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Better than most of the low budget thrillers, this is fun because it involves a series of flashbacks which explain why a woman has been badly injured due to her connection with a corrupt district attorney. The story is pretty well put forward with a minimum of stereotyping. The woman is really a fireball, putting herself in harm's way over and over. It's odd she survived as long as she did. Most of the characters are bad guys with their own agendas. There is some double crossing and an effort to expose a frame-up. I felt the ending was pretty well done, which isn't always the case in this genre. The acting is quite good because the bad guys are presented as human beings, with human failings and emotions. Not that they aren't pretty evil and pretty cold. It's worth a look.

"Shoot to Kill" is a somewhat routine but fast-paced crime story. It begins with a car chase, and then flashes back to explain who is involved and what led up to the chase.

The plot is relatively complicated and involves a crooked politician, a gangster looking for revenge, a loyal wife trying to clear her husband in any way possible, and a crusading reporter who is trying to figure out what everyone else is up to. The characters are mostly stereotypes, and most are also unsympathetic, but the emphasis is on the action. A great deal happens in just over an hour's worth of running time, and there are a couple of surprises along the way.

Though mostly a routine crime drama, "Shoot to Kill" is fast-paced enough to keep your attention, and most film-noir or crime film fans should find it a decent way to pass the time.

This cheapie noir thriller about crooked district attorneys and gangster chiefs is surprisingly good, considered it was made on a zero budget with no reason to aim high. Of course, it is completely corny, but there are a lot of expressionistic camera angles, and the many dollying shots of men walking at night are surprisingly effective with a single bright spotlight on the face and everything else pitch black. As is usual with these over the top late forties cheapies, the impact depends largely upon an excessive, almost parodic, use of 'mood music'. When things begin to get dangerous, don't worry about looking for clues on the screen, as the orchestra will tell us instead. One wonders if the script actually said: 'At this point, the musical score will become hysterical, so that the audience knows someone is about to get killed.' The chief reason for watching this film is to see and hear the spectacular performance on the piano of Gene Rodgers, a black boogie player who was one of the best. It is jaw-dropping stuff. Fats Waller, eat your heart out! Rodgers plays two of his own compositions, 'Ballad of the Bayou' and 'Rajah's Blues'. His fingers move faster than the speed of light, and he isn't even looking. If only the whole thing had been Rodgers, we could have done without the film. The film's script is surprising in its ingenuity in places, and has some snappy dialogue, showing that somebody tried. The most innovative scene is where an assistant district attorney dictates a letter to his secretary. It is a passionate love letter proposing marriage, and she wonders to whom he intends to send it. He asks her if she thinks it is OK, and she says she thinks it is beautiful. Then he tells her it is for her! Great scene! If only the romance had been genuine, however, as both turn out to be crooks in their own way. This film contains serious contradictions, as it oscillates between making some characters appear sympathetic and then suddenly exposing them as baddies. The story must have started out as a tough crime thriller and then some frustrated sentimentalist wrote the script and could not help himself, he just had to have some love scenes, and the fact that the characters were all wrong for this could not and would not deter him. The producer clearly didn't notice. Well, if you like brilliant boogie, you really can't afford to miss this. And there will be people who will also enjoy the film. It is all a matter of what you expect, and if you start out expecting a corny mini-budgeted noir thriller with some unexpected good points, you will be happy.

This has to be one of the corniest noirs to hit the screen. For the most part it was incomprehensible with the plot careening one way and then the other. The characters all spoke in a monotone advancing whatever was discernible about the plot by announcing their motives and plans. The dialog was made of one cliché after another suitably punctuated for effect such as when Walters (Luana Walters that is, here credited as Susan) announces to her husband Dixie Logan "Even if you were framed I know now that you're ROTten" (emphasis on ROT). Every character has his/her own agenda and proceeds to implement it with gusto without a care for their safety. Allegiances are formed and dissolved at lightening speed - nobody seems to be aware of the concept of loyalty. Without the score the viewer would be even more confused. At least it announced when something of interest was about to happen.

If all this makes "Shoot to Kill" seem like a turkey you wouldn't be far off the mark. It's so corny it's actually kind of funny, in a desperate sort of way. After a while you begin to wander what else they're going to throw in the mix. But it has its good points. There's a neat fistfight on a staircase, supposedly down two flights of stairs although I suspect it was filmed on the same one flight with the protagonists starting over at the top. Along with the fists so did the railings and I began to wonder whether it wouldn't collapse. On their budget they'd have to keep the footage. Punches and slaps were thrown that seemed to connect, especially the one on Walters toward the end. She disappears off camera falling down only to bounce back up unperturbed to deliver her memorable line quoted in the previous paragraph.

