Murder Is My Beat

The plot of "Murder is My Beat" is one that really doesn't make a lot of sense. To enjoy the film you need to put this aside and just take it for what it is...and entertaining low-budget mystery.

When the film begins, a detective is investigating a murder. The trail leads to a young woman whose current whereabouts are unknown. Eventually, though, he receives a lead that she's staying up in the mountains and despite it being a long and difficult trek there through deep snow, this dedicated cop goes to get her. Once there, she is captured but they have to remain there for several days due to bad weather. During this time, the cop falls for the lady and believes her story about not being involved. But he still does his duty and brings her in for questioning.

Well, apparently everyone believes she is guilty and she is sentenced to prison. The same cop escorts her to prison and on the way, he lets her go and then goes to investigate the case as he's sure she's innocent. Eventually, he's captured by a coworker and eventually the coworker agrees to spend the next 24 hours looking for clues instead of arresting him. Together, they get to the bottom of everything.

Okay...so a respected veteran cop throws his career away and lets a convicted murderer escape. Then, when a coworker finds him, instead of taking him to jail, they both investigate the case. Does this make any sense? Nope...none. But it IS entertaining and worth seeing despite this. Not a great film but for the money, not a bad one either considering it cost only a tiny bit to make.

A detective chases down an accused murderess, but en route to prison he begins to have his doubts. Although another ultra-low-budget (including some of the shoddiest rear projection work I've ever seen) noir from Ulmer, early hopes that this might be another DETOUR were dashed. Like RUTHLESS, it's something of a disappointment. For the first half it seems to be going somewhere, but then it loses traction and meanders towards an unsatisfying conclusion. However, Ulmer pulls off a few terrific moments (especially those regarding trains), and I do think the first half is quite compelling. Paul Langton makes for a good leading man, with something of a Jean Gabin quality. More notably, this is the final appearance of the tragic Barbara Payton, whose work I've previously praised in TRAPPED and KISS TOMORROW GOODBYE. Her melancholy, passive performance here is pretty much the polar opposite of Ann Savage, but her vulnerability is an asset. I need to check out more of her films. The film definitely leaves something to be desired, but it has some charm and talent in it.

The best thing about this jumbled programmer is the intimidating snowstorm Detective Patrick (Langton) has to slog through. I almost went to the closet for my parka. The movie's main draw now, I expect, is Hollywood bad girl Barbara Payton's final movie. Too bad she couldn't work up some emotion. Outside of her sweaters, it's hard to see how veteran cop Patrick could fall for her so quickly, and jeopardize his career, to boot.

All in all, you may need a scorecard to track the convoluted plot—something about who's killed whom and whether the dead are really dead. It may also help to turn off your sense of disbelief when you turn on the movie. Anyhow, Patrick's got 77-minutes to figure it all out. Langton's fine in the lead role, while Tracey Roberts makes for an intriguing mystery woman. I wish Roberts had made more movies; she's definitely a distinctive presence.

Five years earlier and I expect cult director Ulmer would have delivered an atmospheric noir. But not here. The lighting and photography are strictly pedestrian, and it's anybody's guess why. In my book, the results amount to forgettable 50's crime drama.There are a couple of noir earmarks-- a compromised fall guy, a half spider woman-- but crucially there's no noirish mood that might implicate the ambivalent nature of reality itself.

Too bad the star-crossed Payton didn't go out on a stronger note. Still, she looks bored with the whole procedure, so maybe it's just as well.

Murder Is My Beat does not compare with Edgar G. Ulmer's masterpiece Detour. Judged on its own terms, Murder Is My Beat is a more than worthwhile little film. Cheaply made, it has several strengths including its interesting plot, believably hardboiled dialogue, tight direction, and good performances. Most of the story is told in flashback as police detective Ray Patrick (Paul Langton) recounts his investigation into the murder of the aging and wealthy Frank Deane. The man has been found bludgeoned to death, his body burned in a fireplace beyond recognition. Clothing and I.D. discovered on the corpse identify the murder victim. Ray Patrick is soon on the hunt for the suspect, a nightclub singer named Eden Lane (Barbara Payton). The name is obviously chosen to indicate a "bad woman" and the suspect's landlady, Miss Sparrow (Kate McKenna), underlines this when she comments disapprovingly on her tenant's "tight clothes" and remarks on how her first name connotes "original sin." Miss Tight Clothes/Original Sin is on the lam and the committed detective tracks her down, slogging through snow until he finds her hiding out in a cabin owned by the late Frank Deane. World weary and preoccupied, Eden Lane somberly observes, "The only way I can wake up from this nightmare is to go to sleep." However, she seems genuinely shocked to learn Deane is dead. She hit him with a figurine but was it really hard enough to kill him? It would seem that is was. Patrick soon has the job of escorting the convicted murderer to prison on a train ride. It is on the train that the story takes a sharp turn. "No!" Lane exclaims. "It's Frank Deane." She is absolutely certain that she just saw the man she was convicted of murdering alive and well out the train. Patrick is scared she is telling the truth and that he is taking her to an undeserved punishment. He agrees to a "detour" (I could not resist) and the pair jump off the train to devote a week to unraveling the mystery of the alive-or-dead murder victim. The plot takes several major twists and turns before a satisfying resolution occurs. One of the remarkable aspects of Murder Is My Beat is the prominent role played by ceramic figurines. Trains are also used very effectively in opposing ways. Performances are all around credible and praiseworthy. Paul Langton is suitably hard-boiled and courageous as the detective. However, the most noteworthy performance, in this writer's opinion, is that of Barbara Payton. Sadly, Eden Lane was her last role before the scandal ridden actress was blacklisted from the film industry and slid into alcoholism and prostituting herself for small sums. She did a fine job as Eden Lane. While some other reviewers have criticized her as seeming "bored" by the project, the truth is that she gave a deliberately restrained performance that was perfect for the role. Eden Lane appears haunted and that appearance means that we cannot know whether she is the murderer the jury found her to be or the unjustly convicted person she claims to be. What's more, there is a suggestion of vulnerability in her performance that makes it believable that Langton would find her first intriguing and then captivating. Murder Is My Beat is an interesting 77 minutes. For Barbara Payton fans, it is a must-see.

The other reviewer did not have anything good to say about this movie. Well, it is cheaply made and obviously, Edward Ulmer didn't have much of a budget. He mostly directed B-movies anyway. However, this was one of his later films and his star was Barbara Payton. Her sad sad life was on the down-swing at the time she did this, her final film. She was only 28 years old and this marked the end of her career which had started only five years earlier. If you watch this film, you will see a very good performance by Barbara Payton. This may not be a true film-noir, but it is a dark, downbeat drama with a great musical score. I believe this is worth 77 minutes of viewing time. Enjoy!