Kiss Me Deadly (1955)

As hard-boiled as they come, Kiss Me Deadly is essential viewing for film noir fans, and proves to be an interesting and dark movie over half a century after it was first released.

Ralph Meeker plays Mike Hammer, a private detective who finds himself into something way over his head after he picks up a young woman named Christina (Cloris Leachman). Christina is very scared, and she's right to feel that way. Certain people aren't wanting her to live. Which means that, once Hammer is involved, certain people don't want him to live either. Despite a major attempt to put him in his grave, Hammer smells something BIG and sets out to get to the bottom of things, despite warnings from both allies and enemies.

Directed by Robert Aldrich, this is a film as archetypal and influential as it is twisted and strange. From the unique style of the opening credits to the very last shot, this is a slightly disorienting, slightly unnerving movie with a dark, dark heart. The script by A. I. Bezzerides, based on the book by Mickey Spillane, is a corker, full of snappy, cool dialogue while also dropping breadcrumbs that will lead everyone to a powerful finale.

The acting may not be so consistent, but there's plenty to enjoy. Meeker is great in the lead role, acting cold and selfish much of the time, keeping his emotions in check until people he truly cares for end up endangered. Leachman may not be onscreen for long, but she makes a great impression in her first cinema feature. Maxine Cooper, as Velda Wickman, has some more screentime, and makes an equally great impression as  Hammer's assistant who cares for him a great deal. And then there's Gaby Rodgers as Carver. Her acting isn't as good, she's a bit stilted when she's not overdoing the nervous and vulnerable schtick, but it somehow ends up being good enough come the end of the movie. Jack Elam is as memorable as ever as one of the henchmen who tussles with Hammer, and Paul Stewart and Albert Dekker round out the cast of villains.

Becoming much more than just the sum of its parts, Kiss Me Deadly is a thrilling detective story, unflinching at times and defiantly unafraid to show the many wrongs in the world and how they can't always be put right, even by someone with the best intentions and a whole lot of, perhaps foolhardy, courage.

9/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kiss-Deadly-DVD-Ralph-Meeker/dp/B00009XW8K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1384038807&sr=8-1&keywords=kiss+me+deadly

The Killers (1946)

Burt Lancaster made his screen debut in this fantastic film noir, and it's easy to see why he went on over the next couple of decades to become such a major star. Even in his first movie role he has a presence and charisma that's hard to beat. It helps that he's surrounded by a great cast, but there's no doubt that his performance in the lead role is a big plus for the film.

Lancaster plays Ole 'Swede' Andreson, a man who is, at the very beginning of the movie, killed by the killers of the title. Just who killed him, and why? That's what insurance investigator Jim Riordan (Edmond O'Brien) wants to find out when he is given the task of finding the man's beneficiary and paying her a lump sum. As he uncovers the story leading up to the killing he starts along a path that may just lead him back to a major, unsolved crime from a number of years ago.

Based on a short story by Ernest Hemingway, The Killers was adapted for the screen by Anthony Veiller and directed by Robert Siodmak. From beginning to end, it's a great mix of grim moments and surprisingly deft humour that makes the runtime just fly by.

Ava Gardner is the other main draw, and she's fantastic as the potentially dangerous Kitty Collins. Lancaster and O'Brien are both great, and Albert Dekker, Sam Levene, Vince Barnett and Jack Lambert portray a number of very memorable supporting characters, with Lambert particularly memorable as the gruff 'Dum-Dum' Clarke.

Finding out the events that led up to the opening killing is a very interesting and entertaining journey. The twists and turns may not be entirely unpredictable, especially nowadays, but the whole thing is tightly put together and never feels implausible or illogical.

Lancaster may seem to be a bit too much of a schmuck at times, but the world of film noir is full of schmucks, proving time and time again that there's a sucker born every minute. But, then again, who wouldn't risk being a sucker to stay in the good favour of the gorgeous Ava Gardner?

8/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Film-Noir-Collection-Kirk-Douglas/dp/B000UWXM1C/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1383510857&sr=1-1&keywords=film+noir+box+set