Kiss Of Death (1947)

This classic film noir stars Victor Mature as Nick Bianco, a criminal viewers first see being caught red-handed for a robbery that will land him in prison for a fairly lengthy sentence. Tough and ready to take the punishment handed to him, Nick sneers when offered the chance of leniency in exchange for information. That eventually changes, however, when he wants a chance to see his young children. Passing along such valuable information will make him less of a friend to the dangerous Tommy Udo (Richard Widmark), which will put him in great peril if the word ever gets out.

Based on a novel by Eleazar Lipsky, Kiss Of Death is directed well by Henry Hathaway, who is fortunate enough to marry a solid script, written by Ben Hecht and Charles Lederer, to a pretty perfect cast. It also helps that, despite the 99-minute runtime, this thing seems to move with the speed and momentum of a racecar. It is, like many of the best noirs, a journey towards an inevitable final destination, but it's brilliantly paced, moving between some very different relationships between some of the main characters and a number of dark and deadly criminal acts.

Hathaway is also fortunate enough to get a brilliant feature debut performance from Widmark, who steals the show as the grinning and unhinged Udo, a character who emanates real menace while smiling at everyone around him. Easily up there alongside any of his future performances, and that is really saying something, Widmark portrays someone I would seriously consider as one of the most memorable villains in the history of film noir. Thankfully, the rest of the cast do well enough in their roles to avoid being completely overshadowed, with Mature excelling in his stoic turn, all too ready to spit in the eye of the authorities until he realises just how much he has to lose. There’s also Brian Donlevy being great as the Assistant D.A. who can offer some glimmer of hope to our lead, and Coleen Gray offers hope of a different kind, even if she seems a bit too sweet and naive in her very first scene (although it soon becomes clear that she knows exactly what situation she might be getting herself into, and her positivity might help to improve the situation for everyone she cares about).

There’s not a lot else for me to say about this film. I loved it, and I was thoroughly impressed by the presence of Widmark, yet equally impressed by those around him not being any less watchable (albeit in very different ways). There are a few different moments here that feel like classic noir key texts, with a major incident at about the halfway mark that is both darkly comedic and also genuinely distressing, and the cast are giving it their all in every scene.

Remade a couple of times, most notably with Nic Cage in a prominent role in the 1990s (more on that very soon), Kiss Of Death is a superbly entertaining character study of a man looking to change his fortunes at the risk of crossing a man even more entrenched in his life of criminality. I was tense, I was captivated, and I was kicking myself for not having seen this before today.

9/10

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Noir-vember: Kansas City Confidential (1952)

An enjoyable film noir that ensures that every main sequence has at least one or two memorable characters, and maintains an enjoyably wild moral compass needle being spun around.

A group of criminals are gathered together by someone who thinks he has planned a perfect crime. Nobody will know one another, masks are worn at all times whenever the crooks are in the presence of the boss, and they will just meet up some time after the robbery, using a ripped playing card to confirm their right to a share of the spoils. Unfortunately, an ex-con named Joe Rolfe (John Payne) is arrested as a prime suspect for the robbery. Once he eventually regains his freedom, Joe begins his own investigation. If he was, deliberately or otherwise, framed for the crime then he reckons that he should get a share of the money.

Directed by Phil Karlson, a man with a varied and enjoyable filmography (although he gave us the disappointing Willard sequel, Ben), Kansas City Confidential starts off feeling as if it will be a very grounded and believable tale. That carries throughout most of the first half of the movie, only starting to lean more into standard movie moments once Joe gets himself closer to the possible payout. The script is written by George Bruce and Harry Essex, with ideas and input from a number of others, and has the usual tough talk that you’d expect from this kind of thing. The weakest element is a clumsy romantic sub-plot that feeds into the finale, but nothing here is bad enough to really spoil the viewing experience.

Payne is a decent lead, going through the motions of a tough crook looking to get a payday while also benefiting from a lot of ambiguity about his real motive. Preston Foster is very good as the gang leader, someone with a plan that seems too good to be true, and he’s believably cunning and cool in his role. Coleen Gray may be a rather bland potential love interest, let down by the script that needs to have her in place without fully involving her in the main story strand, but more fun is had with the memorable faces of some of the other supporting players, namely Lee Van Cleef and Jack Elam, although Neville Brand also does well as a standard threatening heavy.

With it being a crime flick that focuses on the perpetrators gathering together some time after the crime, trying to be patient and trust one another, the influence on certain other films and film-makers is clear to see, but Kansas City Confidential is an unpretentious and low-key little film noir that remains very easy to enjoy. Overshadowed by so many other titles, it is nevertheless one that is well worth your time.

7/10

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Noir November: Nightmare Alley (1947)

Based on a novel by William Lindsay Gresham, Nightmare Alley is a film that feels better suited to the likes of Tod Browning and Samuel Fuller than to any of the bigger names to have dabbled in film noir. It's a con movie that, like many con movies, ends up ultimately conning the audience, this time with a suave male star (Tyrone Power) and relatively light first half leading viewers by the hand down a darker and scarier path.

Power is a conman who works at a carnival, charming those around him while also trying to figure out the big trick that will get him fame and fortune. Thanks to an experienced phony fortune-teller (Joan Blondell), he eventually gets what he's after, looking poised to take the world by storm with the lovely Molly (Coleen Gray) by his side. But such trickery and manipulation rarely ends well for those lacking any empathy for the people they use, and it's not long until cracks start to appear in the polished mask that Power shows to the world. His desire for even more fame and money continue to grow with each success, making him increasingly desperate whenever he encounters any minor setback.

Directed by Edmund Goulding, this truly lives up to its title at times, especially in the final scenes. Power acquired the rights to the novel, securing himself a role that could take him away from his typecasting, and it's clear that everyone involved tried to stick as close as possible to the black heart beating away at the centre of events. This is a film that sets out to prove one thing - spend too long looking at showbusiness lights and when you turn your head you can still see nothing else. The glare remains imprinted on the eyes, leaving even the darkest recesses of the world nothing more than smudges of grey. And it's in those grey smudges that these central characters work, rest and play.

The leading man is excellent, as charming as he is repellent, and the ladies who share the screen with him (Blondell, Gray, and Helen Walker, who plays a psychologist) all do well by their characters. Gray may be playing a bit of a damp squib, but her beauty and innocence are absolutely necessary to avoid making the whole movie an unbearable feat of endurance.

Full of interesting characters, some choice dialogue, a few minor con tricks on the way to a big payday, and a constant sense of falling down the rabbit hole, Nightmare Alley is a film for those with a strong stomach and love of darkness. It's a powerful piece of work, one that puts on the finest silk gloves before delivering a no-less-painful punch to the gut.

9/10

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