TORMENTED: A Little Film From Mr. B.I.G.

TORMENTED (Blu-ray)

1960 / 74 min

FROM FILM MASTERS

Review by Mr. Paws😺

For most of his career, the late Bert I. Gordon certainly lived up to his initials. This B-movie auteur was best known for economically cranking out a variety of killer creature features that mostly played in drive-ins for the teen crowd. 

If you’re of a certain age, perhaps you recall such schlockly classics as Beginning of the End, Earth vs. the Spider and The Amazing Colossal Man…if not from the days of local late-night TV, then maybe the original Mystery Science Theater 3000, which featured quite a few of his flicks. Yours truly is old enough to recall spending his own allowance to catch one of Gordon’s last critterfests, 1976’s The Food of the Gods, in a theater.

Gordon sometimes dabbled in other genres, usually budget-conscious versions of bigger and better films that were popular at the time, but seldom straying too far from his horror roots. One such film is 1960’s Tormented, a surprisingly atmospheric little ghost story. I remember once having TCM on the TV as background noise when this came on. Despite the director’s dubious reputation, I found it engaging enough to drop what I was doing and see it through. 

Not that Tormented is some kind of lost classic. It’s still a cheap film…but a pretty well made cheap film - for Bert I. Gordon, anyway - with decent performances and a good story. Jazz musician Tom Stewart (Richard Carlson) is about to marry new girlfriend Meg (Lugene Sanders) in Cape Cod when old flame Vi (Juli Reding) shows up. Still in love with him, she begs Tom to come back to her, even threatening blackmail. 

IKEA has some weird-ass room decor.

While they’re arguing atop a local lighthouse, the railing breaks. Hanging on for dear life, Vi begs Tom for help. He refuses and she falls to her death into the sea. While initially reasoning that he didn’t actually kill her himself, Vi returns from beyond to haunt him, still determined to stop the wedding. Like The Tell-Tale Heart, visions of her disembodied appendages, or finding jewelry he once gave her, could be manifestations of his guilt. But either way, Tormented is a fun little ghost story that establishes a moody tone with its seaside locations and, considering the budget, not-half-bad special effects.

Of course, being the work of Bert I. Gordon means Tormented isn’t without its goofy aspects, which are amusingly exploited in an old Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode included among this disc’s excellent batch of extras. Countering Joel and his robot friends’ merciless riffing are a few revealing bonus features that might have one appreciating what Gordon was always able to put together with very little money.

EXTRA KIBBLES

MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 VERSION - From 1992, featuring Joel, Crow & Tom Servo.

BERT I. GORDON: THE AMAZING COLOSSAL FILMMAKER - An 8 minute archival interview with the late director.

BIGGER THAN LIFE: BERT I. GORDON IN THE 1950’s and 1960’s - An excellent 40 minute appreciation by C. Courtney Joyner. The best of the new bonus features.

THE SPIRIT IS WILLING: CINEMAGIC AND SOCIAL DISCORD IN BERT I. GORDON’S TORMENTED - The Flying Maciste Brothers attach some seriously weighty themes to this little potboiler…kinda the antithesis of the MST3K episode.

FAMOUS GHOST STORIES - An unreleased TV pilot featuring Vincent Price, thought the episode itself is just an abridged version of Tormented.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By Gary Rhodes and Larry Blamire.

ORIGINAL AND RE-CUT, RESTORED TRAILERS

SUPPLEMENTAL BOOKLET - Includes an essay by Tom Weaver, as well as an interview with Susan Gordon, Bert’s daughter who plays little andy Hubbard.

MEAN GUNS : An Off-Kilter Killfest

MEAN GUNS (Blu-ray)

1997 / 104 min

FROM MVD REWIND COLLECTION

Review by Mr. Bonnie😼

I don’t know if I’d go so far as to call Mean Guns a good action movie, but there’s too much of a weird-ass vibe to dismiss it entirely.

