Mardi noir

BLACK TUESDAY is a surprisingly good hostage drama that boasts an excellent performance from Edward G. Robinson as a gangster and prisoner who plans to bust out of jail during his execution. His co-star is a blond and youthful Peter Graves, of MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE fame, as a bank robber who butts heads with the old timer. The film starts out as a vivid prison drama before moving into action thriller territory, and there's plenty of suspense from beginning to end. It also has a surprisingly nihilistic streak going through it, most of it stemming from Robinson's character, who is one of the most ruthless of the decade.

A grim drama consistently going from bad to worse the whole way to the end, but very efficiently told and acted, and Edward G. Robinson makes one of his most interesting characters as the angry gangster who only knows one way of life which is the worst without any room for any human feelings at all. The priest character (Milburn Stone) is very interesting in this context, while Peter Graves as the second worst gangster ultimately takes matters in his own hands and proves himself a hero after all although in a negative way. It's a very efficient getaway and hostage drama which will keep you biting your nails all the way, although you know it can only end in one way, no matter how perfectly they arranged their escape and almost managed it in spite of the inevitable fact in these operations, that something always must go wrong.

By Edward G. Robinson's standards the early-mid 1950's marked a low ebb as his 'greylisting' essentially barred him from the major studios but at least enabled him to make 'B' movies for the smaller ones, affectionately known as Poverty Row. This low budget, high body count crime noir, directed by the more than capable Hugo Fregonese, is arguably the best of the bunch and gives this fine actor the type of role in which he traditionally excelled, that of a psychopathic gangster. As written by Sydney Boehm the character of Vince Canelli is utterly monstrous with no redeeming qualities whatsoever and needless to say Robinson is riveting.

Good support from Jean Parker as a gangster's moll and Peter Graves as an unlikely hood whilst Milburn Stone as a priest represents the customary Hollywood 'God' element.

Veteran Stanley Cortez is behind the camera and the taut editing is by Robert Golden who also edited Fregonese's earlier 'The Raid'. Both these films are regarded as this director's best work but sadly, finding further directorial assignments in Hollywood elusive, he packed his bags and moved to Europe.

Edward G. Robinson shows he still could do the gangster role and keep the performances fresh. Unlike the mob bosses Robinson played in

"Little Ceaser", "The Last Gangster", and "Key Largo", the role of Vincent Canelli is more modern and vicious than the typical cigar chewing prohabtion gangster. Canelli and gunman Manning{Peter Graves} await their death sentence with a bunch of other prisoners on death row. Canelli's mob kidnap the daughter of one of the prison guards and

blackmail the guard in helping the death row inmates bust outta the joint!! Canelli needs Manning's money that he stashed away for his final getaway and Manning is just looking for freedom. The story leads

to a moral climatic stand-off with escaped killers vs. the police. The soul-less Canelli shows how low killers will go to survive. Great performance by Robinson and Graves, especially Robinson who plays a

gangster ahead of those times. It's sad that not enough people know about this movie. If your any type of gangster, suspense, or just a Eddie G. fan, GET YOUR HANDS ON A COPY OF THIS FILM... NYA'SEE!!!!!

Solid film noir by Hugo Fregonese about two inmates running away from the death row the day before their execution. The film's progressively oppresive atmosphere is nicely portrayed by Fregonese in a cinema verité style. Characters are well written and played -supporting cast is excellent as well- with few concessions to sentimentalism -causing censor cuts at some points. Edward G. Robinson brilliantly plays vicious gangster Vincent Canelly while Peter Graves plays nicely his escape partner Peter Manning. Always providing their films with an interesting approach and usually solid scripts, Fregonese directed several prison movies like My six convicts or Apenas un delincuente capturing prisoners' point of view. Unusually dark for its time, the film suffered some censor's cuts in several countries so keep this in mind if you are watching it from a tv pass. Worth watching noir filmed in a realistic and sometimes brutal -for its time -style. It clearly deserves a restoration.