Noirvember 2020 - 30 days of Film Noir

[kingdoxie]

Noirvember.jpg

1st Annual Blu-ray.com Noirvember - 30 Days of Film Noir!

We have 31 days of Halloween movies and 25 days of Christmas movies, so why not 30 days of film noir in between?! A late start, but should be fun anyway...I promise to have a proper thread next year

The Challenge
Watch 30 films noirs in the month of November.

The Films
Every time you watch a film, post your rating and thoughts on the film and be sure to use spoiler tags when appropriate. Hopefully everyone can discover a new dark alley to travel down or an irresistible femme fatale that just blew into town.

[kingdoxie]

Recent:

1954Touchez.jpg1945Heaven.jpg1946Killers.jpgWitness1.jpgDontCry1.jpg

Total: 17

Case Files:
The Set-Up ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Robert Ryan is great as a down and out boxer that refuses to take a dive in a fixed fight. At just over an hour, it takes place in real time.
Gun Crazy ⭐⭐⭐⭐ The classic good-guy gets taken down by an off-her-rocker femme fatale.
Born to Kill ⭐⭐⭐ Bad-boy and femme fatale go at each other.
Impact ⭐⭐⭐ Good-guy finds out he was a dope to his femme fatale wife.
Murder, My Sweet ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Hard drinking PI, Philip Marlow, investigates missing jewels, dead bodies, and tries to unravel an intricate web spun by the blonde femme fatale.
He Ran All the Way ⭐⭐⭐⭐ John Garfield's last movie. With a payroll hold-up gone wrong and his partner shot, Nick holds a family hostage in their apartment while deciding what to do. Shelly Winters has a nice roll as the family daughter

[Show spoiler]that almost goes bad.

Out of the Past ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ An absolute giant of the film noir genre, one of the few titles against which most others are compared. Shady underground characters, a no-nonsense PI, a ruthless femme fatale, dark alleys, the missing $40,000 MacGuffin, and everyone is smoking in every scene...it's got all the tropes!
The Man Who Died Twice ⭐⭐⭐½ Has an interesting twist with the female lead as the unsuspecting dope and her nightclub owner husband taking advantage of her. The MacGuffin is some missing drugs with the cops, two crime syndicate heavies, and the nightclub bartender (the great Mike Mazurki) trying to figure out where the dead husband,

[Show spoiler]or is he

, hid the dope.
It Always Rains on Sunday ⭐⭐⭐½ Nice British noir with an escaped convict hiding out at the house of a former lover who is now married to a man with grown daughters. Some suspenseful moments where he almost gets caught, very Hitchcockian. Several flashback scenes set up the circumstances of the crime and relationships.
A Strange Adventure ⭐⭐⭐½ The odd noir that doesn't take place in the city. The femme fatale convinces a dope driving the armored car to be the inside man and then convinces another dope to use his hot rod as the getaway car. They all wind up in a mountain cabin with the captives plotting against their captors.
A Bullet for Joey ⭐⭐⭐ Takes place in Montreal with an international spy twist.
They Won’t Believe Me ⭐⭐⭐½ Told in flashback style during a double murder trial; the male lead turns out to be both a cad and a dope. Crazy ending

[Show spoiler]where he gets shot by the court bailiff trying to jump out a high story courtroom window just as the jury is about to acquit him of murdering his wife and his mistress! And he really was innocent...his wife got thrown from a horse and his mistress died in a car wreck.

The Damned Don’t Cry ⭐⭐⭐½ Very well done noir theme of good girl turned bad, and of course it all falls apart at the end.
Witness to Murder ⭐⭐⭐ Another film where George Sanders plays a cad, shocking! Notable for the concept of having the lead character (the great Barbara Stanwyck) witness a murder out their window in a building across the street a few months before Rear Window premiered.
The Killers ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ Set the tone for many others to follow, an iconic example of the genre.
Leave Her to Heaven ⭐⭐⭐½ In blazing technicolor, it's more of a melodrama than noir, but does have a brutal femme fatale.
Touchez Pas au Grisbi ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ Excellent french noir; has a recurring harmonica musical cue whenever something is about to go awry, reminiscent of 007 or spaghetti westerns.