A crime organization known as The Syndicate has bankrolled a maximum security prison in the middle of downtown Los Angeles. But before they turn it over to the city, they decide to use the place to purge a few dozen associates who supposedly betrayed them. So when a variety of thugs and killers arrive, they find themselves trapped and forced to fight to the death, with the three remaining survivors splitting a $10 million prize. They are also provided with weapons to make sure the contest is over within six hours (otherwise everyone will die).

That’s the essential plot, which is inherently ridiculous, but not what makes Mean Guns such a perplexing way to kill two hours. With the exception of Cam (Deborah Van Valkenburgh), a mob accountant who didn’t know she was a mob accountant, everyone shows up willingly. One main character, Lou (Christopher Lambert), actually drives up with a kid in the car and tells her to wait there until he’s finished. Rather than be horrified, most of these people seem genuinely excited to be fighting for their lives. Even the syndicate boss who gathered everyone there, snarling platinum-toothed master-of-ceremonies Vincent Moon (Ice-T), gets in on the action.

Christopher Lambert corners his hairstylist.

Stranger yet is the dialogue, which is sometimes funny, other times really bizarre, such as Marcus’ frequent monologues where he appears to be saying something deep, but I’ll be damned if I know what he’s talking about. Character behavior often changes without warning, so we ultimately don’t know who to root for or against, including the kid, who not only appears unfazed by the surrounding mayhem, she even asks Marcus to shoot somebody at one point. Maybe it’s just me, but the tonal, character and narrative inconsistencies appear to be by design.

Much of the credit (or blame) must go to the late Albert Pyun, the prolific director behind such B-movie bonanzas as The Sword and the Sorcerer, Cyborg, Brainsmasher…A Love Story and more Nemesis movies than anyone asked for. He also has the distinction of being the first to bring Captain America to the screen, with hilarious results. I wouldn’t call those movies any good either, but with Mean Guns, he seems to be striving for a slightly off-kilter look and tone. To what end, I don’t know. Maybe Pyun doesn’t either, but at least he inserts just enough WTF moments to keep our attention.

 

Mean Guns needs them, too, because the action itself is perfunctory and surprisingly bloodless, which soon becomes pretty rote. Movies consisting of a single sustained conflict are difficult to pull off successfully and Pyun isn’t up to the challenge. However, the quirky curveballs, oddball characters, strange music score and all-in performances keep it from getting too boring.

EXTRA KIBBLES

INTERVIEWS - Individual interviews (running 20-30 minutes each) featuring producer Gary Schmoleller, executive producer Paul Rosenblum and composer Anthony Riparetti. All three discuss their own career histories and making movies with director Albert Pyun. 

OPTIONAL INTRODUCTION - By director Albert Pyun.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By director Albert Pyun. 

TRAILER

MINI POSTER

REVERSIBLE ARTWORK

Litter Box Treasures: THE GUMBALL RALLY (1976)

In Litter Box Treasures, we focus on a variety of older films which aren’t necessarily classics, but are well-worth discovering.

THE GUMBALL RALLY (1976)

Starring Michael Sarrazin, Tim McIntire, Normann Burton, Raul Julia, Gary Busey, Nicholas Pryor, Harvey Jason, Susan Flannery, John Durren, J. Pat O'Malley, Vaughn Taylor, Steven Keats, Wally Taylor, Joanne Nail, Tricia O'Neal, Lazaro Perez. Directed by Chuck Bail. (105 min).

ESSAY BY D.M. ANDERSON💀

The Gumball Rally evokes really fond memories, so please indulge me if I give this film more praise than the genre generally warrants.

Nearly every week as a kid, I'd hit the Cinema V, a local second-run theater near my house, to catch double-bills for less than a buck. Sometimes I biked there, other times Mom or Dad would drop me off with a friend. The place was old, dank and sold Milk Duds dating back to the Middle Ages. As hang-outs go, it was second only to 7-Eleven as the most wonderful place in the world. That's where I first caught The Gumball Rally (with a Vanishing Point chaser). I'd seen plenty of car chase movies before - which had their heyday in the 70s - but this one struck a chord with me and remains one of my childhood favorites.

