No Escape

John Tracy, former hit maker and now a looser, is accused having murdered a man who escorted a lady at home. Of course we know he's innocent but the thrill of this movie is to see how he looks for a way to escape from the trap. The city is closed up by the police. To that point, note the remarkable directing by Charles Bennett showing us all the ways out of this place. Moreover the sightseeing of the town is oppressive : the illuminated streets are surrounded by the cops' sirens, which make the spectator thrill as if he were at John Tracy's place. Watch this great one to discover it. I've seen this film on german TV and I was surprised to discover that it was forbidden to minor under 16. I still wonder why.

This very Low-Budget Movie seems to have been Produced by the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and the San Francisco Police Department.

By 1953 just about every Crime Film had these kinds of sappy, self-important, openings about how the United States, the post WWII Land of Milk and Honey, was "Protected" by the World's best Military and Police Force. The Conservative 1950's, if these "Propagandized" Pictures were to be believed, was Paradise Personified and the "Big Brother" Overseers were dedicated to keep it that way.

Pure Film-Noir suffered during this period and started to morph into Police Procedurals and Governmental Agency Puff Pieces. This is an example of one of those with an Opening and "Authoritarian" Voice Over comforting Audiences that everything was under control and there was "No Escape" for Criminals and Illegal Activity was futile.

This Film is almost inept and amateurish at times with its bad Acting, weak scripting, and horrendous editing. Add to that the bland and brightly lit interiors and flat and uninspired travelogue shots of the City, it ultimately is a failure on most levels.

Lew Ayres is miscast as a down on His luck Singer-Songwriter, Sonny Tufts is a cartoonish, buffoonish, brutish, behemoth of an Actor who might have had a more successful career as a Pro Wrestler where His Acting Chops and huge physical presence could be put to better use.

Marjorie Steele is a pretty, full-lipped natural blonde that is easy on the eyes and does nothing to embarrass Herself in one of the only four Films She appeared. Marrying a Multi-Millionaire at Age 19, set Her on a course to abandon Stage and Screen.

Overall, the Movie is a huge disappointment, especially for Film-Noir Fans and Crime and Mystery Film Buffs. The on location San Fran Street Photography can't save the thing and it remains for B-Movie and Bad Movie Completists only.

Formerly successful songwriter John Tracey (Lew Ayres), now a down and out entertainer in a San Francisco dive bar, finds himself on the lam when he becomes the chief suspect in a murder investigation after one of the bar patrons, who had earlier humiliated Tracey in front of the girl he was trying to impress, is found dead in his apartment. As misfortune would have it, Tracey becomes enmeshed in a triangle of treachery and deceit with a police detective and his girlfriend (Sonny Tufts, Marjorie Steele). Deciding that proving his innocence is futile, Tracey attempts an 'escape' to Mexico.

The movie by-in-large is a lackadaisical effort. There isn't any component that elevates the film, beginning with the dubitable casting of Sonny Tufts as Marjorie Steele's love interest. Not sure who thought that to be a good idea.Ayres, a solid actor who wasn't necessarily a poor choice, comes off with a misplaced light comedy style in this otherwise dour crime drama. Even with the police on his tail, Ayres inexplicably sits down at the piano and cranks out a tune for a group of party goers. It continues on in an incongruent style with the direction, script, and cinematography, none of which create much in the way of tension, drama or atmosphere. Even what would normally be welcome San Francisco exterior shots are primarily stock footage. Then there is the voice-over narration. Whenever a film starts off like this viewers should be on high alert. As often as not, it's used not as a plot enhancement but as a device to cover up a multitude of film making sins and a way to cover large chunks of story line on the cheap.

'No Escape' isn't downright awful but the disinterested feel and the mishmash of wandering styles ultimately caters to nobody. The movie is just a series of blandly filmed scenes pieced together that will leave fans of the old crime programmers disappointed. So if it comes down to watching this or another movie, most people would do well choosing the other movie.

Lew Ayres, drinking? An out-of-work drunk? Well, here he is. And he's good. The whole cast is excellent. I have heard of Sonny Tufts but this is the first time I can think of that I've ever seen him. I think this is not his native terrain. But he's just right as a tanned, slightly disreputable police officer.

Gertrude Michael plays the girl Ayres has been seeing, though she is not the female lead. I don't recognize that woman at all, though she looks like Lizbeth Scott. Michael was a bit of a scandal in "Murder at the Vanities." That movie was released almost 20 years before this one but she looks great here. She has the right feel for a noir actress, too. She's a bit under-the-weather, pretty but a little tarnished, and goodhearted.

The San Francisco locations are good. The music isn't my cup of tea. But it in no way sinks the movie. It's a real find. Watch for it.

Lew Ayres, a decent actor, tries to save this turkey from execution, but not even a decent looking and acting Marjorie Steele can help him do that. That is because the story, dialogue and editing are so bad, that no one could have saved this film. Sonny Tufts was as wooden as Pinnochio in this film. There was absolutely no chemistry or believability about his supposed relationship with Steele. I kept thinking this role would have been perfect for Jack Lemmon (whom with little imagination, you can imagine that Ayres is acting just like). But the character is so corny (as is the leaden dialogue), that not even Jack Lemmon could have saved the film.