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Jacques Tourneur used his vast reserves of creativity to turn small-budget films into fascinating movie-going experiences. If "Out of the Past" is one of the best films noir to be released in the 1940s, then "Nightfall" must be one of the best from the succeeding decade.

Aldo Ray plays James Vanning, who, with his doctor friend Edward Gurston (Frank Albertson), finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time and ends up knowing the whereabouts of a bag of stolen money, wanted mightily by two bank robbers (one played with droll relish by Brian Keith). Fate, always a principal character in any film noir, brings James together with Marie Gardner (an impossibly young Anne Bancroft), a fashion model who becomes his girl Friday. Meanwhile, an insurance investigator (James Gregory) working on behalf of the robbed bank has James's number and comes calling. All of these characters finally collide in a memorable and rather grisly ending.

"Nightfall" is tremendously stylish and playful. It very much resembles Tourneur's earlier noir, "Out of the Past," in its thesis that a man can run but never hide from his past. But it also reminded me of "On Dangerous Ground," Nicholas Ray's strange offering from 1952, in its juxtaposition of a shadow-filled urban environment filled with anonymous (and perhaps dangerous) strangers with the wide open (and no less frightening) spaces of the country, where anything can happen and no one will know. I don't know if Aldo Ray was considered a good actor at the time, but he does a terrific job here -- who better to play an American everyman caught up in a sticky web than this all-American jock of an actor? He and Bancroft sizzle in their scenes together, and one of the movie's highlights comes when they are racing away from one of Bancroft's fashion shows with the bad guys in hot pursuit, and Ray, frustrated by the fact that Bancroft can't run in the impractical gown she was just modeling, picks her up and runs with her into the safety of a cab, after which she leans against him and says, "You're the most wanted man I know." This scene and line got laughs and applause at the screening I attended, but you could tell that people were laughing with the film and not at it.

This film is one of the highlights of the noir genre, and I highly recommend catching it if you get a chance.

Grade: A

The wonderful Jacques Tourneur directed this 1957 noir, "Nightfall," starring Aldo Ray, Anne Bancroft, Brian Keith, James Gregory, and Frank Albertson.

James Vanning (Aldo Ray) is on the run from some vicious criminals who have stolen a fortune from a bank. He and his doctor friend (Frank Albertson) had the misfortune to meet these men, who took the doctor bag instead of the $350 grand they stole! They believe that Ray, an innocent party, knows where in the Wyoming mountains the money is.

Back in the city, Vanning meets a model (Bancroft) and this is picked up by two of the crooks. He manages to get away and goes to Bancroft's place; since the thugs know who she is, the two of them have to go on the run.

Tourneur's themes here are similar to his other films, such as "Cat People," "Out of the Past," "Experiment Perilous" as three examples: Chance meetings and coincidence dominate a story where Tourneur uses flashbacks expertly. Here, two innocent people are drawn into a situation and being pursued.

Very absorbing story -- in her early films, beautiful Anne Bancroft, a powerful actress, was cast in these young leading lady or ingenue roles, like Bette Davis when she first came to Warners. Bancroft brings an interesting, smoky quality to the role of a woman who has an unhappy past with men. Aldo Ray has never been a favorite of mine, but he is effective here. He looks like a character actor, though he played leads, and though he has a husky voice and appearance, there's a gentle quality in his manner. James Gregory has always been good, and he's good here as a detective who wants to get down to the truth.

The black and white photography is very striking and really adds to the film. Jacques Tourneur made some excellent films; though he obviously didn't have a huge budget for this one and his star had descended somewhat, he still had what it took to make a strong film.

