O Criminoso não Dorme

As had been the case with STRANGE ILLUSION (1945), I kept postponing my purchase of this film's All Day Entertainment DVD ever since its 2002 release; then, it surprisingly turned up not too long ago on late-night Italian TV (in English with forced Italian subtitles) which I decided to tape and have now taken this opportunity – i.e. my unfortunately erratic month-long "Film Noir" marathon – to finally check out GUNMAN IN THE STREETS.

Being uniquely a French production shot in English (though, supposedly, there's a simultaneously-made French-language version directed by one Boris Lewin!) and involving talent of mixed nationality on both sides of the camera, this overlooked gem is justly celebrated by connoisseurs now as a 'lost' genre classic. Gritty and uncompromising, it's bookended – like THE WILD BUNCH (1969)! – by a couple of exciting and elaborately staged shootouts of startling violence to which, I'd say, contemporary American cinema had no equivalent: the opener (involving gangster Dane Clark's daring daylight escape from police custody) taking place in crowded streets and the finale in the gang's warehouse hideout (which the police approach as if it were a military operation).

Clark is a compelling presence here (see also my review of PAID TO KILL [1954] for comparison): edgy yet bold and with a decidedly mean streak about him, he evokes memories of James Cagney in WHITE HEAT (1949) – check out his final enraged assertion that he doesn't need anyone a' la Cody Jarrett going berserk at the "top of the world"– and, like that film, this is really a 1930s gangster picture brought up to date. Of the French actors, the ones who come off best are those most at ease with the "foreign" language – both Simone Signoret and Fernand Gravet had appeared in English-speaking roles before; she excels as the quintessential gangster's moll, young but obviously seasoned and whose death scene achieves a near-poetic quality, while he brings a quiet determination (concealed under an air of old-style sophistication) to his Police Commissioner role. Clark manages to remain one step ahead of the law till the very end – though he nearly escapes getting caught in a department store and in a police raid on his former headquarters; for a long part of the duration, he holes up in the apartment of a sleazy photographer (with an amiable but ill-treated white feline as a pet) who ratted on him.

American director Tuttle is best-known for THIS GUN FOR HIRE (1942), the noir classic which made a star of Alan Ladd and with whom he would soon reteam for another gangster flick – HELL ON FRISCO BAY (1955). Eugen Shufftan's camera-work throughout is dazzling, vividly capturing the essential realism of the French locations; Joe Hajos' moody score is also notable. If there's a quibble I have with the film, it's that we never learn what kind of racket Clark is involved in – because of this, it loses some steam during the last act (where he meets up with his anonymous-looking criminal associates) but picks up the pace again with the afore-mentioned climactic bout of nihilism. By the way, some reviewers mention a 1975 film called LA TRAQUE (with Mimsy Farmer and Michel Lonsdale) as a remake of this one – but, from what I read on the IMDb, it seems to have a totally different plot line!

American expatriates actor Dane Clark and director Frank Tuttle shot this gripping noir film which does not for one split second let up in the tension department. From the second American criminal Clark escapes police custody and becomes a fugitive you're held to your seats be it the theater or your living room couch.

Unlike films where the man on the run is romanticized, not so in Gunman In The Streets. Clark is one dangerous man, at one point when he's trapped in a department store in Paris, he grabs up a small boy and uses him to shield his identity, the gendarmes not thinking that their quarry would have a child. The tension is pretty rough there as you wonder if someone will recognize Clark and bullets start flying.

Simone Signoret plays the gangster's moll as tough in France as they are in America. She's moved on to another American, newspaper reporter Robert Duke. Duke loves Simone, but loves a story more as he agrees to help Clark escape. In the end Simone can't stay away from Clark.

Two more roles of note, Fernand Gravey plays the determined police inspector pulling out all the stops to get Clark and Michel Andre who plays a part Peter Lorre would have had here on this side of the pond, the man looking to sell out all.

Gunman In The Streets is a gripping noir thriller and the climax very much similar to White Heat.

This gripping 'lost' gangster movie (finally being released on DVD, having never been theatrically released in the U.S.) was filmed in Paris by acclaimed noir director Frank Tuttle (THIS GUN FOR HIRE, THE GLASS KEY). It stars Dane Clark as U.S. army deserter-turned-gangster Eddy Roback who is sprung from a police van by his criminal cohorts whilst being transported to the courthouse. Wounded in the gun battle, Eddy looks up former flame Denise Vernon (Simone Signoret), in the hope that she will obtain the necessary cash for a flight across the border. However, with the dogged police and Denise's new beau, a crime reporter named Frank Clinton, on his trail, time is running out for Eddy as he attempts to rely on his former criminal network and moll to secure his passage to freedom. Shot on authentic locations by noted cinematographer Eugen Schufftan (EYES WITHOUT A FACE, THE HUSTLER), this is a gripping man-on-the-run crime movie, and rattles along at a fair clip, aided in no small part by the performances; especially Signoret as the tragic moll and Clark as the pitiless hard-boiled criminal. The Gallic setting lends an effective air of authenticity and doomed romanticism to an oft-told tale, and this previously rarely-seen genre movie is well-worth seeking out.

Based on other reviews I was looking forward to seeing this "lost" film. It was disappointing. The plot was simplistic even by B movie standards. The main protagonist Eddy Roback is in no way romanticized, there is not much character development or background or back-story which means he is just a vicious thug. The director built tension well; there were some interesting scenes such as the scene in the dept store where he temporarily abducts a kid for cover, adding sociopath to this thugs character. Dane Clark added little more than brooding and visceral reaction with minimal dialogue, he brought little to this role, definitely not a leading Man. This is a unique film noir in that its set in Paris in English but that's about the only reason to watch this movie.

In post-war America, audiences were eager to see crime in a whole new light--both literally and figuratively. Instead of the old gangster films of the 1930s with their rather conventional characters, the film noir films of the post-war era featured darker characters, heightened realism, unusual and dark camera work as well as a certain fatalism that set them apart from previous gangster films. Not surprisingly, these noir sensibilities soon made their way abroad. The French, in particular, made some dandy noir pictures....and "Gunman in the Streets" is a sort of hybrid. It's a film with an American star and and international cast...set in France.

While Dane Clark was never a top-tier star in the States, he was excellent at playing cold-hearted characters...and here he's about as cold and vicious as they come. While his character is awaiting trial for other crimes, he makes a daring but failed attack on an armored car with his gang....and he alone escapes. The film is about this thug's attempt to escape with the aid of his girlfriend (Simon Signoret) and some unexpected help from a dumb sap who is also in love with the girl!

The bottom line is that although the camera-work is not classic noir, the nastiness of the leading character certainly is...as is the very downbeat ending. Remember...noir films are NOT intended to follow formulae nor are they intended to leave the audience happy...and this film succeeds on both accounts! Well worth seeing...particularly just to watch Clark do what he does best...play nasty and vicious thugs.