Noirvember: Dead Reckoning (1947)

If you're a younger film fan, or maybe just a casual film fan, and you can't quite understand why Humphrey Bogart was such a big star for a while then, forgive me, I would have to insist that you just haven't watched a Humphrey Bogart movie. The man is riveting, and often also feels like the personification of cool, and he had the added benefit of being placed in some great features. While not at the very top of any ranked list, Dead Reckoning is a very enjoyable noir that pairs our leading man alongside the lovely Lizabeth Scott. 

Bogart is Rip Murdock, a military man who ends up on a personal quest when he finds out about the death of a fellow serviceman. Not only that, he discovers that the man may not be who he thought he was, and he was suspected of murder. His quest leads him to meet Coral Chandler (Scott) and Martinelli (Morris Carnovsky), a criminal masquerading as a legitimate businessman.

Mainly written by Oliver H. P. Garrett and Steve Fisher, with various people responsible for the main story and adaptation, and directed by John Cromwell, there's nothing here behind the cameras to mark out Dead Reckoning as an above-average noir. It looks good enough, the screenplay has some excellent lines of dialogue sprinkled throughout, and the plot is both slippery and fairly easy to predict. That doesn't make it special though.

Bogart, however, Bogart makes it special. As does Scott. The two leads work well, particularly when sizing one another up and trying to maintain a relationship that is mutually beneficial, and Bogart feels completely at ease in a role that plays to his strengths. He's confident, smart and quick enough to recognise when he's being conned, and he's willing to risk letting someone inside his exterior armour if they can prove that they're not working an angle on him. Scott plays the ambiguity of her character all the way to the end, as expected, allowing viewers to constantly wonder about her role in the murder being investigated. Carnovsky doesn't need to be ambiguous. He's very enjoyable as a charming and unflappable antagonist, and Marvin Miller is also good value as his main henchman, Krause. Others worth keeping an eye out for are William Prince (in the small, but vital, role of Johnny Drake), George Chandler, James Bell, and Charles Cane.

More of a comfort viewing than many other noirs, thanks to the charisma quotient and the perfect pacing that helps the 100-minute runtime breeze by easily enough, this may not be considered essential, but it's one I will highly recommend to those who want to spend some time in the company of some star performers shining brightly in material that seems to have been nicely tailored around them.

8/10

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I Walked With A Zombie (1943)

Arguably the best thing about being a fan of cinema, and having over a century of cinema to work through, is the fact that there will always be some major classics to look forward to. Okay, I am sure there are some people out there who have seen everything they want to (and everything they feel they should watch, even if it is just checking off one of those “1000 Films To Watch Before You Die” lists). I am not one of those people. I still have a lot of films to get to that have glowing reputations I have been aware of for decades. I Walked With A Zombie is one of those films.

Frances Dee is Betsy Connell, a woman who takes a job as a nursemaid on the Caribbean island of Saint Sebastian. She ends up working for the Holland family. There is Paul Holland (Tom Conway), married to the patient, Jessica Holland (Christine Gordon), a woman who has been left in a “zombiefied” state after an accident some time ago. Wesley Rand (James Ellison) is Paul’s half-brother, simmering with regret and resentment. And the matriarch of the household is Mrs. Rand (Edith Barrett), a doctor who seems to have put a lot more faith in the local voodoo beliefs and practices than her science.

Another atmospheric film directed by Jacques Tourneur, and another one helped along immensely by producer Val Lewton, I Walk With A Zombie is a number of different things, from a discussion about the situation conflict between science and faith to a dark and stormy gothic romance, from an exploration of slavery to an exploration of deceit and guilt. What I would point out here, however, is that it doesn’t stand out as a horror film. I am happy enough to consider it within the genre, being non-rigid and fluid with genres is important, but I feel the need to mention this here, for fear of other late-comers who may be looking for a more straightforward zombie tale.

Although the title was lifted directly from a magazine article headline, writers Curt Siodmak and Ardel Wray feel as if they were given great freedom to plot their way around the titular event. Also taking great inspiration from Jane Eyre, the storyline allows everything to build to a crescendo without feeling rush (which is a pleasant surprise, considering that the runtime comes in at just under 70 minutes).

Dee is very good in her role, acting as a wonderfully calm mediator between many of the other characters. Conway and Ellison are both suitably perturbed in various ways, both pained by the central situation in different ways. Then you have Gordon, who makes one hell of an impact in the second half of the film, despite the fact that her character has no will of her own. Barrett is perfectly fine, Theresa Harris is a likable presence as the housemaid, Alma, and Sir Lancelot steals a scene or two with his singing of a song that seems to hint at the backstory of the Rand family.

It is always nice to finally get to a classic movie and find how well-deserved that reputation is. Thankfully, it happens quite often while working back through the rich history of cinema that is available to us. I Walked With A Zombie has everything you would hope. There’s great use of resources to make it look as good as can be, some wonderful music by Roy Webb, memorable characters being placed in jeopardy, and a finale as moving as it is tense.

8/10

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The Leopard Man (1943)

Another excellent film from Jacque Tourneur, once again teamed up with producer Val Lewton (this would be their third success in the span of just two years), The Leopard Man is a whole mess of different movie genres jumbled into one, and it's a fascinating subversion of everything you might expect from the title.

Let's start with that title anyway. There IS a leopard. It's used by a man who wants to create some publicity. Unfortunately, the leopard is frightened and runs away, which leads to people searching for the creature. The more time goes by without the leopard being found, the more deaths occur. Most people assume that the deaths are caused by the wild animal, but some start to think about other possibilities.

Dennis O'Keefe plays Jerry Manning, the promoter who could arguably be referred to as the titular character, but there's also the owner of the leopard (Charlie, played by Abner Biberman), as well as anyone who may be opportunistically using the situation to act on some murderous impulses. Kiki (Jean Brooks) is a nightclub performer, but she may also become a victim of the "leopard", as could Teresa (Margaret Landry), Consuela (Tuulikki Paananen), Clo-Clo (Margo), and a fortune teller named Maria (Isabel Jewell). There are also some other male characters, but they all feel much more like suspects than potential mauled bodies.

Tourneur shows his usual talent for beautifully framing most of the main scenes, and once again shows how much more effective it can be to not show the audience what might be lurking in shadows, or even just outwith the edges of the screen. The script by Ardel Wray (adapting the material from “Black Alibi”, by Cornell Woolrich, from page to screen) is very good, although slightly disparate and episodic in nature throughout the first half. The main ideas are developed nicely though, and there are some great dialogue exchanges between characters. Nothing here ranks alongside the best work from the film-makers involved, but it has a consistent level of quality throughout.

O’Keefe and Brooks are decent nominal leads, easy enough to tag along with and root for, but the fun here comes from the wonderful variety of supporting players, whether they are in one scene or most of the movie. Biberman and Jewell were my personal favourites, but everyone manages to make a surprisingly strong impression, no matter how much screentime they have.

Although seemingly very easy to dismiss, especially while the plot seems very straightforward in the opening scenes, this turns into a real little gem of a film. I wouldn’t hold it up as a classic, not even a minor one, but it’s easy to enjoy, easy to appreciate, and easy to squeeze into your viewing schedule (with a runtime of approximately 66 minutes).

7/10

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