David Goodis' pulpy novel becomes exciting, well-cast and acted crime-drama, peculiarly titled since most of the action takes place in the snow-covered mountains of Wyoming (perhaps "Snowfall" would've been more apropos). Two innocent campers run violently afoul of two trigger-happy bank-robbers, with 350 G's getting lost in the frost. Hollywood never quite knew what to do with Aldo Ray: polite and beaming (like an overgrown Boy Scout), Ray's ingratiating manner and wobbly, scratchy voice made him difficult to type-cast in the 1950s. He's just right here, playing tough guy up against cold-hearted Brian Keith and buddy/big brother/love-interest to model Anne Bancroft, who gets caught in this crime web and yet doesn't seem to mind. Despite a sluggish start and a few details that don't come together (such as why the crooks' car runs off the road in Wyoming, or why the two bank-robbers don't follow Aldo Ray when he runs through the river with the satchel of loot), director Jacques Tourneur handles the criss-crossing plot with buttery ease. Add in some amusing parallels to the later "Fargo" and you've got the makings of a cult classic, one that Columbia Pictures rarely revives. *** from ****

Although it is far from a masterpiece, "Nightfall", a low-budget film noir (stunningly photographed by Burnett Guffey), is one of Jacques Tourneur's finest films. What amazed me about "Nightfall" was the way it resembles Tourneur's previous films in its depiction of chance and coincidence. The similarity to "Out of the Past" (the duality between past and present, city and country, the use of flashbacks) is somewhat obvious. But consider the opening chance encounter between Vanning (Aldo Ray) and Marie (Anne Bancroft). It recalls the similar (though different) chance meetings between Irena and Oliver at the zoo in Tourneur's "Cat People"(1942), and Dr. Bailey and Cissie on the train at the beginning of "Experiment Perilous"(1944). If you watch it closely at the opening scenes, Marie's seat beside Vanning at the bar is empty BEFORE she appears. So, we expect the seat to be filled. I didn't notice it when I first saw the film, but critic Chris Fujiwara's observations in his splendid book, JACQUES TOURNEUR:THE CINEMA OF NIGHTFALL, were immensely helpful. Fujiwara adroitly notes, "Throughout Nightfall, chance and unconscious processes determine key events. Tourneur's standard procedure of showing the effect before the cause underlies the inexplicability of these events, their fantastic nature".

The artist James "Jim" Vanning (Aldo Ray) meets the model Marie Gardner (Anne Bancroft) in a bar and they have dinner together. When they leave the restaurant, Marie gives her address but the gangsters John (Brian Keith) and Red (Rudy Bond) abduct Jim and Marie goes home. They want information about a wallet with US$ 350,000 and Jim tells that he does not know where it is. They torture Jim, but he escapes and drives to Marie's apartment. He tells that she is in danger and he explains that he was camping in the snow in Moose with his friend Dr. Edward Gurston (Frank Albertson) when they see a car driving off the road. They go to the spot to help the victims but they are subdued by John and Red that kills the doctor and shots him. The criminals believe they are both dead and Red mistakenly takes the doctor's wallet leaving the money behind. When Jim awakes, he flees with the wallet with money but looses it in the snow. Now the criminals are hunting him down while he is also wanted by the police. Meanwhile the insurance investigator Ben Fraser (James Gregory) is also on the track of Jim and curious with his behavior without spending the stolen money and having a simple life. Will Jim prove his innocence?

"Nightfall" is a film-noir with a story of coincidences and bad luck. It is an entertaining film with a good villain despite the flaws. The screenplay is intriguing and the viewer only knows the truth after the initial scenes. How could Ben, Jim and Maries go after the killers without a weapon? My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Maleta Fatídica" ("The Fateful Wallet")

A terrific B-movie with A-list credentials, (Jacques Tourneur directed, Stirling Silliphant did the screenplay from a David Goodis novel, Burnett Guffey was the cinematographer and the cast included Aldo Ray, Anne Bancroft, Brian Keith, James Gregory and Jocelyn Brando though it is Rudy Bond's psycho-killer who steals the movie). It's a tale of robbery and murder and of an innocent dupe, (Ray), who gets caught up in both. It's economical almost to a fault; there certainly isn't a wasted moment in all of its 78 minutes and you can see how it might have influenced the Coen Brothers yet for some reason it's almost totally unknown. Seek it out immediately.

Nightfall is directed by Jacques Tourneur and adapted to screenplay by Stirling Silliphant from David Goodis' novel. It stars Aldo Ray, Brian Keith, Rudy Bond, James Gregory and Anne Bancroft. Music is by George Duning and cinematography by Burnett Guffey.

A pretty model, an insurance investigator, two thugs, an innocent man on the run and a bag of stolen money buried out in the Wyoming snow. Destiny awaits with devilish glee.

