La città spenta

An American Cinematheque presentation at The Egyptian.

A great little 'second feature' noir. Hayden is brilliant as the tough and cynical cop willing to break any rule to catch a couple of cop killers, and Phyllis Kirk oozes B-movie sex-appeal as the good-girl caught in the middle. With some genuinely funny dialogue, solid performances all round, and wonderful location filming around downtown Los Angeles, Chinatown and Glendale, the movie is a brilliant testament to the quality of so many cheap post-war crime thrillers. Of particular interest is the location filming inside the LAPD offices and dispatch room in City Hall.

Charles Bronson plays a tough-guy killer in an early supporting role. Timothy Carey shows up to chew the scenery as a bizarre, bog-eyed, dope-fiend, rape-o. And there's a great car chase through the Downtown city streets at night.

A minor classic. Entertaining throughout.

I just love these type films and I had never heard of this one--thank you to the Mystery Channel. Great performances all around, and for once I liked this performance of Sterling Hayden!! Normally, I can't stand him, as he seemed to play the same character in every film I have seen him in. Gene Nelson and Phyllis Kirk were also excellent,who would have thought they could do such acting and the cinematography is really something to see--I always wonder when seeing these films, just how many of the buildings are still around. This is a great little film--be sure and catch it if you ever see it on the schedule!!!

I was lucky enough to see this little slice of film crime noir at the LACMA during the weekly Tuesday Matinée, and let me tell you, but for all the old ladies and grandpas in the theater I felt I had been transported back to the golden age of Los Angeles Film Noir. This title ranks up there with White Heat as one of the best crime thrillers using the City of Angels as its locale. After renting Kubrick's The Killing on DVD I jumped at the chance to see another heist film with Sterling Hayden, in my opinion the meanest S.O.B. Noir actor. He is awesome as usual in this movie with his characteristic scowl frozen on his face. Also for a film made half a century ago it has remarkably stood up to the test of time quite well. It's really a lean, mean little crime thriller. Please whoever owns the rights to this gem, release this forgotten classic on DVD!! You still have the chance to release a 50th anniversary edition this year!!

Short film that doesn't waste a moment. Life is short and hard in this film. Make one mistake and you're marked for life, at least that seems to be Sterling Hayden's motto. Gene Nelson gives a good performance as a man haunted by his past. Steve Lacey is so scarred by his past that it runs his current life, this eventually leads him into trouble. Andre De Toth keeps most of the film in the shadows and only a few scenes take place during the day. Even the climatic robbery is shot in the dark. The only false note is that Hayden's character doesn't act the same throughout the movie. I found the movie to be pretty brutal for the time and Charles Bronson did a good job portraying most of the brutality. All in all, a worthy entry in the film noir genre.

And we fans of film noir prize nastiness and cold-heartedness. We also like small movies.

Gene Nelson is very affecting as a parolee who is dragged into a crime against his will. Phyllis Kirk is fine as his wife. She doesn't add much flavor but she's believably loyal.

For flavor, we have none other than Timothy Carey! He is one of the bad guys. Charles Bronson, early in his career, is another. Carey adds a great deal of creepiness to the goings-on.

Sterling Hayden is excellent as the cynical cop who's called in. Though the plot tells us nothing about him other than that he's given up smoking and misses it, he is clearly not a warm human being. His eyes squint and shift. He doesn't trust anyone and it's very possible he doesn't like much of anyone, either.

The movie begins with Dub Taylor as an exceptionally goofy gas station attendant. He's like a character from the "Ma and Pa Kettle" series. But our villains knock him out and rob him, which is a jarring contrast.

The characters are very well drawn in "Crime Wave." It has a tough plot but the people are what elevates it to a high status.