L'île au complot

"The Bribe" is one of the forties film noir entries, and I love it! Top stars of the era include Robert Taylor, Ava Gardner, Charles Laughton, and Vincent Price. It is a story of an honest cop, Rigby played with remarkable insight, by Robert Taylor, who falls in love with a suspect (Ava Gardner), and can't make up his mind on if she is guilty or innocent. John Hodiak is the husband, who is a former fly boy turned crook. Charles Laughton is at his sinister best as the "pie shaped man" who is hired by Vincent Price to pay off Rigby. Laughton dogs Rigby, knowing that he is in love with Gardner, till he caves in and decides to take a bribe to save his love. As in many film noir, only Taylor's last name is used, we never know Rigby's first name, interesting. Taylor is very convincing as a man torn between love and honor. He is so conflicted, that you feel sorry for him, wishing that Ava would just run away with him before he turns crook himself. She drugs him and makes sure he can't stop the crooks, but he recovers, and confronts her, not realizing the trouble she is in herself. In the end, love and honor conquer all. There is a spectacular fireworks ending, that is reminiscent of "Ride the Pink Horse." All in all the love scenes are sincere, probably because Taylor and Gardner were having an affair at the time of filming, despite the fact that Taylor was very married to Barbara Stanwyck. Quintessential film noir.

This was quite an enjoyable film experience. Robert Taylor plays a federal agent flying down South to look into a smuggling problem. Whilst in the tropical Carlita, Taylor begins to look into the suspects he has been briefed about: a married couple that work at a night club. Sultry seductress Ava Gardner and husband John Hodiak play the couple. Director Robert Z. Leonard does a fine job with atmosphere in this film noir classic of greed, retribution, and forbidden love. The settings reek with a kind of sleazy realism that you rarely see in films of this type. Leonard also shoots his scenes with an intensity and trust in his performers which is also refreshing. And why wouldn't he trust his performers? He has some of the best. Taylor gives the best performance I ever saw come out of him. He is actually believable in his role as a man torn with a love he should not have and a decision to make regarding his personal integrity. Gardner is also at her best giving a truly interesting portrayal as a woman also torn apart by like things. But the film really belongs to two "character" actors if you will. Screen legends Charles Laughton and Vincent Price, playing men with dubious natures, give great performances and bring this film up notches. Price is the real heavy and oozes suave, despicable charm. His climatic scene is one of the best film finales of all-time for my money. It is Charles Laughton; however, as a round bounder of sorts tressed in a grubby white suit with unkempt hair seeming to be always around when you don't want him that really steals the show. Laughton gives one of those performances that makes you glued to his every word and action. He utters his lines with careful execution and deliberate pauses. He takes the mundane and turns it into something more like every time he sits down to take his shoes off and rub his bad feet. Many highlights come to mind with this film: the aforementioned finale, Laughton rolling languidly through his scenes chewing whatever scenery is available, Laughton and Price sharing some scenes together(great to see these two in the same scene), Ava Gardner dancing, and just above-average camera work and crisp dialog in that great film noir tradition. A classic!

If you like a full cast of great veteran actors, this B&W film is perfect to entertain you from beginning to the very end. Robert Taylor,(Rigby) is a Government Agent assigned to investigate the misuse of Government surplus from World War II and mostly airplane engines that were being smuggled out of Central America and sold to other countries. Rigby is given some information to lead him in the right direction to find out just who is involved in this operation. Ava Gardner, Elizabeth Hintten, is married to John Hodiak,(Tug Hintten) and Rigby gets very involved with this couple and especially Tug's wife. There is a creepy, dirty fat looking guy, played by Charles Laughton,(J.J. Bealer) who follows Rigby like his own shadow. Vincent Price,(Carwood) met Rigby on the airplane going to Central America and met him once again for a fishing trip to catch a swordfish and Carwood gets confused and throws the boat's engine into reverse and causes all kinds of problems. If you like veteran actors giving outstanding performances, this is the film for you.

A federal agent tries to bust a stolen airplane motor ring in Central America, but ends up falling for the wife of one of the prime suspects. I've enjoyed Robert Taylor in other pictures (notably HIGH WALL) but here he's merely satisfactory, likable but too stiff. Ava Gardner fares slightly better, a little dull but with an appealing sultriness. As usual, it's the bad guys with the plum roles: Vincent Price and especially Charles Laughton with yet another memorable turn. Laughton is fast becoming one of my favorite actors, consistently the best thing about whatever he appears in. The main problem here is pacing. The first three-quarters are very slow, giving the appearance of doling out information and building the Taylor/Gardner relationship but not actually do much of either. One brief action scene breaks up the tedium, other than that it's rather uneventful until the final 25-30 minutes. Things do heat up nicely then, however, culminating in an amazing fireworks-illuminated climax. Laughton and the ending elevate this one enough to make it worthwhile.

This is a fasinating example of film noir elements grafted on to an ordenary crime thriller, there is also romance between Robert Taylor and Ava Gardner, but thats a weaker part of the story. Taylor is to wooden in his role as a federal agent, Robert Mitchum would have been more suitable for this kind of film. But there are som nice noir caracters in the supporting roles, and director Robert Z Leonard contrasts effectivly the down at the heel feeling, with the surface glitter of the big town criminals who move trough it, giving the film a glossy look that at the same time is filled with an atmosphere of moral corruption. Ava Gardner is very beatiful in this early role, and she makes the most of it, Charles Laughton is very good as the sly henchman, oily and treacherous, he creats a fasinating character of a small role, a sort of unshaven Quasimodo, who sweats a lot and have trouble with sour feets. He is both human, weak and repulsive at the same time. Vincent Price is the suave villain, his playboy sportsman is both naive and evil but more icy than most of his roles of this kind, and he gives a fine performance. John Hodiak is a broken down ex-pilot, with alcoholic problems, a small role but well played. All these supporting players give the film a definite noir feeling, as well as Joseph Ruttenbergs moody graphics and Miklos Rozas score, also telling the story in flashback with Taylor narrating while recovering from beeing druged, gives the story a feeling of defeat and betrayal. The settings are dirty and seedy and the climate steamy, and the usual glossy high MGM production values, gives the footage a feeling of tropical heat. The story is a little slow moving, but the final shot-out between Taylor and villain Price during a carnival, is stylish and intersting as the element of death and joy are effectivley juxtaposed.