On the other hand, maybe it does warrant more acknowledgment & praise than its relative obscurity suggests.

Superficially, The Gumball Rally is just another car chase movie made during a decade rife with them. It has most of the same ingredients...hot cars, outlaw antiheroes, idiot cops, sexy babes, a plot with the complexity of Go Dog Go and, naturally, plenty of high-speed motorporn. A few of these crash-fests went on to become cult classics - like the aforementioned Vanishing Point - but most were brain-dead junk food made on-the-cheap and destined to be forgotten within weeks of their release.

But while The Gumball Rally walks & talks like its contemporaries, beneath its turbo-charged exterior beats the heart of old-fashioned madcap comedies like The Great Race, Monte Carlo or Bust and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (with a dash of Looney Tunes). The humor is broad, silly...even a little corny. But the whole thing is constantly good-natured and what little violence there is is strictly of the slapstick variety. In fact, if not for the preponderance of boob jokes, this could (almost) pass muster as a family film.

What's wrong with this picture?
(That's right...the driver on the right doesn't have insurance)

Unusual for the genre - at least until Burt Reynolds went into the Smokey and the Bandit business - the film boasts an impressive ensemble cast consisting of respected character actors, led by Michael Sarrazin (channeling his inner Peter Fonda...and a bit of Bugs Bunny thrown in for good measure). The fun they have with their characters (no matter how broadly drawn) is infectious. A young Raul Julia steals the show as oversexed Italian race driver Franco - Pepe Le Pew personified - while Normann Burton makes a perfect Wile E. Coyote (beleaguered expression and all) as the hapless Lt. Roscoe.

Though The Gumball Rally is played strictly for laughs, it doesn't skimp on high-speed thrills, which are expertly choreographed and shot, with far better production values than the average chase film of the time. It's all punctuated by a music score that combines ragtime, jazz and what resembles music from a Quinn Martin cop show. Yet somehow it fits, going a long way in establishing the jovial tone of the entire movie.

Sure, I may be biased, but what can't be disputed is the movie's influence. Not only was The Gumball Rally was the first of a wave of similar films depicting an illegal coast-to-coast road race (all inferior rip-offs), it eventually inspired real-life racing events all over the world, the most famous being the annual Gumball 3000, still held in Europe each year. Additionally, the MiceChat Gumball Rally is a yearly event at Disneyland, where fans compete to see who can ride the most attractions in a single day.

Not bad for a silly chase comedy hardly anyone recalls. For me, the movie is a nostalgic trip down memory lane that I take about once a year. I may not laugh as boisterously as I did at 13, sitting in the back row of that decrepit old Cinema V, but The Gumball Rally still brings a smile to my face.

FEAR IS THE KEY: Fast, Fun...and Largely Forgotten

FEAR IS THE KEY (Blu-ray)

1972 / 104 min

FROM ARROW VIDEO

Review by Mr. Paws😺

What are we to make of John Talbot?

In the opening act alone, Talbot (Barry Newman) raises hell in a Louisiana diner, gets arrested and escapes during his trial, shooting a cop and taking Sarah Ruthven (Suzy Kendall) hostage. Then he steals a car and leads the police on a harrowing 20 minute car chase. That chase is easily the action highlight of the film, rivaling those in such classics as Bullitt and The Seven Ups.

The mayhem ends only after Talbot is captured by Herman Jablonsky (Dolph Sweet), who turns Talbot over to Sarah’s millionaire father for the reward. It turns out Ruthven and his shady partner, Vyland (John Vernon), have plans for Talbot’s deep sea salvage skills, mainly his ability to operate a submersible. 

But right from the get-go - partially because of the prologue - the viewer doesn’t quite trust what they’re seeing. Something tells us Talbot’s not the violent criminal he seems, which eventually bears itself out as the plot unfolds. What he and others are really up to is part of what keeps Fear is the Key compelling after we catch our breath from the slam-bang chase sequence. 

Offensive driving.

