Films That Matter
Hey Tony!
A rare Pre-Code film that still echoes through the lineage of movies to this day, influencing the gangster genre is the Howard Hughes produced, Howard Hawks directed, Ben Hecht written Scarface (1932) – with its elements playing an integral part in setting up the archetypal template for generations to come (just think of the works of Martin Scorsese, Brian De Palma and Francis Ford Coppola four, five, and six decades later). Ripped from the headlines at the time, this fast paced and snappy gem doesn’t feel like it’s made in 1932, the limitations of the early ‘talkie’ era hardly noticeable. The camera gracefully moves around, be it reenacting the movement of a Tommy gun or introducing us to the players in a room.
-
L.A. Heat
BackfireNovember 18, 2025Sometimes, even the best laid plans for your future, discussed and organized for years, Backfire (1950). A post World War II, Los Angeles set film noir directed by Vincent Sherman proves that in life, nothing is a guarantee. Set over Christmas and New Years 1948, even though we are three years on from the conclusion of the War, soldier Bob Corey (Gordon McRae) is still convalescing at an army hospital after undergoing numerous back surgeries. Relying on fellow military tank buddy Steve Connelly (Edmond O’Brien – D.O.A.; The Hitch-Hiker) to do all the legwork (and military paperwork) to fulfil their long talked about plan... that is, to find a ranch property that they can go oil hunting on, they finally think “we’re out of the jungle now”... alas, they’re far from it.
-
Pointing the Finger
Finger ManNovember 11, 2025Christmas Eve – usually a day of family togetherness, holy happiness and plenty of joy... that is, unless you’ve been picked up by the coppers and they’re putting the mighty squeeze on you. Directed by Harold D. Schuster, the 1955 crime thriller film noir Fingerman (sometimes spelled Finger Man) finds a longtime mid level thug with good street cred given a less than envious gift for the holidays – the chance to put a sting on one of the most dangerous criminal bosses thriving on rackets in at least eleven different States. Voice-over narrated by our stuck between a rock and a hard place protagonist, Casey Martin (Frank Lovejoy – In a Lonely Place; The Hitch-Hiker), he has recently been nabbed by the Treasury Agency (A.K.A. the T-Men), with their boss, Mr. Burns (Hugh Sanders), giving him his one and only choice – help them grab one Dutch Becker (Forrest Tucker) – a wealthy criminal mastermind who has his dirty paws in everything from illegal alcohol and gambling, to night clubs and prostitution.
-
Crash and Burn Out?
CrashoutNovember 7, 2025Starting out with a riotous jailbreak, the 1955 film noir Crashout, directed by Lewis R. Foster, finds six of the grittiest criminals working together to make a lengthy trip to get their hands on a briefcase full of cold hard cash. Led by the man with the plan and a slug in his back (courtesy of the jailbreak), Van Morgan Duff (William Bendix – The Big Steal; Who Done It?), rules the escapees with an iron fist... it helps that he is the only person who knows where the money is hidden.
-
What Could Have Been: City of Shadows
November 4, 2025The one armed bandit (also known as the slot machine)... a dream for a select few winners, a nightmare for most others. Gambling, in many ways, can be an addictive curse, but could that also be the case for those thugs running the machines too? A crime centred noir-lite directed by William Witney, City of Shadows (1955), may just answer the above question. Big Tim Channing (Victor McLagen), is not living up to his name, as his thuggish fellow racketeers Tony Finetti (Anthony Caruso) and Angelo Di Bruno (Richard Reeves) are dominating the slot game, as his dilapidated machines are out of order half the time. That is, until a street wise twelve year old orphan, Dan Mason (as a young boy, Jimmy Grohman), gives him the grift that will put him back on top.
-
A Rundown
Caught StealingSeptember 18, 2025Reveling in its 1990's era setting, Darren Aronofsky’s crime thriller Caught Stealing (2025), finds new ground within the criminal underworld while also being somewhat reminiscent of movies from that time period like Guy Ritchie’s early works in Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) and Snatch (2000), as well as one offs like The Fugitive (1993), Carlito’s Way (1993), The Boondock Saints (1999), and several others. A rare change of pace for Aronofsky
-
Rocky Terrain
Red Rock WestJuly 20, 2025You always know you’re in for something rather interesting when a mysterious drifter walks into some small town in a movie... which is just the case in Red Rock West (1993), a neo-noir infused modern western crime thriller co-written and directed by John Dahl (his brother Rick, the other writer and associate producer). The drifter is Michael (Nicolas Cage – in a more reserved performance), an injured former Marine and rather quiet Texan who is simply looking for some oil field work in Wyoming... but is having no luck. Down to his final five bucks, he drives to the next closest town, Red Rock, and pops into a bar for a drink.