Blutige Hände

The Killer is Loose (1956)

The first hour of this movie is really tight, very believable, nicely low key but still with some narrative excitement. Joseph Cotten is very good, and if the filming is straight forward, it's effective all the same. Then the last twenty minutes come along and what is supposed to be high drama (very intense stuff) is just so clumsy and fake you can't believe it's the same movie.

That, in a nutshell, is what will strike you. There are some elements of a cop being loyal to his job and the cop's wife not liking being a cop's wife. And the bad buy, a weirdly detached and offbeat killer, is played to perfection by Wendell Corey. There's even a cross dressing moment at the end which is fun and almost high camp.

But now I'm dredging for dollars. Enjoy the ride, but don't expect too too much.

"The Killer is Loose" is a 1956 B film directed by Budd Boetticher, and it's pretty good. It stars Wendell Corey as Leon Poole, a man who is working in a bank when a robbery occurs. It doesn't take long for the police to determine that he's the inside man. They go to his house to arrest him, and he refuses to answer the door, shooting through it. The police break in, the lights are off, and Detective Wagner (Joseph Cotten) sees a form emerging from the bedroom and shoots, killing Poole's wife. When Poole is sentenced, he promises to pay Wagner back for killing her.

I've never understood what happened to Joseph Cotten's career, but by the '50s, he was appearing in B movies after being part of so many important films in the '40s. He's good in this, as is the beautiful Rhonda Fleming, who plays his wife. Corey is excellent as Poole, a disturbed man with a flat affect; he never knew any happiness until he got married and goes crazy when his wife is taken from him.

Good noir.

Killer is Loose, The (1956)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Budd Boetticher directed this highly intense police drama, which certainly deserves to be better known than it is. In the film, a bank robber (Wendell Corey) gets away from the scene of the crime but a detective (Joseph Cotten) tracks him down to his apartment. When the detective breaks the door in he accidentally kills the man's wife (Rhonda Fleming). The robber is eventually sent to prison but he escapes and plans his revenge by killing the detective's wife. There are plenty of twists and turns in this little gem that contains a huge amount of suspense and some terrific direction by Boetticher. This was the first film I've seen from the director but I'll certainly be seeking more out. Cotton is very good in his role as is Fleming but the film belongs to Corey as the deranged psychopath. He gives a wonderfully creepy performance and really adds a lot to the film. The start of the film in the apartment is wonderfully done but it's the ending that really packs a terrific punch. Hopefully this thing will hit DVD at some point.

During a shootout with the police, Leon "Foggy" Poole (Wendell Corey) loses his wife in the hail of bullets. Captured and imprisoned, Poole bides his time until making good his escape. He then sets out to find the man he holds responsible for his wife's death.

Now, Detective Sam Wagner (Joseph Cotten) must protect himself and his pregnant wife Lila (Rhonda Fleming) from the vengeful Corey.

THE KILLER IS LOOSE is a wonderful crime thriller with lots of tension and a memorable finale. Cotten is his usual, dependable self. His Det. Wagner -somewhat- foreshadows Gregory Peck's Sam Bowden character in CAPE FEAR.

One thing that sets this movie apart from other, similar films is the quiet, low-key demeanor of the bespectacled antagonist. Corey underplays the role, making Poole far more frightening than he would have been as some raving maniac!

Highly recommended...

Two twists change this movie from what you expect to something else completely. In fact, the title doesn't even seem to match the plot, until those twists transpire. Then it hits its stride with a sense of lingering dread hanging over the proceedings, even when the antagonist is not on screen; actually it seems their absence simply serves to ramp up the tension - such is the skill with which this is directed and shot. Rhonda Fleming gives her usual slightly overwrought performance but it works for this movie as she senses the dangers others around her don't . Surprisingly, many scenes are written in far more depth and are acted with way more seriousness and earnestness (by Joseph Cotten and Wendell Corey) than they have any right to be in just a B-movie - but it works to add depth and empathy. Even the "killer" is not two-dimensional but seems plagued by doubts and confusion - all the while being quietly menacing, disturbing, and on the edge of an outburst of violence at any moment. There are touches of pathos, taut high-wire tension, intrigue and action - with at least one very memorable scene that still flashes in my mind - that make this a very worthy watch. Fans of Hitchcock will also enjoy the hints of perversion and cynicism - and some other key elements which that particular auteur would find appealing. A minor gem.