Now You See Me: flashy but vacuous as only a film with this title and tagline can be. However, as it’s said here and elsewhere, time and again, this is what generally comes with summer fare. It’s a very good-looking cast, but they are not playing characters, they are just reading dialogue as fast as they can to hide the lack of a decent story. Visually slick, but that’s yet another trick for distracting the audience. In that regard, the […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: crime

D.O.A.: a rather run-of-the-mill whodunit, despite the attention-grabbing plot (or story) twist, which allows for some interesting (but ultimately underwhelming) character dynamics. The real problem here, however, is how mishandled the cast is: Edmond O’Brien is not bad, but pretty much everyone else is either stiff as a board or over-acting. Curiously enough, this film has the opposite problem that Rudolph Maté’s other film I watched recently, since this one is visually engaging at times. Read also: Union Station

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: crime

Appointment with Danger: a run-of-the mill crime drama with a good ear for tough-talk dialogue, but harmed by a story that doesn’t make much sense at the particulars. Character motivation is illogical for the most part. Visually, this is unremarkable in every sense, without any shots that stand out. This is a Film B in every sense of the word.

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: crime

Union Station: capable, entertaining crime drama, but ultimately conventional to a fault. For a converted DP as a director, Rudolph Maté creates a very bland and plain film visually. However, he has a good cast to work with, and while both William Holden and Barry Fitzgerald have been in better vehicles, their presence lifts this one from being fully ordinary.

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: crime

Broken City: old-fashioned to the point where it would be more at home with grey suits and  fedoras, rotary phones and high-contrast lighting. The few elements that were introduced that don’t belong to that world feel out of place mostly because they don’t add anything of consequence. The low-key, B-movie roots result in a film that is somewhat entertaining but not as edgy as it would have been.

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: crime