[lemonski]

Lured (1947)
Lucille Ball, George Sanders, Boris Karloff, Charles Coburn
Dir: Douglas Sirk

Lucille Ball plays a streetwise dancer who is enlisted by Scotland Yard when a friend of hers goes missing and is eventually found dead; if that sounds like a dull idea for a plot, that’s because it is. George Sanders plays the same suave bore he plays in every film, and Boris Karloff turns up in a bizarre side-plot that starts nowhere and goes nowhere, as if he was at loose ends one afternoon and filmed a scene for a bit of spare cash. Whether you like this or not will probably depend on how much of Lucille Ball you can stomach. For me the answer is "not a lot" 1/2



Plunder of the Sun (1953)
Glenn Ford, Diana Lynn, Patricia Medina
Dir: John Farrow

Now this is more like it, forget that Douglas Sirk junk. Plunder of the Sun is a cracking good noir-ish adventure, a cross between The Maltese Falcon and Where Danger Lives, with a dash of To The Ends of the Earth thrown in. Glenn Ford plays an insurance adjuster who gets caught up chasing a Mexican McGuffin in a hunt for lost treasure, told in flashback with voiceover. There are two femmes fatales (Diana Lynn and Patricia Medina), the obligatory Sydney Greenstreet-like sweaty fat man (Francis L. Sullivan) and plenty of unsavoury characters with dubious motives criss-crossing the plot. It’s well written, well paced, and Ford is taking crap from no-one. 1/2

[kingdoxie]

What I've watched so far.

The Set-Up ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Robert Ryan is great as a down and out boxer that refuses to take a dive in a fixed fight. At just over an hour, it takes place in real time.
Gun Crazy ⭐⭐⭐⭐ The classic good-guy gets taken down by an off-her-rocker femme fatale.
Born to Kill ⭐⭐⭐ Bad-boy and femme fatale go at each other.
Impact ⭐⭐⭐ Good-guy finds out he was a dope to his femme fatale wife.

[odguitar]

Recently Watched

[Show spoiler]

1. Mr. Arkadin* 4/5 - interesting film, but like most of Welles is stuff, I admire it more than I actually enjoy it.
2. Pitfall* 4/5 - Lizabeth is such a fascinating actress to watch, her voice, her looks, her being--she's a thrill to watch.
3. Dead Reckoning* 3/5 - went on a bit of a Lizabeth Scott kick, her and Bogey have great chemistry but this wasn't quite as good as Pitfall.
4. Too Late for Tears* 4/5 - the best of the three I watched, I can't wait to watch more. This one's a definite classic.
5. Nightfall* 3.5/5 - I really like Aldo Ray in this, his voice is so distinctive in the best way. It's weird seeing such a young Anne Bancroft, she'll always be Mrs. Robinson to me.
6. Odds Against Tomorrow* 4/5 - Interesting noir that's also a social commentary. Robert Wise is quickly becoming a favorite for me, he could really do any genre.
7. The Sign of the Ram* 3/5 - The behind the scenes is more interesting than the actual film, but props to Columbia for taking the shot on actually casting a disabled woman in a disabled role.

Total: 7

*denotes first-time viewing

[BlueRagtop]

I'm not going to make it to 30, but here's what I've watched so far:


After Dark, My Sweet
Excellent, overlooked neo-noir, with Jason Patric as an ex-boxer/escaped mental patient who gets mixed up in a kidnapping plot with Bruce Dern and Rachel Ward. Based on the novel by Jim Thompson. Directed by James Foley.




Border Incident 1/2
Two cops from each side of the US/Mexico border join forces to investigate a ring preying on migrant workers. Surprisingly hard-hitting. Directed by Anthony Mann, with cinematography by the estimable John Alton.



Crime Wave
Lame, generic title for what is an excellent crime drama. Ex-con Gene Nelson finds his life upended when 3 of his old associates escape from prison and come calling. Sterling Hayden is the cop on their trail and Charles Bronson plays one of the hoods. André de Toth directs.



Detour 1/2
Tom Neal is just a guy trying to make his way cross country to see his sweetie when he crosses paths with one of the most fatale femmes in noir, Ann Savage. Classic!