In fact, it’s almost like watching two different movies. The first half is reminiscent of the cult classic, Vanishing Point, which was released the previous year and briefly established Newman as sort of an antihero. The second half plays more like a Bond-type thriller, albeit on a lower budget. Even Roy Budd’s jazzy score evolves into something sounding more like John Barry. And hey…isn't that none other than Ben Kingsley (with hair!) as one of Vyland’s henchmen?

Too bad hardly anyone remembers this one. It never became a classic...or even a cult classic. Hell, I didn’t know anything about it until checking out this Blu-ray from Arrow Video. Fear is the Key is a forgotten gem that deserves the audience it never found back in the ‘70s (in the U.S., anyway). The extended car chase alone is worth the price of admission, but while the rest of the film may seem a little anticlimactic, it’s a highly entertaining adaptation of one of Alistair MacLean’s more unusual novels.

EXTRA KIBBLES

NOTE: Free Kittens Movie Guide was provided with a promo disc for review purposes. Physical supplemental material included with the final product (booklets, artwork, inserts, etc) were not available for review.

A DIFFERENT KIND OF SPY GAME - Visual essay by critic Scout Tofoya, who provides a lot of great context.

PRODUCING THE ACTION - This 30-minute interview with associate producer Gavrik Losey is sometimes a little rambling, but he has a lot of great anecdotes about the production.

FEAR IN THE KEY OF BUDD - Historian Neil Brand discusses Roy Budd’s jazzy score.

BAYOU TO BAY - A collection of archival interviews with various crew members.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By critic/filmmaker Howard S. Berger.

TRAILER

POSTER, BOOKLET AND NEW COVER ART (not reviewed)

ADVENTURES IN THE BUDGET BIN: The Pricey Pillow Party

A REPORT BY MR. BISCUITS🐈

Were pillows always this fucking expensive? 

To be clear, I’m not referring to the decorative throw pillows that Mama Kitty sometimes buys to spice up the living room sofa, replacing older ones that have apparently lost their spiciness. Since those are a pretty penny, too, I’ve occasionally asked her how many throw pillows one living room actually needs.

“I dunno,” she snarked one time. “How many copies of Jaws does one guy need on his video shelf?” Well played, Mama Kitty, well played.

Put that way, I guess I understand. If a new teal throw pillow is somehow an upgrade from the teal throw pillow already sitting on our couch, who am I to judge? At least it makes her happy, though I do think any pillow with an $80 price tag should at least come with a side of onion rings.

However, I’m actually referring to the plain old pillows we use for sleeping. I don’t recall paying exorbitant sums for them in the past. Or maybe they were always expensive and I just wasn’t paying attention. For me, a pillow is a just pillow…something to be replaced after the old one got too flat. And was ten bucks…tops.

During our recent date night (Starbucks & shopping on Saturday afternoons), Mama Kitty wanted to grab a couple of new ones to fill the pillowcases she just bought. Perhaps you’re thinking, “Why not just put the perfectly good pillows you already have in them?” While I might have thought the very same thing, suggesting as much would likely result in a snarky retort about my recent purchase of the entire Godfather Trilogy on 4K to replace my Godfather Trilogy on Blu-ray, which had replaced my Godfather Trilogy on DVD, which replaced my Godfather Trilogy on VHS. I ain’t gonna open up that can of worms.

So off we went to Marshall’s, which, as department stores go, is generally pretty affordable. Mama Kitty found two options…fluffy white pillows for $35 or fluffy white pillows for $50. Naturally, she chose the $50 ones. That’s a lot of cash for something I’m just gonna end up drooling on in my sleep. And they didn’t even come with onion rings.

We left Marshall’s with my wallet noticeably lighter, but not so light that a quick stop at Big Lots was out of the question. While Mama Kitty popped into Craft Warehouse next door, I made my way to Big Lots’ movie rack, where I found Exorcist: The Beginning (Blu-ray/$4.99). I wouldn’t call this prequel a good film…besides Die Hard 2, what Renny Harlan movie really is? But it does complete my Exorcist collection on Blu-ray, and if nothing else, it’s still better than Exorcist II: The Heretic.

