Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by tinear (A) on April 30, 2011 at 12:43:14

did exactly as its name advertises: it murdered in an efficient, absolutely effective manner. Peter Falk got a well-deserved Oscar nomination for his unusual portrayal as a vicious hitman with just enough personality to make him three-dimensional and truly terrifying. Stuart Whitman is professionally effective as the weak-husband: with his magnificent voice and physique, not an easy task! May Britt, in a sensational, screen-torching portrayal, walks away with every scene--- except the nitroglycerin-laced ones she shares with Falk.
Lefke is well-played, as well, and never sinks to triteness. Look for Sarah Vaughan in a cameo that shows you what all the fuss was about: NO voice ever has had, before or since, such absolute control or warmth. This is not your average crime or noir film: it is very dark, it takes time fully to develop many characters. It should be far higher rated.
"Down Three Dark Streets:" another dark gem, though far different. An FBI investigator is working three difficult cases when he is shot dead. Broderick Crawford, in a role showing his ability to breathe life into a one-dimensional conceit, plays the partner who takes over his fallen friend's cases as the bodies begin to mount. Like the previous film, this also is based on true cases. Martha Hyers and Ruth Roman are beautiful, though in opposite ways: Roman is sexy as a repressed widow and Hyers, as the expensive gangster's moll, gives a great Marilyn Monroe impersonation. Martha, I'd argue, is far prettier. Anyhow, the climax is unexpected and fantastic, with a clever nod to Hitchcock.
Both are highly recommended. It is a bit sad to realize that the police genre has really degenerated into excessive violence and needless sensationalism. Played, as they two are, as non-ironic, non-symbolic depictions of human depravity and greed, the impact is far greater.