It resembles the earlier Tourneur classic Out of the Past, so loses a bit of freshness, it hinges on a major contrivance involving the bag of money and it's more blanc-noir than film noir, but Nightfall rounds out as being a well executed paranoid thriller. Pulling it into the film noir universe is the protagonist played by Aldo Ray (a mighty physical presence), he's the victim of mischances and coincidences, his situation worsening because of paranoia and the inability to comprehend how the vagaries of fate have put him into a life and death predicament. With Tourneur using a flashback structure to dizzy up the story and Guffey operating on high contrast for imagery, film doesn't lack for atmospheric fret, but having held the audience in a grip, the makers fail to deliver a satisfactory ending worthy of the build up. Though it's noted that a pretty gruesome death does precede the outcome.

As has been noted by many observers, the interesting trick here is that Ray's man on the run is exposed and in real harms way when in the brightly lit wilderness, his safety net comes via the dark shadowy streets and bars. This two-fold setting allows Tourneur and Guffey to craft some terrific compositions to frame the characters. These characters are always interesting, the thugs played by Keith & Bond are unusual because they need the help of Ray's protagonist, thus having to rein in murderous tendencies, Gregory's investigator is like an impartial observer on the periphery and Bancroft's babe starts out cold but becomes a woman prepared to go on the lam with a guy who clearly has issues to be resolved! All are well delineated. Ultimately, and rightly so, it's Ray's movie, his Vanning character is a haunted figure, the world weighing heavily on his huge gait, with gravel in voice and bemusement in eyes, it's a true film noir character that is excellently portrayed.

Interesting if a mixed bag, Nightfall is however comfortably recommended to those interested in noir cinema. 7/10

There were a few reasons for wanting to see 'Nightfall'. The premise did intrigue, and film noir-type films are right up my street. That it was directed by Jacques Tourneur was also a plus, being one of many people who loves 'Out of the Past'. Have always loved Anne Bancroft ever since 'The Miracle Worker', the film and her performance in that are still powerful. Was really hoping that it would live up to its potential rather than being another potential waste.

Seeing it, 'Nightfall' doesn't live up to full potential and could have been better. It though is not a waste, despite the story being wanting and the lead performance being uneven 'Nightfall' is compensated hugely by the production values, atmosphere and the rest of the cast. It is fun and atmospheric, though falls short of greatness. So another one of those recommended films, while not raving about it or rating it an absolute essential.

'Nightfall' has a lot of good things. It looks great for one thing, it is really amazing that it is low budget when it looks better than a lot of films made on a higher budget. Especially striking is the photography, which is at its best pretty exquisite and creates a truly haunting atmosphere. The locations are beautifully used too, especially the snow-covered Wyoming. Tourneur's direction impresses in a lot of areas, he always had a keen eye for creating atmosphere that was evident throughout 'Out of the Past' and evident here too. He succeeds too in allowing the film to move quickly in general. The score is suitably ominous.

Enough of the script is thought provoking and taut and the story engrosses more often than not and has some nice suspense. The climax is very memorable and tensely staged, while the murder scene absolutely chills. Most of the cast are strong, especially alluring Bancroft as the film's most interesting character and Brian Keith is a good unsettling presence too. She and Aldo Ray have a good sensual yet uneasy chemistry together that really worked with the film.

Did think however that 'Nightfall' could have been better. While there is definitely atmosphere and while it didn't bore me, the story (as well as not being a particularly unique one on the whole) is on the implausible side at points and is too unlikely coincidence heavy. It is especially not too easy to swallow towards the end. The script generally could have been tighter, early on is a little talky.

Opinions on Ray's performance here are rather mixed, my feelings on him personally are pretty mixed too. He is effective enough later on but he starts wooden and it takes a while for him to get properly comfortable in a role that could have been better fleshed out.

Concluding, not great but worth watching. 7/10.

Nightfall is one of those beautiful, crisp black and white films that make you wonder why they bothered with colour. Jacques Tourneur is at his poetic best with this simple tale of a wrongfully accused man pursued by the police and the crooks — a classic noir plot if ever there was one. The pace and place are ideal. You're caught up and carried along by the action of the present predicament while the understanding of how the protagonist got there is slowly revealed in a series of flashbacks. The cast is perfect: Aldo Ray is solid as the likable hero in the wrong place at the wrong time, Anne Bancroft has just the right combination of worldly wisdom and hope as the girl caught up Ray's troubles, Brian Keith and Rudy Bond are a couple of hard guys who don't much like each other but have 300,000 reasons to form a slightly uneasy alliance and the wonderful character actor James Gregory gives a nuanced performance as the insurance agent on Ray's trail.