How Father Merrin disposes of his old pillows.

It was actually a good day for collection completion. On the same shelf was Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Blu-ray/$4.99), the first film in the reboot/prequel trilogy (whatever you want to call it). Though I already own the DVD, I had the other two on Blu-ray and my video shelf just seemed incomplete without all three of them in the same format, not to mention the upgrade in picture & sound quality. 

I also grabbed a couple of blind buys, Becky (Blu-ray/$3.99) and a double-feature disc pairing Identity & Vacancy (Blu-ray/$6.99). Blind buys are less of a risk at five bucks a pop, and since I always meant to check these out, why not? I guess they could all be considered horror films, though after watching Identity, I’d say it’s more of a mystery thriller, and a pretty good one at that. Vacancy, however, is a bucket of monkey shit. As for Becky, I discovered I like Kevin James a lot more when he’s not trying to be funny (in fact, he’s pretty fucking creepy here, playing a vicious neo-Nazi).

All told, that’s five flicks for half the cost of a new pillow. But before leaving the store, I checked Big Lots’ bedding section to see if we could’ve found cheaper pillows. Sure enough, they had plenty of ‘em for only twenty bucks. I briefly considered snarking at Mama Kitty over her lack of comparison shopping skills, but thought better of it, especially since these $20 jobs didn’t feel nearly as cozy. Maybe a pillow isn’t always just a pillow.

LOST NOIR, PART 2: More Overlooked Film Noir Thrillers

LOST NOIR, PART 2: 10 More Overlooked Film Noir Thrillers from the Classic Era (with one exception)

BY D.M. ANDERSON💀

I'm relatively late to the party when it comes to film noir. Sure, I've seen the indisputable classics, but wasn't until doing Blu-ray reviews that I've come to love this dark new world. Well, new to me anyway.

Part of my appreciation for the genre comes from the good films that, for one reason or another, have somehow fallen into relative obscurity compared to, say, Double Indemnity. The following essay is a round-up of some noteworthy, lesser-known examples of film noir released during the genre’s heyday (with one more modern exception). So while you won’t find any Bogarts, Stanwicks or elusive falcons, these films are worth checking out by noir fans looking for something beyond the classics. And fortunately, all are easy to find on home video.

CROSSFIRE (1947) - A whole lotta Roberts here (Young, Mitchum and Ryan), all of whom have appeared in their fair share of film noir classics. Then there’s the sultry Gloria Grahame, also no stranger to the genre. In fact, you could say that about a majority of the cast. Director Edward Dmytryk even gives Crossfire the look and feel we most-associate with film noir (though that could be because he didn’t have much of a budget to work with). However, one might not call it film noir in the purest sense. Narratively speaking, Crossfire unfolds more like a mystery with plenty of pre-Rashomon flashbacks filling in the blanks. It’s also a crime drama with a message, one with a lot more social importance than “Don’t light that dame’s cigarette.” One of the very first films to deal with anti-semitism, the plot involves a brutal murder which is eventually revealed to be a “hate crime,” decades before that was even a term. 

REPEAT PERFORMANCE (1947) - Whether or not Repeat Performance is true film noir is certainly open for debate. Noir guru Eddie Muller even acknowledges as much during his introduction to the film. After all, the basic concept seems more Rod Serling than Raymond Chandler. The plot does, at times, unfold like an extended Twilight Zone episode. It opens with our amiable heroine, Sheila Page, shooting husband Barney on New Year’s Eve. After wishing aloud to friend William Williams that she could re-do the whole year over again, Sheila’s wish is granted, this time with knowledge of what’s going to happen. However, she’s the only one who knows. Though certainly debatable, I’d argue even The Twilight Zone often ventured into noir territory, narratively as well as aesthetically. Sure, this film is primarily a supernatural melodrama, but one could easily argue it has its own femme fatale in homewrecking playwrite Paula Costello. The suspenseful final act definitely has the look, pace and tone of classic noir.