The real revelation is pianist Gene Rodgers who appears 9:30 into the movie. Previously unknown to me, he was magic, a god of boogie jazz. He plays two of his own compositions, "Ballad of the Bayou" and "Rajah's Blues", both unaccompanied pieces. A little research revealed that he was based in LA at the time the movie was shot and returned to NY where he lived and worked the rest of his life. He died in '87. If for no other reason see this film for Rodgers.

I expected little from William Berke's 1947 Shoot To Kill. In fact, my expectations were so low, I left the DVD until late at night. I was just about to retire, but thought I'd take a quick look at the opening sequence. The movie hooked me straight away. Not only was Berke's direction way more polished than his norm, the movie was most atmospherically photographed by Benjamin Kline. Deft writing by Edwin V. Westrate also helped, and the actors were great too, especially Edmund MacDonald (who reminded me of a young Citizen Kane), heroine Luana Walters, reporter Russell Wade, gangster Robert Kent, the boogie-woogie piano player Gene Rodgers, and is-he-honest-or-is-he district attorney Charles Trowbridge (in noirish close-ups, giving the best performance of his lengthy career).

Edmund MacDonald wants to be the district attorney. It's not for love of the city or the law, but an opportunity to squeeze people for money. He sends mobster Robert Kent to prison, but Kent escapes and vanishes, and a crime wave begins. MacDonald's wife and secretary, Luana Walters gains information on what is going on. She cannot act overtly, because a wife cannot testify against her husband, but she can pass the word onto Robert Wade and let him investigate.

It's an intriguing idea for a film noir, but the script isn't up to it: it's confusingly written, with twists pulled seemingly out of nowhere to explain why someone is suddenly acting differently.

What director William Berke can do about it is to give cinematographer Benjamin Kline his head, and Kline produces a heck of a visual feast, lots of dark streets and low-lit actors that lend a beautiful gloss to the movie. It's not enough to save it. However, it makes it worth watching.

There's actually quite a lot of meat on the bones of this thriller. When "Dixie Logan" (Robert Kent) is framed for murder by the crooked District Attorney "Dale" (Edmund MacDonald) it falls to Luana Walters ("Marian") to take a job as his secretary and ingratiate herself into his organisation where, with the assistance of the newly befriended investigative reporter "Mitchell" (Russell Wade), she hopes to be able to prove the corruption. Needless to say, there is little jeopardy here - we know from the start who did what, and we can also easily anticipate the denouement and the burgeoning romance that gives "quickie quota" an whole new meaning. The acting is adequate, nothing more, as is the writing, but William Berke does manage to keep this moving along without a surfeit of wasteful dialogue for just over an hour - we even get some expertly choreographed fisticuffs! It's standard afternoon fayre - or maybe just a little better than that.

Sure, its a bit confusing with a lot of shady characters but not much different than today's twist ending(s). The only problem I had understanding was their tearing up evidence at the end. Couldn't tell if it was for a good or bad reason. So many switching sides, it was difficult to tell and the movie ended.

This is a typical crime film noir of the 1940s time era - really run of the mill. Brings nothing new to the genre. Almost everyone is a crook in this one - except the news reporter (who knows he might be a crook too). Even the wife of the gangster/crook is a crook and her crooked husband was being frame for something he didn't do, but with all the lying and backstabbing in this film maybe he really did do it? You do have to pay attention to this film because there is a lot to it, a lot going on in just over an hour. It's very fast paced with lots of two faced double-talk, backstabbing, lying and murders.

I found it funny that the wife was happy being a crook's wife and her husband slapped her - that's when she suddenly woke up and decided to live a straight life (at least that is what we are lead to believe in the end).

I didn't like anyone in this film really - I couldn't feel sympathy with anyone. What I really wanted to do was to hand them all machine guns through the screen and let them have at it. The actors who played the characters are really flat. The story was a little bit interesting at times. At times, really good cinematography... mysterious looking.

3/10

Stars Russell Wade, who was apparently a real big shot when he retired to Palm Springs. here, he's George Mitchell, star reporter for the tribune. Luana Walters is Marian, who quits her job on a whim, to work for a friend of a friend.. and the gangsters think she knows too much... I guess. they insist that she be fired immediately... because...?? not sure why. it's not like she will forget what she knows... if she knows anything. it's all confusing. The story is shaky, the acting is shaky. the sound is pretty awful, which is why it's on the free movie channel. The best part of this film is the INCREDIBLE piano playing by Gene Rodgers, about half way through. amazing stuff. and then, they find a microphone recording everything being said. Robert Kent is the mafia boss, Logan. Kent died young at 46, apparently problems brought on by alcohol. Directed by William Berke. died quite young at 54, but no web sites seem to know the cause of death. meh.... can skip this one. interesting, if only for Rodgers' music.

