Van Morgan Duff: “It takes all kinds to make a world – especially suckers.”
Starting 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.
Following him are: Luther ‘Swanee’ Remsen (William Talman – Armored Car Robbery; The Hitch-Hiker) – an edgy thug who keeps an acidic darkness running through his veins despite having turned to religion; Pete Mendoza (Luther Adler – D.O.A.) – the lone foreigner who is always talking about his skill at picking up women; Maynard ‘Monk’ Collins (Gene Evans – Armored Car Robbery; Shock Corridor) – another hardened murderer; William ‘Billy’ Lang (Marshall Thompson – Dial 1119; Mystery Street) – the soft spoken baby face of the group; and Joe Quinn (Arthur Kennedy – Nine Guests for a Crime) – an embezzler and the only one of the gang not to have committed a crime that ends in a fatality.
Utilizing anything at their means to make the trek north across state lines while avoiding a return to the clink; threats, kidnapping, robbery, hijacking, and even murder are all on the table. Turning into the darkest version of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles you’ll ever see (minus the aviation part), you can’t say these wise guys aren’t creative. . . but, as time goes by, it slowly becomes clear that their biggest challenge might not be coming from those trying to apprehend them, but from their own circle. Will the grizzly crew be able to evade threats from both outside and within as they try to make it rich? Might anyone try to make a dash for freedom away from the authoritarian leadership of Van?
Filled with fantastic character actors rounding out the grittily written personas, each one of the thugs feels wholly different and unique. A few of them even get some love interests, with Billy Lang’s soft face swaying a kindly Girl on the Train (Gloria Talbott), while the least violent of the lot, Joe, quickly falls for the abducted Alice Mosher (Beverly Michaels) – who has her own complicated past. Outside of the bossy Van, the rest bide their time, take what they want, or talk too much – each of those tactics dangerous in their own particular way.
A gritty crime noir that, like City of Shadows and On Dangerous Ground, concludes in the snowy northern mountains, Crashout is the type of movie that makes its audience feel as grimy as the characters they’re watching onscreen. Borrowing much of the opening jailbreak from scenes shot for the film noir Riot in Cell Block 11 (1954) directed by the great Don Siegal (Dirty Harry), following that, Foster infuses crime, thrills, drama, a touch of romance, and a number of noir themes (like pessimism and cynicism, as well as plenty of moral ambiguity and even some fatalism) to the narrative to add engaging layers amongst the argumentative group. Though the ending might be a tad lackluster for some, the rest makes it a most dynamic watch. Lastly, it’s also worth noting that cinematographer Russell Metty, best known for features like Touch of Evil and The Stranger, adds some pizzazz to the numerous night scenes. So, don’t turn on this hidden gem of a noir, instead, find out if its’s worth the money.