THE BEAST MUST DIE (1956) - Not to be confused with the 1974 British horror film, The Beast Must Die is a crackling Argentinian crime thriller just waiting to be re-discovered by film noir fans. But that’s not our initial impression. When sadistic, cold-blooded businessman Jorge Rattery claims he’s been poisoned just before dropping dead, we assume we’re in for a whodunit, especially since everyone in the room appears to have a good motive for murder. At first, the prime suspect is Felix Lane, a mystery writer whose diary reveals he was indeed planning to kill Jorge. But what are we to make of Jorge’s young stepson, seen hiding - and later destroying - the bottle containing the poison? It’s at this point the film turns into a tale of bitter revenge in the best noir tradition. The remaining narrative is presented in flashback. Felix’s son is killed in a hit & run and the police have no leads. So after a grieving period, Felix vows to find and kill the culprit on his own, a tall order since there are no witnesses. But eventually, he learns the passenger in the car is famous actress Linda Lawson and insinuates himself into her life in hopes of learning the identity of the driver. When he finally does, Felix sets about earning Jorge’s trust, waiting for the opportunity to catch him off guard.

THE GUILTY (1947) - In The Guilty, Mike Carr recounts the story of an unusual relationship between himself, troubled ex-war buddy & roommate Johnny and twin sisters Estelle and Linda. Estelle is essentially the “bad” girl who’s tumultuously involved with both men, but Johnny eventually falls in love with “good” girl Linda (which Estelle selfishly tries to disrupt). When Linda turns up murdered, Johnny is naturally the prime suspect, especially since he suffers from PTSD and is prone to blackouts. Though he declares he’s innocent, Johnny goes on the run, while Mike does a little investigating of his own. With an intriguing story, economical direction by John Reinhardt and excellent performances - especially Don Castle - The Guilty is an intriguing little thriller with a great twist ending.

HIGH TIDE (1947) - High Tide gives us cynical private dick Tim Slade, hired to protect unscrupulous newspaper editor Hugh Fresney from the wrath of local gangster Nick Dyke, the subject of an upcoming bombshell news story. But it becomes a murder investigation when the paper’s owner, Clinton Vaughn, is killed. Though Dyke is a primary suspect, one can’t rule out Vaughn’s money-grubbing trophy wife, Julie, with whom Slade once had a relationship. Like The Guilty, this one is presented in flashback and features another nifty twist ending, but boasts a more intricate storyline with intriguing plot turns along the way. Again, Don Castle makes an excellent protagonist. Speaking of which, it’s a shame he didn’t have a bigger career. His resemblance to Clark Gable notwithstanding, he had a naturalistic style all his own which certainly suited film noir. 

I WOULDN’T BE IN YOUR SHOES (1948) - While lacking the budget and production values that attract big stars and directors, this briskly paced, efficiently directed little slab of film noir is a fairly entertaining way to kill 70 minutes. The film opens with Tom Quinn on death row, due to be executed in a few hours. In flashbacks, the man recalls the events leading up to that point. He and Ann Quinn are a down-on-their-luck husband & wife dance team living in a tiny apartment. One night, a frustrated Tom throws his shoes out the window at a howling cat, but when he goes out to retrieve them, they’re gone. The next day, their luck appears to be taking a turn for the better. Not only have his shoes been mysteriously returned to their doorstep, Tom later finds a wallet containing $2000. Meanwhile, an old man with a shady past has been murdered. Later, the police match an imprint with one of Tom’s shoes, then identify bills spent by the couple as belonging to the victim. Tom is arrested, convicted and sentenced to die, though Ann insists he’s innocent. She implores Inspector Judd to help her find the real killer. Since he’s somewhat enamored with her, she offers to marry him if he can prove Tom’s innocence. 

