There are others who were in the same both boat with you opt not to slide the same slippery slide as you. They used will power and good friends to thread them the part of lasting piece of mind.
Secondly, what you do actually affects all the people who live around you or are bound by an intangible union through blood or DNA. Their skin would quiver if yours is breached even if you feel that all man is for himself. The people closely related to you mostly mean well to our welfare even though on the surface they may seem like a wet blanket to your wonderful dreams!
The only familiar name in the cast is Shelley Winters who had donned the silver screen for 5 decades before her demise. The rest of them were just characters. The setting of the film was excellent belying the fact that the location of ghetto neighbourhood and the apartments were all staged. The story. however, did not really excite the viewers as it appeared too complicated for comprehension.
A cop killer is hunted by a police lieutenant after he escapes the hospital where he was treated for near fatal injuries. The lieutenant knows the convict's law abiding homely humble Italian parents. His relationship with the parents and the convict's younger brother, who hero worship his elder brother, and the tracking down of the killer's tracks form the crux of the story.

They failed to make a killing!

The Killing (1956)
Director: Stanley Kubrick
This is a film noir directed by Kubrick. Even though, it is of high quality and the story is quite fresh, it failed to make a killing at the box office. As Kubrick famously is said to have said referring to its shoestring budget, "We want to make good movies and make them cheap. The two are not incompatible."

It narrates the meticulous planning and execution of a robbery at the horse races. Johnny (the hero) is planning one last big one before he settles down with a hopelessly devoted girlfriend. With the precision of time and details, he devises a heist at the races with the help of a crooked cop, race track cashier, a wrestler, a sharpshooter, a bartender and others. Everybody has a reason to be part of the robbery. The cashier is a weakling who succumbed to the pressures of his two-timing gold digging wife. What was supposed to be well guarded secret leaks to the wife who tells it to her lover who also wants to lay his hand on the loot.

After creating many distractions in the race track, Johnny managed to rob the races collection of $2million.

After the heist, however, lover boy decided to ambush the party. A shoot-out ensued, eventually killing all. Johnny made it to the airport with his girlfriend with the stash of cash in a large briefcase. Unfortunately, due to its size, he could carry it as hand luggage. While being transported to the luggage compartment of the plane, a freak accident caused his bag to open. His well planned well-executed endeavour just went spiralling in the air with whirling propellers of the aircraft.
And Johnny was apprehended.

Love among the common people!

They drive by night (1940)
This old noir has Humphrey Bogart in a supporting role. In fact towards the later part of the movie he goes missing.
This obscure film is the story of 2 brothers who struggle through life as truck drivers. Their job is tedious involving long hours fighting sleepy eyes, earning measly sum from truck companies from their goods, running away from creditors who were out to repossess their truck and generally feeling miserable. They have to meet short deadlines and on top of that have to bear the inconvenience of road accidents.
The early part of the shows one such trip where they swerve to avoid a speeding car and damaged their tyre.
The brothers, Joe and Paul Fibrini, each their own set of problems. Joe is single and wants to come up in life but the going is getting harder by the day. Paul is married and has to make do with leaving his lonely alone at home. They have decided to delay stating a family until things are stable. Of course, all cannot to wait to work regular hours and avoiding the danger stretches of highway and constantly endangering their lives.

The Widow, femme fatale!

They meet a waitress in one highway eatery. She later joins them on their trip after she absconded from her job when her boss made some improper advances on her.
Joe eventually falls for the waitress, Cassie.
During one of their trip, Paul sleeps at the wheel and they have a
nasty accident as their truck skids of the road. Joe escaped unscathed but Paul loses his arm. The truck is a complete write off.
Paul is depressed and Joe volunteers to pay for the medical expenses. Wandering aimlessly, Joe is offered to work for his friend, Mr Carlson who is a self made truck owner.
Trouble comes to Joe in the form of a young Mrs Carlson who once had the hots for Joe. Bored with her senile but naive husband, she tries to seduce Joe in vain.
One night at the spur of the moment, she intentionally leaves her stuporous husband in the car with a running engine in the confines of a closed garage. Mr Carlson's death is certified as accidental carbon monoxide poisoning. Joe is invited to be the partner of the company by the widow, Mrs Carlson. After repeating failures at wooing Joe, Mrs Carlson finally reveals to Joe her selfless efforts of murdering her husband just to be with him. It still did not work as Joe was already about to marry Cassie!
When the police comes to the picture, she changes her story - that she was the victim who was forced into the crime by Joe. Luckily, when the case comes to the courts, the pressure of the turn of events proved too overwhelming for Mrs Carlson. She cracked under pressure, talking irrationally to be labelled as raving lunatic. Joe goes scot free.
At the end, all ends well. Joe decides to continue working as the boss, get married and Paul becomes a father! A B-noir with a happy ending? If only life was so easy, with a happy ending and eternal bliss!

A twister

The Narrow Margin (1952)
One always assumes that a B-Noir film would be so laughable with its laughable cheesy dialogue, skimpy plot, bad acting and editing. Wrong on all accounts, this low budget film with unknown actors actually did quite well. It maintained its fast pace and element of suspense. In fact, it was nominated in 1953 for Best Screenplay. In 1990, a remake was done starring Gene Hackman and Anne Archer.
Almost the whole film took place on a moving train. Two cops are assigned to transport a dead mob leader's wife from Chicago to Los Angeles. She is supposed to be carrying a list of names of gang members and was due to testify. A loud mouth obnoxious lady is taken from a cheap apartment in a top secret mission. As the identity of the witness is unknown to anyone, the coppers and the crooks, everyone is double guessing her identity.
Even before they make it to the train, one of the cops in is mortally wounded. The panic starts in the mind of the remaining cop, Sgt Brown, as he rushes to get his witness to the train and to Los Angeles in one piece.
Other mob members are also hot on their trail to kill Mrs Neall (the witness) and lay their hands on the list. So, starts a cat-and-mouse with Sgt Brown protecting Mrs Neall and the mob members trying to bribe the Sergeant. The cop stood his ground. He befriends a blonde on the train. Actually, it turned out that the 'Mrs Neall' that the police was protecting was a decoy. She was a cop herself. The real witness was the blonde!
A good fast paced film that lived up to the expectation of being a B-Noir without appearing too B-graded!

