Coming in at #18 28 Murder, My Sweet (1944) Philip Marlowe: She was a charming middle-aged lady with a face like a bucket of mud. I gave her a drink. She was a gal who'd take a drink if she had to knock you down to get the bottle. There have been several actors who have played Chandler's iconic Philip Marlowe. Powell is my go-to guy for playing the sarcastic, nonviolent detective who loves to drink and talk sh#t with. . . hell, pretty much everyone. For me, this film seems to epitomize a Chandler story while delving into the prose that would become the staple of the genre as well as some of the mannerisms (the smart-ass in particular) to so many private dicks and cops to come.
There is also some great use of camera trickery to delve into the narration and "feel" of this gumshoe tale, playing the sitting duck for the blind with unlimited ammo.
Coming in at #9 27 Gilda (1946) Befitting noir, this explosive love triangle is wrought with every emotionally irrational pitfall and callous manipulation by everyone involved. There is no victim, no hero, no one person without sin, fault, or machination. However, the path is paved for the two leading roles of past lovers of mutual betrayal. Fueling their hatred and igniting their never-ending desire to eventual fruition. It is the fireworks and spiteful sparks preceding it that keep us glued. Hayworth and Ford’s chemistry is believable; their Hate-Love-Hate-Love is a captivating, careening ride as the wheels go flying off the tracks.
The first of two standout secondary characters is Steven Geray’s glib fountain of wisdom, Uncle Pio. He doggedly points out the newly retained Number Two Man, Johnny Farrell’s failings, and his begrudging hopes of Johnny rising above them. The second is Joseph Calleia—his sauve Det. Maurice Obregon is calculating and patient for the inevitable screw-up the guilty always provides. He is forever in the background, swooping in to assess and goad.
Coming in at #21 26 Key Largo (1948) Like numerous Bacall/Bogart films and with the addition of Edward G. Robinson, I've been a fan of this seaside resort with a god-awful storm about to devastate and pummel the coast while some god awful folks intimidate the owner (Lionel Barrymore) and his daughter (Lauren Bacall). The henchmen that slink about are some of my favorite moments in a film I've enjoyed since I was a tyke. This was a guaranteed placement without a recent rewatch.
25 Night and the City (1950) will be my next entry to the Rectification List. I'm a third of the way, and spoiler alert: f@ckin love it.
24 Detour (1945) picked an ideal premise for a low-budget film: the doomed man. Wrong place, wrong time, and the spiraling circumstances of zero breaks and worse-case scenarios squelching any and all grit or determination to make it out again. Inevitably, resigning to the full circle of a “bad car ride.”
I was impressed by the actors' performances. From the pitiful “doomed man” (Tom Neal) to the lashing force (Ann Savage) bullying him down the precarious slope, everyone made commendable representations in this fatalist tale. It was concise, believable, and engaging.
Coming in at #25 22 The Killers (1946) Burt Lancaster's debut, Swede Anderson, is a little out of his league. He's also shot dead in his bed by hitmen. Swede Anderson ain't having the best of times. On the bright side, there is Ava Garnder's Kitty Collins and to be a moth to such a flame. . . well, doesn't necessarily make it the worst of times either.
This is another of my guaranteed placements from my youth, and it may have been higher had I gotten a rewatch of this old favorite.
Coming in at #4 21 Pickup on South Street (1953) This film cinched my admiration for Richard Widmark, compelling me to specifically seek out his films beyond the small roles I had previously seen as psychopaths. The first, I believe, was
Kiss of Death. Here, with sheer style and confidence, Widmark's Skip McCoy welcomes each and every hood, cop, and seductress who thinks they can play him. The opening pickpocket scene of a bag woman is steamy and seedy in true noir form.
The shining star of this is Thelma Ritter's affable snitch, who treats it like a business exchange and nothing more. She steals every scene.
20 Notorious (1946) Been a few years since seeing this excellent matching of Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman. I do not remember how it concludes, so a rewatch would be a fun adventure.
19 Ace in the Hole (1951) While showcasing the callous, parasitic underbelly of journalism, it also shines a light on everyone else and their truer intentions, whether honorable or selfish. A dark, grim ride by the master of storytelling, Billy Wilder. In a kind of literal Trip & Fall as we first meet Kirk Douglas' cocky Reporter, his happenstance discovery of a man pinned in a cave-in in the desert, and the news circus that erupts and its devastating climax.
18 Strangers on a Train (1951) Hitchcock does some excellent camera shots, as is his norm, in this film. Playing with the tension and suspense with, at this point, true Hitchcockian style. Such as the dark bedroom scene as Guy confronts Bruno, tossing the german luger (pistol) down. Hitchcock's camera placement is ideal as Bruno picks it up and follows Guy out to the stairs, the pistol trained on Guy as he slowly walks down the stairs. Almost daring Bruno to shoot him. Another great scene is Bruno stalking Guy's wife, Miriam, at the carnival.
Coming in at #5 17 The Big Heat (1953) Director Fritz Lang has a strong penchant for walking the darker side when it comes to his films and the characters therein. So that, by contrast, the righteous indignation of Glenn Ford's Dave Bannion shines even brighter through the muck and mire of corruption, deceit and violence that permeates this hotbed noir.
The only moments of honesty are found in Bannion's home life. The mistaken murder of his wife via a car bomb intended for him propels an already determined officer of the law to find out not only the truth behind a Suicide Note and the fake remorse of the widow but also to pursue those responsible for his wife's death. No matter how protected they are.
Specifically, a violent grease-ball underling to the local Gangster Boss, Vince Stone (Lee Marvin), is a vicious snake in an expensive suit, ready to run whenever things get heavy. Much of the more volatile scenes revolve around him and his "girl," Debby Marsh. What could easily have been a one-dimensional character is given depth by the Lady of Noir, Gloria Grahame. Their explosive and revenge-riddled conclusion makes for an exciting climax to this film.
Watched 53 out of 86 (61.63%) 1. The Asphalt Jungle (1950) (#16) 2.
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4. Pickup on South Street (1953) (#21) 5. The Big Heat (1953) (#17) 6.
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8. Panic In The Streets (1950) (#98) 9. Gilda (1946) (#27) 10. Act of Violence (1948) (#61) 11. Ride The Pink Horse (1947) (#45) 12.
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14. Odd Man Out (1947) (#47) 15.
16. Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950) (#66) 17. The Stranger (1946) (#38) 18. Murder, My Sweet (1944) (#38) 19.
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21. Key Largo (1946) (#26) 22. Body and Soul (1947) (#94) 23. The Naked City (1948) (#98) 24. Dead Reckoning (1946) (#95) 25. The Killers (1946) (#22) Rectification List Stranger on the Third Floor (1940) (#92) Too Late for Tears (1949) (#81) Kansas City Confidential (1952) (#53)