Accused of Murder starts out telling us that we are going to see a straightforward murder drama complete with a corrupt attorney, an unrequited love, and organized crime. The attorney, Frank Hobart (Sidney Blackmer), has stolen money from the mob and gambled or spent it all. He is in love with nightclub singer Ilona Vance (Vera Ralston), who doesn’t love him back. When the mob sends Stant (Warren Stevens) to kill Frank, a witness to the crime holds out from telling the cops in the hopes of blackmailing Stant for the crime. Without that crucial bit of evidence, the police are looking hard at Ilona as their chief suspect. Only one man believes she is innocent: Lt. Roy Hargis (David Brian), a hard man who is finding himself falling for her, too.
This film leaves you to believe you know what is going on for a large portion of the runtime, yet it also introduces an element that will cast just enough doubt that you may initially reject it because it doesn’t quite add up. That is the brilliance, and the folly, of the script because it cheats a little to keep us off the scent. There are red herrings and then there are deliberate omissions meant to keep us from the right path. How successful that is will depend on the individual viewer.
The final reveal makes sense to a degree, but there is an element to it that feels too convenient, a way to wrap things up for the sake of a happy ending. It’s also rushed, leaving no time to process what that revelation really means. It’s the only real sour note in an otherwise competently made picture. On a side note, cinematographer Bud Thackery, who had a long and varied career in Hollywood, shot this picture. From the first shot, it is apparent that he was not an A-list cinematographer. There are odd choices in lenses distorting the image, made all the more awkward when the camera is in motion. Even worse is how often this film is out of focus. It was shot in color, a rarity for a film noir movie, but the poor camera work takes this down several notches, becoming a distraction when we should be enjoying the film. 1956 - 74 minutes
Comments
Post a Comment