SUDDEN FEAR (1952)  - In the opening scene, wealthy playwright Myra Hudson (Joan Crawford) is watching rehearsals for her latest play. Unimpressed by budding actor Lester Blane (Jack Palance), she decides he’s simply not suited to be a romantic leading man. She could just as easily be talking about Palance himself. But unlike Lester, I doubt he ever expected to be. Jack knew his real strength as an actor was being scary as hell...sometimes without even saying anything. That’s why he’s perfectly cast here (one of his earliest major roles). Though Lester doesn’t get the part in Myra’s play, he doesn’t appear to hold any grudges as he courts, charms and eventually marries her during the film’s first act. However, Palance’s face, eyes and voice provide all the foreshadowing the viewer needs to suspect Lester has a sinister agenda. And indeed he does. He and gold-digging girlfriend Irene (the lovely Gloria Grahame) plan on killing Myra for the millions he stands to inherit. Unfortunately for them, Myra learns of their scheme because she left the dictation machine on in her office.

THEY WON’T BELIEVE ME (1947) - As Larry Ballentine, Robert Young is an absolute, irredeemable bastard...and he’s the protagonist! When we meet Larry, he’s on trial for the murder of his lover, Verna, and takes the stand to tell his side of the story. He doesn’t sugarcoat it, either, freely acknowledging he married wife Greta because she’s rich, while having an affair with her best friend, Janice. Eventually, he plans to run away with Janice, but Greta intervenes by setting him up as a partner in a brokerage firm. Unable to resist the money, he unceremoniously dumps Janice and moves to LA with his wife. Soon after, Larry is seduced by one of the office secretaries, Verna, who freely admits being a gold-digger. However, they fall in love and decide to run away together. On the way to Reno, the two get into a fiery accident and Verna dies. Because she was burned beyond recognition, the police mistakenly believe the body is Greta, which Larry doesn’t refute. Since the crash was ruled an accident and everyone thinks Greta’s already dead, he figures he can return home and kill her without raising suspicion. However, he discovers her body at the bottom of a ravine, along with the note he left her. Larry dumps her into a nearby river and tries to put everything behind him, now rich and scot-free. Then things get complicated when Larry's former partner starts inquiring about Verna's disappearance. Capping everything off with a deliciously ironic twist ending, They Won’t Believe Me is another vivid example of Robert Young getting his bad guy groove on. And once again, he totally nails it. 

SYMPHONY OF A MASSACRE (1963) - In this woefully underseen French thriller, five shady businessmen decide to pool their resources for a major drug purchase that could reap millions. The plan goes awry when one of them, Jabake, decides he’d rather keep all that money for himself. He devises a fiendishly clever & elaborate plan to steal it back from their courier in-transit. However, his plans threaten to go haywire after being forced to kill the courier. The group begin to suspect each other, while Jahake is forced to commit more murder to cover his tracks when some of them find holes in his ruse. Ingeniously plotted with deft film-noir touches, Symphony for a Massacre is damn-near note-perfect, from the characters & performances to the tight-pacing & unusual music score. It’s a classic case of bad guys vs. worse guys, with Jahake as its morbidly compelling centerpiece. He’s arrogant, unlikable, conniving and cold-blooded, yet even though we despise him, we’re invested in his plan…perhaps because it took so much meticulous work to set into motion.

And the exception…

LAST LOOKS (2022) - Charlie Waldo is the main character in a series of comic noir novels by Howard Michael Gould. He’s a disgraced ex-cop now living as a recluse in a trailer in the middle of nowhere. Amusingly, he insists on only keeping 100 possessions at any time (which also includes a chicken). When an old flame arrives asking for help with a case, he initially refuses…at least until some thugs come by later, beat him up and warn him not to get involved. Maybe a little too laid-back at times - with a plot that’s ultimately superfluous - Last Looks is still very enjoyable. Gould and Director Tim Kirkby have created a charming homage to film noir and infused it with an offbeat sense of humor. Though not always laugh-out-loud funny, it’s consistently witty and features characters who might be worth revisiting from time to time.

Be sure to check our previous list...

LOST NOIR: Overlooked Film Noir Thrillers