Algemas do Destino

The plot's pretty conventional, but with an unusual wrinkle . An innocent guy is trapped into helping bank robbers execute a robbery, and now the cops are chasing him. As the pursuit goes on, he joins the robbers in their hiding spot. Now the question is which way will he go. Will he join the crooks or work with a girl friend to clear himself.

Hard to believe veteran leading man Lowery could work up such energy for a programmer considering he'd done about a hundred of them. But he does. In fact it's his energy and the glowing freshness of Barbara Britton that carry the film. Then too, Lowery's character, Durling, is none too moral, meaning he's really tempted to join the bad guys once he's on the lam. And that amounts to a good, human touch from outstanding scripter Dan Mainwaring. It also helps that director Thomas keeps things moving, though the corner shoot-out and the hospital escape appear awkwardly done. Add to the mix a fine supporting cast, especially spider woman Lane and housemother Risdon. But please tell me, where did wardrobe get that fur-collared overcoat that's about to swallow Lane's head and then maybe the world!

Looks like this is one of those 40's B's that was reaching for noir while remaining within the crime story genre. Anyway, the minor touches manage to lift results to the slightly-better- than-average category.

(In passing—I'd long thought the name Byron Barr in cast lists referred to an early Gig Young, the former being his real name, the latter his stage name. However, in researching this film, I discover there was in fact a second actor named Byron Barr who kept his original name, and he's the one in this movie. Of course, Gig Young remains the much better known of the two.)

They Made Me a Killer is a 1946 noir starring Robert Lowery, Barbara Britton, and Lola Lane, directed by William C. Thomas.

Tricked into driving bank robbers from the crime scene, Tom Durling (Lowery) escapes the police and goes on the run, desperate to clear his name. He has the help of a woman (Britton) whose brother (Byron Barr) was killed during the shootout.

The two wind up finding the robbers hiding out in the basement of a restaurant owned by the mother (Elisabeth Risdon) of one of them.

The leads are likable. Lowery, who played Batman in 1948, has a natural quality. Lola Lane, in her final film, is good as the moll who pretends she's interested in purchase Tom's car, then has him park by the bank!

The best part takes place in the beginning, when Tom is being chased through the hospital

This was unfortunately a bad print so scenes done in the dark were too dark to figure out what was going on. The denouement was far-fetched, but we know from the start that Tom is an engineering expert.

A typical B noir with some good scenes.

The term 'cut to the chase' is redundant in this fast paced crime thriller. Within seven minutes Robert Lowery has been railroaded into driving the getaway car from a bank robbery, having been suckered into believing that gang member Lola Lane wanted to buy the vehicle. A few shootings and some erratic motoring later, Lowery finds himself unconscious behind the wheel of the crashed automobile, gun in hand. The gang?....Nowhere to be seen.

Grim, granite faced, gruff voiced D. A., Paul Harvey has little time for Lowery,s plea of innocence and when witness Byron Barr (himself under suspicion) dies in hospital, Lowery's determination to resolve the matter alone reveals a ruthless streak. It's one thing to overturn a bed to foil pursuers, but one occupied by a man who passed away moments earlier? Can't a man die with SOME dignity? Seconds later, his boundless desperation results in an uncooperative nurse having a close encounter of the fist kind, before Lowery escapes.

Befriending Barr's sister (Barbara Britton), they have a common goal in tracking down the gang. Along the way, Will Wright adds to his encyclopedia of bit parts, as a blacksmith, whose lame brained attempt at apprehending Lowery, results in a headache he aint never gonna forget.

Ultimately, the movie flattens out, but remains engaging and lives up to its noir billing, with some scenes shot in such impenetrable darkness, it's almost impossible to discern what's taking place.

Crude and unpolished, to the point where even 1940's audiences must have found it a bit clunky, 'Killer' is hardly a hidden gem, but there is nonetheless something curiously appealing struggling to shine through the murk of this low budget quickie. It possesses an intangible period charm which entices you into returning for a further helping. File under 'Intriguing Obscurity.'

Lola Lane's final film appearance.

Satisfying noir B-feature that does everything it needs to do in little more than an hour. The screenwriter billed here as Geoffrey Homes (Daniel Mainwaring) was the screenwriter and original novelist of Build My Gallows High/Out of the Past, and also wrote The Big Steal and Baby Face Nelson among others. The dialogue is clipped and menacing ("We'll bump him on the way," one of the heavies says casually) and the often claustrophobic spaces are used to good effect. Robert Lowery, who played Batman in the 1948 movie serial, has the right air of the doomed noir hero initially caught between the hard-bitten gangster's moll and femme fatale, Betty, (portrayed perfectly by Lola Lane,) and the innocent and beautiful schoolteacher, June (Barbara Britton), who eventually decides to help him prove his innocence after he is unwittingly embroiled in a bank robbery which leaves two dead. The cast is uniformly good, and the tension never lets up. The DVD I saw was in very poor condition; I hope someone will set about restoring this film to its full glory. As Lem Dobbs said on the commentary to Double Indemnity: "There's no such thing as a bad film noir." This low-budget gem proves him right.

Tom Durling (Robert Lowery) is tricked into becoming the getaway driver for a bank robbery. His car crashes and he is left unconscious while the gang flees. He is arrested but escapes and teams up with June (Barbara Britton) in order to prove his innocence and track down the gang responsible....

This film has 'B' movie written all over it. It takes you on a journey. It does it quickly and effectively with no dwelling on circumstance. It's one scene after another. The result is that you watch and then the film finishes. There is no feeling of any sort whatsoever once the film has finished. It's fast paced with a hilarious moment at the beginning of the film when Tom makes his escape from the hospital. Just watch how he treats poor Steve (Byron Barr) who is at death's door in a hospital bed. He has just tried to prove to the police that he has a good relationship with this man. It's priceless! The film isn't great quality and it's hard to see on occasion because of the lighting. It passes the time but nothing more.