1h 52min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir | 1 June 1950
Director: John Huston
Stars: Sterling Hayden, Louis Calhern, Jean Hagen, James Whitmore, Sam Jaffe, John McIntire, Marilyn Monroe, Brad Dexter.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042208/
This is good at:
- character revelation: we learn what makes most of the principals tick.
- crime procedural: we see the planning, set-up and execution of the heist.
- visual moods and mindsets: these people live by night, so everything is dark. And we get interesting groupings/angles within the frame.
- mystery: will anyone benefit from this crime?
- cynicism and proceeding through it: both the criminals and the cops are jaded (of course), but they do their "jobs" hoping for planned outcomes. John McIntire, the ranking cop, gives a speech about how 1 in 100 cops are corrupt, which means the system can still work. On the other hand, he describes the last criminal (SH) on the loose in 2-dimensional ways that we've transcended by then.
MM is not her full persona here. She's just a pretty girl who's letting married LC "keep" her in a dwelling; she's not one of the principals we learn about. But she's riveting.
I like the twists of fate that lead to the downfall of some the characters. In the end, justice prevailed for all, in other words, this is noir at MGM.
MGM, dir. Houston; 7+
