Directed by Carol Reed, written by Graham Greene A broke American writer (Joseph Cotton) receives a job offer from his friend (Orson Welles) and travels to post-war Vienna to accept. On arrival he finds his friend has been hit by a car and killed. As our writer asks a few questions and receives answers from... Continue Reading →
The Big Sleep (1946 version)
Directed by Howard Hawks, written by William Faulkner, Leigh Brackett & Jules Furthman (screenplay), Raymond Chandler (novel) OK, this one's different. It's got great beats, gorgeous women (all over the place), procedural crime, Humphrey Bogart, and it's one of the most damned-complicated plots seen in movies and has a large list of characters. Seriously, you... Continue Reading →
Out of the Past (1947)
Directed by Jacques Tourneur; written by Daniel Mainwaring (screenplay and novel) “Did you miss me?” “No more than I would my eyes.” An ex-P.I. (Robert Mitchum) is sent to track down the wayward girlfriend (Jane Greer) of his old boss (Kirk Douglas). He finds her, falls in love, and ends up in a complicated web... Continue Reading →
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
Directed by Tay Garnett, written by Harry Ruskin, Niven Busch (screen play), James M. Cain (novel) A rambler falls in love with a restaurant owner's wife and the two hatch plans to murder him and be together. Based on James M. Cain's novel, this was an important film for the 'noir' genre and features a... Continue Reading →
Gilda (1946)
Directed by Charles Vidor, written by E.A. Ellington (story), Marion Parsonnet (screenplay) “I hated her, so I couldn’t get her out of my mind for a minute.” Cynicism dresses the stage as a down on his luck but talented grifter gets an honest job at a casino from the head of a cartel that saves... Continue Reading →
Dark Passage (1947)
Directed by Delmer Daves, written by Delmer Daves (screenplay), David Goodis (novel) A convict escapes from prison and is aided by a woman who'd followed the events of his trial, believing him innocent. A manhunt ensues, but the convict (Humphrey Bogart) visits a plastic surgeon for facial reconstruction and slowly falls for the woman who... Continue Reading →
Rope (1948)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, written by Arthur Laurents (screenplay), Patrick Hamilton (play) Two men, morally and intellectually superior, decide to commit a murder just for the thrill. They throw a party with the victim's friends and family in attendance and his body hidden in a chest in the room, but an old college professor (Stewart)... Continue Reading →
The Postman Always Rings Twice
by James M. Cain “Stealing a man’s wife, that’s nothing, but stealing his car, that’s larceny.” A rambler gets thrown off the truck on which he’s been sneaking a ride and finds himself at a small restaurant/gas station. He sees the owner’s stunner of a wife and decides to accept a job offer at the... Continue Reading →
The Collector
by John Fowles “What I’m trying to say is that having her as my guest happened suddenly, it wasn’t something I planned the moment the money came.” They call it a thriller. And it is, heightening suspense and anxiety, but since nearly half the book takes place from the point of view of the disturbed... Continue Reading →
