L'Homme aux abois

No need to recap the plot. There's one key scene unlike anything in the rest of 40's noir. Frankie (Lancaster) invades Dink's (Douglas) office to muscle in on what he's owed of Dink's big operation. But Frankie's a gangster of the uncomplicated 1930's, while Dink's a white-collar criminal of the coming 1950's. So. By the time Dink's accountant Dave (Corey) is through answering each of Frankie's threats with another layer of corporate ownership that can't possibly be divided, Frankie's reduced to a bundle of quivering frustration. In short, Dave has beaten all Frankie's assembled thugs with what amounts to a maze of legalese. As a result, piles of paper prove ultimately more powerful than gangs of gunmen in what amounts to a great unexpected scene.

All in all. The movie's decent 40's noir, long on atmosphere but too long on talk, at least to my liking. I suspect the screenplay was tailored to showcase producer Wallis's top 3 new stars, especially Scott who gets a lot of romantic dialog along with sultry screen time. The overall result is a movie composed of too many under-blended showcase scenes- - some quite good-- that nevertheless don't really gel into a compelling whole. It's the kind of movie where the stars are more memorable than the story.

Scott and Douglas, for example, really shine. Scott does some of the best acting of her career as the conflicted glamour girl. But I especially like Douglas's slimy version of a smooth-talking mastermind who's so self-assured, you can't wait to see him get what he's got coming. Douglas's early career specialized in such compromised types, a revelation to those only familiar with his later, more heroic, career. For his part, Lancaster does well enough with his distinctive looks, but Frankie is a less showy role than the other two.

Anyway, one thing for sure—producer Wallis certainly had an eagle eye for new talent, as this movie more than demonstrates.

Two thugs make good and then fight over a nightclub and Lizabeth Scott. I watched this for Lizabeth. She is even more stunning than usual but given little to do but grace glamorous evening gowns and lip synch. Its worth a watch but don't go in with high expectations because if the leads.

After waiting for years to see this fine film-noir, I finally did today. Two young hoodlums (Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas) are running illegal booze into another county during prohibition and get chased by the cops. The two separate after one of the cops is killed, and Douglas escapes, but Lancaster is caught and goes to jail. 14 years later, Lancaster is out and finds that Douglas has gone legit and is the owner of a major nightclub and doing quite well. Lancaster feels Douglas owes him something, and wants to become a full partner. Douglas then makes plans to eliminate him. Part of Douglas's plans include using his own mistress (Lizabeth Scott) to lead Lancaster on. A good thriller all around,predictable at times but very stylish, gritty and involving all the time. A "can't miss" for noir-fans.

Well, Hal Wallis sure could pick 'em. These are three of his finest stars.

Frankie Madison (Burt Lancaster) has just been released from prison after 14 years as "I Walk Alone" from 1947 begins. The film also stars Lizabeth Scott, Kirk Douglas, Wendell Corey, Mike Mazurki, and Kristine Miller.

Frankie is under the somewhat mistaken impression that he owns half the club that his old partner Noll (Douglas) now runs. When Frankie first shows up, Noll attempts to feel him out. He's friendly and sets Frankie up for a dinner with his girlfriend Kay (Lizabeth Scott).

Noll realizes that Frankie is prepared to use force to take what he thinks is his, so the situation becomes violent.

This is a tough noir with Noll playing dirty all the way. Douglas is great as a real slimeball. Kay tries to encourage Frankie to move forward, but Frankie soon finds himself with a murder rap over his head. He decides to fight Null with everything he's got.

Lancaster and Douglas are major hunks in this and both do a good job. Scott is beautiful and, after all, noir was her genre. She was perfect for it.

This movie was filmed on a studio city set and looks great. Really adds to the noir feel.

The end of the film is exciting.

I just saw this film two nights ago at the San Francisco Film Noir Festival. This was a beautiful movie filled with subtle shades of noir. The underrated Lizbeth Scott has the best performance in this rarely seen drama. There's great snappy dialog. Kirk Douglas is the perfect villain of this clever movie. It is so easy to see his son Michael's face on him. Burt was fun to watch as usual in giving his best to this intriguing screenplay. What was interesting to see unfold (in this almost 60 year old film) was how challenging the crime corporations are in pinpointing the vastness of what exactly they own. How they get around the skimming of the profits. As well as stating that they only "get" a minimal amount of the percentages ~ by the books. There was a lot of thought that went into this film and the three stars gave it their best. Pure quality.