Phantom Lady - When a man's wife is murdered, the woman who can provide his alibi seems to vanish. There are some stunning sequences in this film, Elwood Bredell's cinematography once again complements Siodmak's style extremely well. The scenes of Ella Raines stalking Andrew Tombes and seducing Elisha Cook, Jr. (the latter including what might be the only instance of a drum solo representing premature ejaculation) are textbook examples of noir photography. Not every scene is a knockout, but there's some marvelous framing and lighting throughout. And Raines is wonderful, supported by some great characters and faces. However, the plot has some pretty sizable holes, and the psychology is overcooked. Not a great noir, but a fun one with great moments. Rating: 8
Pitfall - Subdued noir from De Toth that lacks stylization but sticks with you. Although short on snappy dialogue and snazzy photography, the themes of modern ennui and the allure of nonconformity are strong. At times it seems like De Toth might be setting up a cautionary fable about straying too far from the suburban nuclear family ideal, but by the ending there's some room for ambiguity. You can't complain about Dick Powell or Lizabeth Scott, and you sure as hell can't complain about Raymond Burr, menacing and creepy as ever. The score, however, is a mixed bag... when it's somber, it's great, but the lighter musical cues are groan-worthy. Rating: 8
Plunder Road - An impressive low-budget heist film. The names of the director, writers, cinematographer and composer are virtually unknown (Ernest Haller also shot Rebel Without a Cause and Man of the West) but they all do a fantastic job. After the gripping opening titles, the film starts with the elaborate robbery, about 20 minutes almost entirely without dialogue, Rififi-style. Just about the only words you hear are a few snippets of interior monologue at the beginning, introducing our five doomed protagonists. After that, it's a tense slow burn as they gradually meet their inevitable undoing. The biggest name onscreen is Elisha Cook, but these guys are all pretty good, with understated performances that give us a peek into their lives without heaps of exposition. It's hard to say exactly why I liked this one so much, there's not much to set it apart from a dozen similar films. It's just one of those movies that works in all the right ways. Rating: 9