They Made Me a Killer

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.

Traveling from Chicago to California, Tom Durling (Robert Lowery) finds himself framed for robbery and murder when he is duped into driving the getaway car for a bank heist. After an auto crash leaves Durling holding the bag with the legal authorities, he quickly escapes after being arrested and sets out to prove his innocence with the help of the slain bank teller's sister (Barbara Britton).

They Made Me a Killer was another of the low budget film fare from Pine-Thomas Productions which at the time was the B movie arm of Paramount Pictures. Pine-Thomas was known for making movies fast, cheap and profitable. At a compact 64 minute run-time, there isn't much in the way of character development. It's more a quick-fire series of events. Given it's slapdash nature you have to suspend some degree of belief and just enjoy the ride. Even though succinct, the script is really pretty clever and lively. 'Killer' doesn't quite have the same level of mood and ambiance as a movie like 'Detour', a movie of similar style and budget. This is largely due to the rapid pace. There really aren't any wasted or meandering scenes as Durling with single purpose tracks down those who set him up.

The cast plays it all pretty well and Lowery does a nice job as the framed-up scapegoat. While not likely to find it's way to many must see lists, 'They Made Me a Killer' is one of the better of the old cheapie crime flicks.

6 out of 10*

A typical Hitchcock set-up: hero gets hijacked in a bank robbery, in the getaway the robbers kill a clerk, hero gets caught by the police and charged with the robbery, he runs away to eventually be rescued by a girl, who continuously saves the situation, combining her smartness with the hero's. Many scenes are shot in the dark when they constantly cut the fuses to make it difficult for the crooks, and you hear how hard they are fighting, but you cannot see a thing, until the fisticuffs are over with and the place is wrecked including some casualty. It is good for a B-thriller with appropriate music, but you wouldn't recommend it to anybody nor watch it again, no matter how much you missed on the way. But the trick with the juke-box heightens the quality of the plot and your interest, but still, you will be glad when it is all over.

Robert Lowery who did a few of those Pine-Thomas B films for Paramount stars in this one and he's played for a fool by Lola Lane and tricked into being the getaway driver in a bank robbery. A cop is killed and a bank employee who Lane was romancing to get some inside information on the bank is also killed.

When the cops catch up with Lowery he's in one big jackpot but manages to escape police custody rather cleverly I thought and he teams up with Barbara Britton who is the sister of the dead bank employee. They have to find the gang in order to prove their innocence.

Lowery is always a good hero in these films, he never quite made it to the A ranks as a star. One to watch out for is Elizabeth Risdon who plays a Ma Barker type who is the real mastermind.

As for the gang, fortunately Lola Lane uses jargon from her job which Lowery recognizes and is able to trace them. Good thing he recognized her slang or he and Britton would still be looking.

They Made Me A Killer is a nicely done action/noir type film.

I had never heard of Director William C. Thomas but now that I have, I doubt I will be interested in watching any of his other work. True, this is supposed to be a B film noir, but it looks more like C/home movie financing, shot for the most part in complete darkness, and with a male lead who looks like the harmless fellow next door who can't act to save his life and allows himself to become a punching bag for some thugs who rate in equal measure bestial and dumb.

Add to the mix a police duo who seem to be missing the third stooge, and you can see a failed comedy in the making, all the more so in all the abovementioned darkness which does not allow you to see exactly what Lowery is doing replacing LPs in the jukebox. Ah, I finally got it: the jukebox was also a recording device! And the stooge cops wanted to listen to music so they heard the criminals' telltale chat.

Very ingenious. No wonder THEY MADE ME A KILLER had five people involved in knocking together a screenplay for a 64-minute C pic that borrows shamelessly from Hitchcock's THE 39 STEPS.

Poor direction, cliché-riddled script, and substandard, very cheap cinematography blends with low grade acting to come up with a mediocre - putting it mildly - product. One saving grace: beautiful Barbara Britton. Her character obviously loves Lowery's come hell or high water, whether he lies, wears cuffs, gets punched up, or does anything devious enough to make a lesser woman flee. Not she - what a loyal, faithful and loving woman!

Pity reality is so different!

Don't waste your time on this one: you'll end up with sore eyes from straining to try to discern what's happening in the dark. And, trust me, what happens in the dark isn't enough to wake you up, if you predictably fall asleep, as happened to me. It took me three nights to watch to the end this 64' film.