Charred and Rare
Crime Wave (1954)
directed by André De Toth
rating: 4 out of 5 cravats
on DVD from Netflix
Crime Wave is a noir where the lights are brightest right up in front of the camera. The night gets dark very quickly just beyond the foreground, and ill-intentioned men lurch out of nowhere into the frame, then jump back into the shadows. Instead of luxuriating in the soft touch of a moonless city, De Toth makes it menacing; safety is public places, like the inside of a diner or the train station. The director keeps time with the pace and routes of patrol cars driving slow with the radio on. As the audience, we sit in the back, but having a friend drive you around is a great way to see Los Angeles.
De Toth reportedly fought for Sterling Hayden, and I'd bet dollars to donuts that Robert Shaw was a fan of his fine performance as Detective Lieutenant Sims. It was the Indianapolis I heard in Hayden's cadence: the same build-up, same pause, same slow impact and upward inflection.
"Yeah, I know. Sober, industrious, expert mechanic on airplane engines. A pilot before the sent him up. Now works at a private airport in Sunland, right?"
"Right."
"Call him."
The best studio pictures have a deep bench, and everyone in this 73 minute gem - from Timothy Carey to Jay Novello to Dub Taylor - is a credit to the industry and the plot. Hank Worden plays as close to normal as he ever could, and all kinds of beautiful women seem to fill in around the frames. They work at the police department, at the all-night coffee shop, and one of them is married to the ex-con we care about. Noirs always suit a rainy 10 pm, but only a few make you wish it rained the next day. This is one of them.
directed by André De Toth
rating: 4 out of 5 cravats
on DVD from Netflix
Crime Wave is a noir where the lights are brightest right up in front of the camera. The night gets dark very quickly just beyond the foreground, and ill-intentioned men lurch out of nowhere into the frame, then jump back into the shadows. Instead of luxuriating in the soft touch of a moonless city, De Toth makes it menacing; safety is public places, like the inside of a diner or the train station. The director keeps time with the pace and routes of patrol cars driving slow with the radio on. As the audience, we sit in the back, but having a friend drive you around is a great way to see Los Angeles.
De Toth reportedly fought for Sterling Hayden, and I'd bet dollars to donuts that Robert Shaw was a fan of his fine performance as Detective Lieutenant Sims. It was the Indianapolis I heard in Hayden's cadence: the same build-up, same pause, same slow impact and upward inflection.
"Yeah, I know. Sober, industrious, expert mechanic on airplane engines. A pilot before the sent him up. Now works at a private airport in Sunland, right?"
"Right."
"Call him."
The best studio pictures have a deep bench, and everyone in this 73 minute gem - from Timothy Carey to Jay Novello to Dub Taylor - is a credit to the industry and the plot. Hank Worden plays as close to normal as he ever could, and all kinds of beautiful women seem to fill in around the frames. They work at the police department, at the all-night coffee shop, and one of them is married to the ex-con we care about. Noirs always suit a rainy 10 pm, but only a few make you wish it rained the next day. This is one of them.
posted by NPK at 6:19 PM
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