This low-budget thriller about the wife of a crooked Assistant District Attorney and a reporter who sets out to expose him has some effective moments and several good performances, notably by veteran character actor Charles Trowbridge as the DA and the usually bland Edmund MacDonald as the ADA. Russell Wade, as the reporter, doesn't comer off too badly--usually he's even blander than MacDonald--and Luana Walters turns in a serviceable job as the DA's wife, but it's really Trowgbridge's and MacDonald's show, and they they do well with it. Prolific "B" director William Berke keeps things moving swiftly, and despite some weak supporting performances and a few large-ish plot holes, overall this is a very entertaining little"B".

On the evidence of the opening car wreck scene, the producers of this low budget, bottom of the barrel quickie ought to have been charged with 'Dinky Toy' abuse. Throw in a blurry print, addled soundtrack and some decidedly wobbly handrails and you have pretty much what you would expect from Poverty Row Lippert Productions, all overseen by director William (12 Day) Berke.

With smooth talking, but steely and determined reporter Russell Wade on the case, it's unsurprising that we are force fed a series of front page headlines: 'Janitor's Crushed Body Found at Bottom of Elevator,' 'Dixie Logan Escapes' and 'Crime Wave Sweeps City'. However, it's not all bad news, there's a tax cut to look forward to and the U. S./U. K. trade pact ought to be beneficial to both nations.

Leaving no stone unturned, Shoot to Kill hurls the kitchen sink of noir devices into the mix: chiaroscuro lighting, 'choker' close-ups, night scenes, shadowy locations and a story related in flashback. As the movie unfolds, the cheap production values and routine performances seem less important than the intricacies of the plot, with corrupt assistant D. A. (Edmund MacDonald), under scrutiny from new wife (Luana Walters), double crossing Miller and Carter, his own trigger men, (consigning them to a life running steak houses), and falling foul of formerly framed felon Dixie Logan (Robert Kent).

Despite having comparatively little going for it, like a 60's garage band, pouring every drop of its limited acne ridden talent into one great single, Shoot to Kill successfully turns what initially appears to be a sow's ear, if not into a silk purse, then at least into a decent T. K. Max handbag.

A slick, cynical crime quickie told mostly in flashback, with the usual newspaperman hero after the big scoop with the help of a tough, ballsy heroine given to observations like "you're as crooked as a mountain road, but you're the best prosecutor around".

It starts with a car crash and packs plenty of violent death, dollies, whip pans and hoods lurking in the shadows into barely a hour; the pace kept hectic with visible undercranking during the fight scenes.

Aficionados of film noir find very few movies in the cycle without some interest -- even the poverty-row programmers that come in just under or over an hour tend to have something to sustain interest. Shoot To Kill, alas, is not among them. Though the script contains some twists, the director handles the narrative structure so clumsily that they come not as surprises but as irritations. And the totally unknown cast (and crew) goes through their paces without a spark of originality or inspiration. It's hard to leave a movie without a positive note to be sounded, but Shoot To Kill serves as a reminder of just how depressing bottom-of-the-barrel filmmaking in the postwar years could be.

Plot-- A woman injured in a car crash that's killed her two companions relates her story in flashback to a reporter. It concerns a corrupt Asst. DA, an escaped convict, plus competing racketeers, all of which leads to murder.

No one expects Oscar bait from the likes of poverty row Lippert. But as 40's thick ear, this is a pretty good one. The characters are more than one dimensional, the photography often imaginative, along with a lightning bit of jazz piano from Bob Rogers whose fingers defy gravity. Russell Wade may get top billing, but it's really Edmond MacDonald's movie. His Assistant DA may be a heckuva schemer, yet he gets pushed around as much as he does the pushing. Seems like no one's in control of much of anything, a nice departure from the usual. In fact, the only uncompromised character, reporter Mitch (Wade), is only incidental to the plot. It's not goodies vs. baddies; it's mainly clashes of self-interest getting thrashed out.

Yes, the twists, turns, and pop-up names are sometimes hard to follow. Then too, I'll be darned if I know why a guy (Mitch) or gal goes walking alone in the woods at night, especially when they hear noises. Still, the effect's a perennial nail-biter. Anyway, pedestrian director Berke distinguishes himself from his usual, while the battery of craftsmen doing the visuals also come through. All in all, the results are better than expected from the likes of Lippert and an obscure cast of principals.