While Nightfall won't change your life if is a solid piece of entertainment which Hollywood seem to toss off with so little effort back in 40's and 50's. It might have been just part of a standard double bill in 1957 but if it came out now it would be hailed as something special. Nightfall has more heart and soul than current fare like Drive. It doesn't have an untoward pretentious of being anything but what it is and that's plenty good enough for me.

Aldo Ray, in case you didn't know, had 'it'. Big athletic tough guy with sensitive eyes and heart on both sleeves, and a sharp intelligence. In this noir he plays an artist pursued both by the cops and the crooks -- and Anne Bancroft leaps at the chance to hitch her wagon to the big lug with a nice face and trouble from all sides.

Jaques Tourneur (Cat People, I Walked with a Zombie) directs with exceptional taste and restraint. All the actors are nicely human as they go through some pretty grisly stuff at a brisk pace.

Brian Keith as the big bad guy plays him low-key and reasonable but not averse to torture if it works. Rudy Bond as his partner makes the wise-cracking sociopath genuinely funny thus ridiculously menacing.

Ray is such a unique presence -- intuitive, always connected, soft raspy voice. He is in very good shape at this point in his career -- as is Bancroft -- a very interesting chemistry between them. Bancroft's take on the woman is grand -- he has her at hello, thus she's game for any number of perilous adventure to save him. Ray handles Sterling Siliphant's dialog with not one false move. 'Nice place. I'll try not to bleed over everything.' in lesser hands would be much lesser indeed.

People who liked Ray (John Wayne et al.) liked him for his direct honesty -- which is probably why Hollywood knocked him around for a while without making him a huge star. And yeah the booze . . .

There's little pretense in "Nightfalls;" it's made on a small budget and is only intended as a somewhat artful entertainment. And, in this, it succeeds.

Perhaps what's most remarkable about the film is its several expressions of affection. Remember that? If it's non-existent on TV, it's also extremely rare in movies that don't fit the romantic comedy genre, where it can occasionally sneak in today, and was far more common in the 1930s and 1940s.

Here it gets play in the budding relationship between Vanning (Aldo Rey) and Marie Gardner (Ann Bancroft), but also in the marriage of Ben (James Gregory) and Laura (Jocelyn Brando). It also seems to appear in the longtime friendship between Vanning and his old doctor buddy, whose younger wife he's close friends with.

How does this exceptional quality show? Mainly in Rey's open & engaging smiles when he's in the presence of Bancroft. Although it's Bancroft who is actually conveying & delivering the most and brightest affection, it's most noteworthy in Vanning, simply because he's male. Is it his virility and gruff voice that allows this unusual expressiveness? No, I think it's rather that Rey is not your typical leading actor, nor is Tourneur your typical male director, and that affection is hardly foreign to their lives. In fact, it may be prized by both, unintentionally in the former and intentionally in the latter, which is why it's not excised from the script.

In the case of Ben & Laura, the affection seems inherent in what appears to be a much more equal relationship than is generally shown on screen, especially in the film noir genre. The typical devoted, clingy, and overwrought detective's wife is expelled. Laura is fully involved (from home) in his investigation and is updated daily on the latest clues and findings. It's refreshingly adult, and highly welcomed, as is the affection the two radiate.

But "Nightfall's" interest in affection doesn't end here--not without an example of its opposite in the two gangsters. The psycho-killer partner very convincingly pleads his profound attachment to his boss, but only as a deadly maneuver with his life on the line. This one-way, "sincerely" expressed affection is only effective because encapsulated and final, and because the top dog is "soft." But not all "suckers" lose, though, as "Nightfall" amply points out.

Jacques Tourneur's Nightfall follows the classic Film-Noir pattern: a man hunted by someone for something he did in the past, a beautiful woman, expressionist black and white photography etc..

