Incatenata

A troubled ex-serviceman gets a job with a crime boss and his disturbed wife.

A 'find' for me and perhaps for other fans of noir. The 80-minutes are a perfect blend of dark visuals and surreal story. Frankly, when I think noir, I don't think Bob Cummings, an excellent light comedy actor, but hardly a figure of depth. But here, he essays the role of the troubled vet in subtle and persuasive ways. The nightclub scenes in Havana are particularly revealing, as the chaotic gaiety swirls around Scott (Cummings) and his spacey lover Lorna (Morgan)—a perfect metaphor for their circumstance.

A number of touches make this a memorable film. Casting Lorre as Gino was a coup, since his quietly devilish imp casts a background shadow over the proceedings. That's significant because Cochran, the alleged crime boss, comes across as a rather charming fellow even if he's behind dark deeds. Then there's that scene in the wine cellar, unlike any I've seen, and shrewdly abbreviated to catch the imagination. Also, catch Lorna's cameo framing through the porthole with shadows rising and falling over her face, as her nature itself migrates between light and dark. Add to the mix a speeding locomotive as the hand of fate, and a weirdly backseat driver that really is a backseat driver, and you've got an appropriately noirish race against time. And, of course, mustn't leave out the final scene so perfectly calibrated to end the film on a provocatively surreal note.

The movie's full of such imaginative twists and turns as penned by two of the best in the business, Woolrich and Yordan. I'm not sure why the movie's generally overlooked in the noir canon, perhaps because of Bob Cummings and his lightweight reputation, plus the lack of a true spider woman. Nonetheless, it's a provocative little gem, and one that prompts rare second thoughts long after the screen has gone dark.

In just the first scene the noir schmuck, an ex-GI back from the war, is wistfully looking at a man frying bacon behind a shopwindow, looks down, where —lo— in a sardonic twist of noir fate, he discovers a wallet full of money. Being a straight-up guy, he shows up at the mobster's place in Miami to return it, where he's promptly hired as a driver, falls for the unhappy wife, and elopes with her to Havana, the place of desire.

It's a dreamy setup worthy of the most profound noir, but the movie outright fails — the acting is stiff, the romance is forced, the pace is lethargic, the camera is uninteresting. We simply have second- grade talent doing poverty row work for a quick pay.

But even botched Woolrich is something, and this one's just so bizarre.

The narrator, our GI schmuck, suffers such intense anxiety (possibly related to the war, as often in noir). Midway through the narration breaks down and re-arranges the world. This is preceded by his very own death following a very murky chase through Havana, another deeply noirish twist. Anyway, it turns out that he was never in Havana, though he has the two tickets in his pocket.

We have obvious hallucination but the weirdest thing is as follows: 'when' the hallucination starts is undefinable and the ensuing 'real' story picks up from some point in it and culminates in another previously hallucinated moment in Havana. It's strange, because nothing is really done with it. But as clear explication of noir—as with Woolrich's Fear in the Night, almost too clear for my taste—this is straight to the point.

Noir Meter: 3/4

This is an exciting film noir with good performances & a tough script by Woolrich (anytime you see his name associated with a movie, it's a sign of quality, even for low budget series like Robert Dix's "The Whistler"). Robert Cummings gives one of the best performances of his life, because he avoids all those "Love That Bob" clichés he used to do so well (but sometimes, so inappropriately). Steve Cochran is very menacing & very sick as a sadistic mobster who wants to control everyone & everything around him (wait til you see his car, it's really neat!). Peter Lorre is prime Lorre, in a menacing role as Cochran's henchman. Michele Morgan is suitable as Cochran's sultry wife. The plot is not new, we've seen it before (& after), about an unhappily married wife who uses a friend to escape her husband. But the story's done in an interesting way, with some unusual aspects to it. There's plenty of shadows & lots of the movie takes place at night. The Chase moves at fast pace for the first 50 minutes or so, then slows down to catch it's breath, & then speeds up again near the end. I rate it 8/10.

I like the film - it builds suspense. It might not be the best dramatic film noir on the market, but it's not a bad one. I've seen far worse films that are put in the film noir category. The Chase is standard crime stuff but has a charm and story of it's own.

Chuck Scott is an a war vet and an honest man. He returned a wallet to a man that lost it - impressed, the man hires Chuck as his chauffeur. Over a little bit of time, the man's wife talks Chuck into taking her away from her abusive husband and when the husband finds out he goes after them. It is dreamy as Chuck Scott is on the run and really unsure if his mind has become "unhinged" as his doctor put it. Chuck Scott was a war vet and his doctor seems to feel he is a clear case of PTSD. How much of this is a dream, how much is real, is it all a dream or did it really happen?

I didn't have a problem with the pacing of this film - seemed fine to me.

7/10

Great cinematography. Excellent acting. Taut direction. But the plot is bizarre. Everything rolls along nicely until suddenly -- without any warning -- the plot morphs into something else. Same characters and location but completely different storyline. Weird and confusing as people who were killed in the previous section show up alive again...

Nevertheless, the movie contains some terrific villains. Steve Cochran delivers a mesmerizing performance as a sadistic mobster and Peter Lorre is in top form as his cold-blooded, sinister sidekick. Michele Morgan is an edgy femme fatale and Bob Cummings delivers a convincing performance as the troubled hero.

The cinematography is classic noir with beautifully composed shots in dark settings full of intrigue and menace. A particularly memorable scene is where the cops burst into a room in search of Cummings only to find a woman sobbing uncontrollably at a table. There is some sharp dialog and lush romantic music although the sound track is scratchy. The movie is flawed by the fractured plot but worth adding to your collection.