Poetic justice with poetic dialogue!

The Asphalt Jungle (1950)

At a time when this film was out, it was hailed as being realistic and break through in heist movies with elaborate depiction and execution of the crime. Unfortunately, it would be a pale comparison to what Hollywood and the other studio have to offer with its advanced in storytelling, colour technology, special effects, pyrotechnics and gore!
It, however, can boast of a set of powerful philosophical dialogues.
The film is classified as a B-noir directed by a A-class director, John Huston. Marilyn Monroe has a small role here. Suffice to say, she obviously needed some polishing of acting skills here.
It tells a tale of 'Doc' who is released from prison after 7 years of incarceration. He plans a great jewel heist and approaches a bookie for help. He gets a gang of 4and promise of monetary support from an apparently well-to-do lawyer, Emmerich.
The heist is planned and executed with great precision. Unfortunately, the explosion that they created with liquid explosives triggered the alarm of neighbouring buildings. In the commotion, one of the thieves is shot. They managed to escape in two getaway cars.
Emmerich who was supposed to buy the loot tells the thieves that he is actually broke and tries to double cross them. In another commotion, Emmerich's accomplice is shot dead.
Emmerich's mistress is Angela (Marilyn Monroe) who lies to have spend time with Emmerich during the time of the killing.
One by one, all those involved in the jewel heist either gets apprehended or killed. 'Doc' who yearns to spends his end of days in Mexico with pretty music and pretty women gets caught en route. Emmerich kills himself when his immature lets the cat out the bag when put to a corner.
An interesting watch with meaningful poetic dialogue accompaniment.

Masterly inactivity may be superior, sometimes!

Chinatown (1974)
Director: Roman Polanski
This movie sounds like a police drama set in Chinatown with all its vice activities and subversive elements. Well, it is nothing like that. 'Chinatown' is a red herring, actually. It can be summarized as a film with the typical noir elements, set in the 50s, convoluted story line, a lone investigator against the establishment and a neither black nor white kind of morality and ending. The 2 1/2 hour story is based on a tragic water dam controversy that happened in the early 20th century. This film also strengthened Jack Nicholson as a reputable star.
JJ Gittes (Nicholson) is a private investigator handling domestic issues. He is approached by a lady who hires Gittes to investigate her cheating husband, who is a senior engineer with the LA Water Department.
After finding proof of his infidelity and pictures of which later made it to the dailies, Gittes is confronted by a foxy lady, the real Mrs Mulwray (Faye Dunaway), with a lawyer's notice!
And Mr Mulwray is soon found dead in a dam. That starts a cat and mouse scramble in search of the real killer. The police is hot on Gittes trail as he is a suspect. The promiscuous Mrs Mulwray appears to hiding something up her..., sleeves. Her father, Noah Cross, was once Mulwray's partner could also got his hands soiled in his mess.

The initial impersonator is later found but dead. Then comes a young girl under Mrs Mulwray's care who could be her sister or her daughter. The plot becomes more convulated with accusations of incest and murder in the family. The all powerful Cross turns out to be the bad guy but poetic justice escapes him at the end of the movie in the typical fashion of a noir movie. 

An entertaining flick. Why does Chinatown come to the picture? The film ends with a shoot out at the venue but not with Chinamen gangsters. Bullets fly from the police to a fleeing car driven by Mrs Mulwray with her sister/daughter. It refers to a symbolic conversation between the screenwriter and a policeman who was working in Chinatown. In his line of work, a lot of confusion and resistance happened because of the array of dialects used there. He felt sometimes better to do as little as possible. 

In his own way perhaps the screenwriter is telling us that not all problems can solved. Sometimes it is better not to do anything at all....

Solving murder through media?

The Blue Gardenia (1953)
Director: Fritz Lang

This 1953 movie, directed by Fritz Lang, is an unusual story of how a murderer is apprehended through the media.

Norah (Anne Baxter), Crystal and another colleague are telephonists living together. Harry (Raymond Burr) is a painter who is a prowler of pretty girls. Norah is deeply in love with her army boyfriend in Korea. On her birthday, she received a letter informing her that he was breaking up to marry a nurse who nursed him to health when he was taken ill.

Devastated, Norah, on the rebound, decided to accept a date from Harry via a case of mistaken identity at the spur of the moment. Harry called to date Crystal, but Norah answered instead.
After a lovely dinner with too much of intoxicants, Norah followed Harry to his apartment. When Harry tries to rape a drunk Norah, she remembered fighting back and passing out. When she comes around, she runs home in the rain.

Slowly, as the papers report the murder, her memory of the event returns.

A newspaper editor announces the murderer to give an exclusive interview in return for legal representation. When Norah finally communicates with the editor, their conversation is intercepted by the bartender who informs the police. A disappointed Norah is apprehended.
Now, the editor does his own investigation. He discovers that the song that Norah heard on the turntable had been changed. By tracing the record, they found that the real murder was one of the girls Harry had jilted.

Nat King Cole makes an appearance in the film for the rendition of the song 'Blue Gardenia'.

Just another movie...