The action of the film takes place in Chicago where James Vanning (Aldo Ray), meets in a bar a beautiful young fashion model Marie Gardner (Anne Bancroft). There is instant liking between them. Everything seems fine till James is picked up by two strange individuals whom as we understand he knew before and who begin to interrogate him, threatening his life, about a big amount of money that he supposedly possess and that actually belongs to them. James manages to escape and takes refuge at Marie's home. He's obliged to tell her the story about his past that led those to men to hunt him. The story which is shown to us in flash back sequences.

Though Nightfall doesn't stand comparison to Jacques Tourneur Film-Noir masterpiece Out of the Past, it's still quite an interesting film generally well acted with some very good dialogs in it and the most remarkable end sequence that probably served as an inspiration for the ending of brothers' Coen Fargo. 7/10

Nightfall (1957)

A late noir and a really good one. It has some awkward moments that almost seem to have come after the fact, or from running out of money, because the rest of the film, and the best of it, is superb. It's a widescreen black and white affair, set in an unnamed (I think) big city and in wilderness Wyoming.

It's no surprise that director Jacques Tourneur makes a dark, brooding movie with unusual location shooting. Much of it is day for night stuff, but well done (very dark) and certainly adding to both the oil well scene and the stuff out in the Teton Mountains. The acting is gritty, with an edgy modernism that isn't quite visible in 1940s noirs, as rough as they sometimes get in effect.

There were two surprises for me here, though, good ones. The first is the actor in the lead, Aldo Ray, who I'd never heard of. He might come off as just a football player with a husky voice and a lot of composure, but in fact he struck me as perfectly suited for the innocent accused. He is in a predicament, and exactly how he got there doesn't matter at first. You just feel for his situation, and become increasingly sympathetic to him.

The other surprise is just seeing Ann Bancroft in the leading female role. She had been in the movies (and television) for less than a decade, and she takes on a slightly different kind of woman, not a sultry femme fatale and not someone who is just going to do what she's told. We end up rooting for her, as well.

The cinematographer Burnett Guffey was top notch, having shot "In a Lonely Place" and "From Here to Eternity" among others. But the film isn't up to snuff in other ways somehow. The plot itself is a bit of a device, improbable at moments where it didn't have to be, but without irony, just plain stretching it thin and fast. Tourneur was on a long slide in his career (though a cult classic of his, "Curse of the Demon," was due out in a few months), and I think he is just a victim along with everyone in Hollywood of the 1950s nosedive due to t.v. and changing tastes.

That said, there are so many things to like here, including a more modern feeling of noir sensibilities, it's a great movie to study, or to appreciate as much as get swept up in.

The intensity of the action, superb direction, astonishing juxtaposition of the city sequences and scenes in the tranquil, snow-filled countryside, and - probably most of all - the many hardboiled dialogues present Nightfall as a truly expressive film noir. Through a clever use of retrospectives the film introduces the audience to James Vanning (Aldo Ray), whose life story is as tragic as it is suspenseful.

James wanders around town anxiously, looking as though he's waiting for someone the whole time. After his meeting with a lovely lady named Marie (Anne Bancroft) turns into a gritty kidnapping intrigue, all the pieces of the puzzle soon start to fit right in. A pair of thugs is after him, because they think that he hid the money (350,000 dollars to be exact), which they stole during a bank raid. In order to get the information out of him they try torturing him, but James ultimately manages to escape. As he returns to meet the lady, who supposedly gave him away to the criminals, brief retrospections appear on the screen, and entangle us in the whole obscure and dramatic affair. When James and his friend Dr. Gurston (Frank Albertson) were in the middle of a hunting trip they encountered a car crash and quickly realize that they the guys, whom they wanted to help, are nothing but a couple of violent robbers. They kill Dr. for their great amusement, but leave James only unconscious. When he wakes up, he realizes that what they also left behind was a bag with the cash. Soon a thrilling and fast-paced game of cat-and- mouse begins, as both the thugs and a private investigator Fraser (James Gregory) are on his trail. With the help of the previously met lady, James decides to stop the killers and retrieve the money-filled bag, which he left somewhere in the snowy country...