Elevator to the Gallows 1/2
Maurice Ronet is trapped in an elevator after bumping off his boss, while his mistress, Jeanne Moreau, roams the streets of Paris in search of him. Meanwhile, a young couple, having stolen his car to go joyriding, end up in a distressing situation of their own. Very moody, very "French", with score by Miles Davis and a terrific noir-ish ending.

[kingdoxie]

1944Murder.jpg

Murder, My Sweet ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Hard drinking PI, Philip Marlow, investigates missing jewels, dead bodies, and tries to unravel an intricate web spun by the blonde femme fatale. With more twists and turns than a midnight drive on Sunset Boulevard, the plot rivals another Philip Marlow film, The Big Sleep, requiring the viewer to take notes to keep track of all the the plot threads.

[filmbuffTX]

The Kid Detective (2020) 1/2 - I actually saw this at the movie theater last month, but I think it's worth highlighting so I'll post it here anyway. It definitely fits the film noir - neo noir genre. The main character is a 30ish small town detective who started his business when he was a child. He solved crimes/mysteries among his classmates and neighbors in the town. Everyone including himself thought he would go on to do great things and be really successful, but he's now stuck in a rut, depressed, drinks too much, and is just overall cynical about his current station in life.

Then one day a young blonde woman walks into his office wanting his help to find out who murdered her boyfriend....

It has a lot of dark humor and would definitely be considered a comedy as well. I enjoyed it and want to watch it again soon to see what I overlooked and missed.

[kingdoxie]

HeRan.jpg

He Ran All the Way ⭐⭐⭐⭐ John Garfield's last movie. With a payroll hold-up gone wrong and his partner shot, Nick holds a family hostage in their apartment while deciding what to do. Shelly Winters has a nice roll as the family daughter

[Show spoiler]that almost goes bad.

[lemonski]

Illegal (1955)
Edward G. Robinson, Nina Foch, Hugh Marlowe
Dir: Lewis Allen

Despite being included in one of Warner’s Film Noir DVD sets, Illegal is more of a courtroom drama than any sort of genuine noir. Not bad, but not great. The plot writes its way into a corner early and resorts to silly events to get itself out. Still, a passable way to spend 88 minutes, especially if you factor in a red hot Jayne Mansfield in a tight black dress. Me-ow. 1/2



Pale Flower (1964)
Ryô Ikebe, Mariko Kaga
Dir: Masahiro Shinoda

Shinoda’s deliberately paced yakuza noir is immaculately shot and oozes 1960’s Japanese cool - perhaps adding up to less than the sum of its parts, but absolutely unmissable.

[Lorenzol]

I won't hit 30 but I have watched a few already.

[october27]

I love your idea. I just wish I had more time this month for movie watching, I won't get close to 30 but I still want to play.





1. Niagara

Nice noir thriller with two couples visiting Niagara Falls. This reminds me of some of the Hitchcock films of the era. Great performances by Marilyn Monroe and Joseph Cotten.

[lemonski]

Kid Glove Killer (1942)
Van Heflin, Marsha Hunt
Dir: Fred Zinnemann

Very tame crime drama with Van Heflin as a Sherlock Holmes-like forensic scientist and Marsha Hunt his spunky assistant. This is as hard boiled as an egg, and Heflin gives me the creeps - he looks like a praying mantis in a lab coat. Remarkable only for very brief uncredited appearances from Ava Gardner and Robert Blake. 1/2



Street of Chance (1942)
Burgess Meredith, Claire Trevor
Dir: Jack Hively

Atmospheric little B noir-mystery based on a Cornell Woolrich story about a man getting amnesia after hit being on the head by falling debris. Burgess Meredith gives a beautifully understated performance as the lead character trying to piece events together; Claire Trevor understandably suffers by comparison but it’s always good to see her in noir. Gets a little stale in the third act, but overall a good watch. 1/2

[october27]

2. The Night Of The Hunter

What a great performance from Robert Mitchum. I think this might have been my introduction to him and I think I went out and looked for every movie of his that I could find after watching this. Awesome trip back to the world of the Great Depression and just an incredibly menacing character perfectly portrayed by Mitchum.

