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Title: second-rate film noir
Review: Elsewhere in this space I have noted my love for film noir. The black and white photography, the story lines and the sparse and functional language. However, not all film noir is created equal and that is the case here. Robert Mitchum along with Humphrey Bogart, Kirk Douglas and Orson Welles were the masters of this genre. However this one falls flat as Mitchum plays an old-fashioned steady reliable no-nonsense cop untainted by the corrupt public officials around him. Robert Ryan as an old fashioned small time crime boss who is not hip to the new ways of doing criminal business is a wooden stereotype, as are his henchmen.The plot, such as it is, revolves around the tension between these old foes. If you want to see Mitchum when he reached for the noir stars see Out Of The Past. Then you will know what I mean when I say not all film noir is created equal.
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