Wednesday, 13 November 2024

Prime Time: The Prowler (1951)

Credited to writer Hugo Butler, but actually written by Dalton Trumbo, The Prowler may be easier to overlook than many other films from director Joseph Losey, but that doesn't necessarily make it not worth your time. In fact, it's a deliciously dark and twisted little noir that develops a growing sense of real danger and dread all the way to a fantastic finale.

Evelyn Keyes is Susan Gilvray, a woman who phones the police one evening when she suspects a prowler in her area (hence the title, but there may be more than one prowler as the movie plays out). Susan is married to a radio personality who spends most of his evenings entertaining the masses before signing off with a namecheck for his wife. That makes it easier to plan some evening-time shenanigans when Susan is given some attention from Webb Garwood (Van Heflin), one of the cops who was called about the prowler situation. Both of our main characters seem to want the same thing, but feelings can change, and that's when The Prowler starts to twist and turn as Webb plots to have Susan all for himself, as well as a bit of money that could help them to lead a comfortable life together.

Like many other wonderful film noirs from this time, The Prowler starts off with a spark between two people who should really know better than to help turn it into a crackling fire. The fact that one of the main characters is a policeman adds an interesting layer to the proceedings, as does the fact that it's the male who may well prove to be the more dangerous and manipulative character. A potential homme fatale.

Trumbo's script is more interested in the plotting than any sharp dialogue, and it's wonderful to watch everything fall into place as he builds towards a powerful third act. Nothing is left ambiguous, and it's amusing to see every step toward temptation highlighted like some tasty apple hanging from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Losey directs with the sure hand that he had on almost every film he helmed, knowing the noir elements being brought to the fore while also happily exploring the relationship and dynamic between the two main characters in ways that feel ever so slightly removed from the more entrenched ways of presenting this kind of morality play.

Both Keyes and Heflin are enjoyable in the main roles, neither one afraid to fully lean into the moments that shade their character with even more darkness. Although the supporting cast isn't expansive, it includes John Maxwell, Katherine Warren, Wheaton Chambers, and one or two others circling the core of the premise while trying not to get themselves dragged down into the developing whirlpool. Those just mentioned are highlights, but everyone onscreen does a fine job with the roles given to them.

Despite the 92-minute runtime, which I would say is a bit lengthy for this premise, the film never drags. It may be slight, but it's a viewing experience akin to being placed on the beach and allowing loved ones to cover your legs and body with lots and lots of sand until, despite the warmth and the fun of it all, you suddenly notice that you can't actually move enough to extricate yourself from what has been a happy and sun-kissed burial.

7/10

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