[Show spoiler]
1. Niagara

[BlueRagtop]

The Glass Key
Although I loved the first pairing of Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake (This Gun For Hire) I did not think this fulfilled their promise. It was way too complicated, with far too many characters and lots of political maneuvering. It was a struggle to get through and only really came to life when William Bendix was beating on Alan Ladd.



The Hitch-Hiker
Gripping thriller about 2 average guys who, on a weekend trip, pick up one very wrong dude. Excellent acting from the leads, with William Talman in particular etching an unforgettable portrait of a psycho. Dynamic, edgy direction by Ida Lupino.



I Confess
As close to noir as Hitchcock ever got, featuring complex Catholic morality, terrific location work in Quebec City, and a superlative performance by Monty. Should be better-known and rated higher than it is. Only a turgid flashback sequence stops it from being top-tier.

[october27]

3. Double Indemnity

I got into this one as an Edward G Robinson fan and loved the performances of all three leads. Great tension, awesome atmosphere and cool to see the world of 1940's Los Angeles. I am also a fan of Director Billy Wilder's Ace In The Hole and Sunset Boulevard.

[Show spoiler]
1. Niagara
2. The Night Of The Hunter

[kingdoxie]

Originally Posted by october27

[Show spoiler]

3. Double Indemnity

[Show spoiler]I got into this one as an Edward G Robinson fan and loved the performances of all three leads. Great tension, awesome atmosphere and cool to see the world of 1940's Los Angeles. I am also a fan of Director Billy Wilder's Ace In The Hole and Sunset Boulevard.

[Show spoiler]
1. Niagara
2. The Night Of The Hunter

Billy Wilder directed so many great films, but his films noirs are at the top IMHO.

[kingdoxie]

Out of the Past ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ An absolute giant of the film noir genre, one of the few titles against which most others are compared. Shady underground characters, a no-nonsense PI, a ruthless femme fatale, dark alleys, the missing $40,000 MacGuffin, and everyone is smoking in every scene...it's got all the tropes!

Robert Mitchum, Kirk Douglas, and Jane Greer are excellent in their rolls and just exude film noir!

[october27]

4. The Maltese Falcon

I caught two Humphrey Bogart movies yesterday. He's the actor I mostly closely associate with the Noir genre. Each of these is a great noir with this first being one of my favorites for him. He and Sidney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre are on a quest for the Falcon and will do anything to get it. Awesome mystery thriller and a great trip to the world of San Francisco in the 1930's.







5. The Big Sleep

Of the four team ups between Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, this is listed as a favorite for most. For me, it's actually my least favorite of the four. The story is not easy for me to follow and I think this is because the movie was edited to feature more of Bogart and Bacall together maybe at the expense of the flow of the story. It still has a great performance from Bogart but I'm really just watching it to see him. I am going to try and do all 4 Bacall and Bogart classic noir team ups for our marathon.

[Show spoiler]
1. Niagara
2. The Night Of The Hunter
3. Double Indemnity

[kingdoxie]

Originally Posted by october27

[Show spoiler]



4. The Maltese Falcon

I caught two Humphrey Bogart movies yesterday. He's the actor I mostly closely associate with the Noir genre. Each of these is a great noir with this first being one of my favorites for him. He and Sidney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre are on a quest for the Falcon and will do anything to get it. Awesome mystery thriller and a great trip to the world of San Francisco in the 1930's.

5. The Big Sleep

Of the four team ups between Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, this is listed as a favorite for most. For me, it's actually my least favorite of the four. The story is not easy for me to follow and I think this is because the movie was edited to feature more of Bogart and Bacall together maybe at the expense of the flow of the story. It still has a great performance from Bogart but I'm really just watching it to see him. I am going to try and do all 4 Bacall and Bogart classic noir team ups for our marathon.

[Show spoiler]

[Show spoiler]
1. Niagara
2. The Night Of The Hunter
3. Double Indemnity

Another giant of the film noir genre! You're not alone on the confusing plot. One of the murders is never wrapped up (I think the chauffeur), which at the time under the Hays Code was a no-no (all crimes and criminals had to be brought to justice by the end of the film with them in jail or dead), even the screenwriters didn't catch it until brought up in an interview years later. Wonky editing and convoluted plot aside, I love the dialogue between Bogart and Bacall and put this at the top of their four films.