Nightfall is an enormously moody, sombre, and hard-hitting crime drama, which achieves high level of aesthetics through the sudden yet suitable changes of scenery, overcoming some of its screenplay-related faults in the process. The shootout in the secluded, wild place is a great advantage of the film, giving it a totally different perspective than other films in the genre have. It's a low-budget, extremely economical yet successful adaptation of a 1947 novel of the same name.

Ten years on from his classic, Out of the Past, Jacques Tourneur turns out another fine film. It does not have quite the gravitas of the earlier film and Aldo Ray, Brian Keith and even the lovely Anne Bancroft not quite the stature of Robert Mitchum, Kirk Douglas and Jane Greer but, nevertheless a snappy and stylish effort with the wonderful snowy Wyoming landscape as the rural setting contrasted with the neon lit LA scenes. The slightly improbable but simple story is intriguingly told with flashbacks, excellent dialogue and impressive cinematography. We are drawn in at the very start when a strange automobile accident interrupts a fishing trip and held until the very end and the stunning and suspenseful snow plow sequence.

Night has come to Los Angeles. Jim Vanning (Aldo Ray) encounters model Marie Gardner (Anne Bancroft) at a bar. Two thugs are looking for their $350k and accuse Jim of hiding it. In flashbacks, Jim and Dr. Edward Gurston are on a fishing trip when the two men crash their car. Meanwhile, insurance investigator Ben Fraser is on their trail.

It's a nice setup for a noir thriller. This has a nice foursome going. The addition of Ben Fraser doesn't necessarily heighten the tension. He could have worked better if he turns out to be a greedy villain. There are also moments of great potential like the snowplow but this movie is unwilling to get bloody. This is a noir of its time. It has good parts and not so good parts.

An excellent film noir starring Aldo Ray, Brian Keith & Anne Bancroft from 1956 directed by Jacques Tourneur (Out of the Past/Cat People). Ray is an artist out in the wilds w/his doctor friend camping out. A car crash is heard from a distance & they investigate to find a pair of bank robbers who quickly commandeer their vehicle & drive them back to their camp. Keith & Rudy Bond, the thieves, gun down the doctor & give Ray the option to kill himself (he loads a rifle & hands it to him) while Bond holds a gun on him but when Ray tries firing first Bond shoots him anyway. Keith & Bond grab the bag of loot & make their getaway. What they don't immediately realize is Bond's shot missed (Ray was struck by a piece of rock when the fired bullet ricocheted) & Ray has the real gym bag full of money (Bond took the wrong one). Ray escapes into the forest & loses the money as he makes his way to safety. Once in the city, newspaper headlines make Ray's life even more difficult (he gains an assumed name) since they claim he killed his friend forcing him to go on the run w/the true thieves on his tail & a wily insurance adjuster, played by James Gregory, crosses paths w/Ray (who's also after the missing cash) as well as Bancroft, a model who takes a liking to Ray & his sad-sack tale. Tourneur milks the tension out of the premise (scripted by Stirling Silliphant) for all its worth sending our hero on a hellish journey keeping just out of reach of his pursuers. Ray, always the laconic of tough guys, limns a nuanced every man thrown into situations which will fray his last nerves w/Bancroft providing enough pleasant distraction so he can save the day.

In this Hitchcockian thriller, a good Samaritan becomes the target of vicious bank robbers who mistakenly think he has stolen their loot. This low-budget film noir is marvelously entertaining, with fine black-and-white cinematography and a good cast. Tourneur keeps things moving at a fast pace, maintaining the suspense at a high level. Although the beefy Ray does not necessarily look like everyman, he is surprisingly effective as a man at the wrong place at the wrong time, becoming unwittingly involved with gangsters. Equally good is Bancroft as a woman who joins him on his adventures. Keith is the level-headed goon while Bond is hilarious as his high-strung partner.

The teaser I read for this movie called it "exceptional film noir". I take exception to that description. While beautifully filmed, this movie features a less than stellar performance by the lead Aldo Ray, who I found to be a bit wooden. I don't think he can carry a movie as leading man - unless maybe it was about a football player or wrestler. The rest of the cast does a nice job, and Ann Bancroft is young, lovely and talented. The biggest problem is the plot which gets worse the further along you go and climaxes in an unbelievable (not in a good way) and contrived ending, which if re-written, could have made this a pretty decent film.