Caminhos Tortuosos

A gang steals $300,000 from a bank, but all die in the robbery and pursuit. The money has disappeared. The insurance company offers a 10% reward for the total, and in waltzes cocky PI Don Barry in a grey outfit and hand-painted tie, leaving girl friend Adele Mara dancing by herself while he pursues night club singer Ann Savage and the money.

Republic was interested in expanding Barry beyond his fans from the Red Ryder movies, and he slips easily into this movie, which has some nice film noir touches -- notice the shadows thrown off by a set of Venetian blinds early on. Despite these visuals, and a sequence set in a fun fair at night, it's not in the least noirish. Barry is too cavalier, and there's a hint of 1930s screwball in Miss Mara's role. All in all, an entertaining little film, with a couple of nice twists, and Sheldon Leonard as a hood called 'Wires' McGuire.

During a police chase, three bank robbers perish when their getaway car plunges over a cliff. The 300-large they grabbed, however, can't be found. The bank's underwriters hire cocky private eye Donald Barry to find it, promising a 10-percent reward if he's successful. The trail leads him to an oceanside amusement park, where the `death car' has been purchased as an exhibit in the side show; a couple of thugs show interest in it, too, as well they might, since the missing cash has been soldered into the running board.

His quest also leads Barry to a nearby nightclub where shantoozie Ann Savage warbles in sequins. (It's a good career choice for Savage, whose bold features suggest two other famed singers of the time: LaVerne Andrews, of the sister act, and Astrid Varnay, the Wagnerian soprano). He enlists her help, despite the fact that corpses drop into seats on the roller-coaster (which, oddly, turns into a tunnel of love) and big black sedans keep trying to run them down. The body count continues to rise....

The movie comes from the El Cheapo unit at Republic Pictures, and was directed by Philip Ford. Like Ford's The Mysterious Mr. Valentine (and most other crime programmers of the 1940s), it tries to cram an overcomplicated plot into not much more than an hour, patching up the holes with explanatory dialogue whizzing by. But, also like Mr. Valentine, it has an evocative look – especially of the amusement park at night – and it has Ann Savage. All in all, that's not a bad deal.

...It has more plot holes than a piece of Swiss cheese.

The film opens on a bank robbery and a shoot out between the robbers and bank guards. The gang took three hundred thousand dollars whose serial numbers were not listed, so there is no way to trace the stolen money.

The gang has thought of everything - they switch cars, hide the loot in an unusual place on the new car, and take off. But the bank president mentions something unusual about one of the robbers - he has polished well manicured nails - and this gets them caught in the road block, causes them to shoot it out with the police, and the car crashes down a ravine killing all inside. So the entire Jarvis gang is dead, and where the money is dies with them. Enter detective Tom Dwyer (Don Red Barry) who offers to find the loot for the 10% reward.

Now Barry makes an interesting crime picture protagonist. He looks somewhat like a cross between Chester Morris and Don Rickles, if you can conceive of such a thing, doing his best James Cagney while smiling like the Joker. He comes across a carnival museum making a show out of the Jarvis getaway car, there are always two hoods hanging around, a dead man shows up in a rollercoaster who wasn't there when the ride started, and then there is Detour's Ann Savage who belts a few tunes at the local club.

There are people being shadowed, an attempt to gun down Barry on the streets, and two attempts to run over Ann Savage with a car, and this is the first time I've ever seen a private investigator with a welding certificate before. Maybe he learned it during the war?

Not to spoil anything for you, but the entire heist and who winds up being responsible for various crimes and the twists and turns in the plot that are revealed are convoluted and at worst just incoherent. But it keeps moving, has great dialogue and atmosphere, and it keeps you guessing because who would ever determine the crazy actual denouement?

This rare crime film from 1940s Republic Pictures is worth your time. Just don't think too hard.

Donaid Barry (Tom) plays a private detective who sets out to discover where the hidden loot from the recent Jarvis gang robbery is hidden. He's after a percentage of the reward for finding it and gets the OK from police to help in the search. This takes him to a fairground where the original car that was used in the Jarvis robbery is being used as a showpiece. However, it is also attracting interest from other parties.

This film has a good cast and starts well. It hooks you in with the Jarvis gang robbery and we follow the getaway car as it is chased through the country until disaster strikes. The criminal gang are all very convincing. But they don't last long! The rest of the cast are all good - I personally like gangster Sheldon Leonard ('Wires' MacGuire) and I felt sorry for bimbo-babe Adele Mara (Bonnie) who is always left standing alone somewhere while Barry shoots off on another task. She provides the comedy factor along with some of the dialogue. It's snappy and funny throughout. Donald Barry comes across as a James Cagney type character and he is just on the right side of annoying - he's likable and carries the film but its a fine line that he is treading.

There is a lot of action in this short film and the pace and the dialogue make it an entertaining experience. You may guess where the money is hidden but there is a twist in the story that you may not expect.

This Bit of Fluff from "Republic Studios" has a Sharp Noirish Appeal at Times but the Darkness is Overshadowed by a Lighter-Than-Air Tone.

Peppered with Comedy-Relief in the Form of a Running-Joke the Annoying Don Barry "Standing-Up: the Pretty Adele Mara.

The Grim and Scary Ann Savage who Left an Indelible Mark on Film-Noir in "Detour" (1945), Plays a "Songbird" and Another Love Interest for the Cocky, Belligerent Barry.

Although She Doesn't Quite Pull it Off as a Nightclub Singer because of Her Hard Look and Demeanor, Savage Does Make an Impression.

The Overall Tone is too Wishy-Washy for a True Noir.

But its a Good Time-Passer and Republic Studios was Humming Along as One of the Best "B-Studios" in Hollywood.

Those Looking for Film-Noir Need Go Elsewhere, but Still it's...

Worth a Watch.