Monday, June 15, 2015
Classic noir
Sam Fuller produced many films and some have made it to the Criterion Collection.
One of the highest honors.
Today's film is a black and white tough guy film starring Richard Widmark, Jean Peters, Richard Kiley and the grand Thelma Ritter.
It is highly likely that I saw this film when it came around.
I would have been in high school and working as an usher in the local movie theater.
This spins anti-communism, the art of the pickpocket, a love story and some good laughs into a great little production.
Surprisingly, the review says that this was a tough sell at the time. J. Edgar Hoover didn't like it because it depicted unethical FBI guys. The liberals didn't like it because it lambasted communism, and so on. But the audiences liked it.
Probably because the characters are wonderful and the film is very enjoyable. Start to finish. The political aspects, if any, slide past. More gangbusters than anything else.
The art of scene design and bw cinematography is on display here in a series of awe inspiring scenes. A lot of night and water.
I had a good time and would not mind seeing it again.
A 4 out of Netflix5.
Labels: films
