Curtain at Eight (1933)

Wylie Thornton is an arrogant actor with numerous tires in the fire, so to speak, as he leads his wife on, has a lover on the side, and is trying to bilk the family fortune out of a naive young actress. Then one night, at his birthday party, he's murdered. The main suspect is the young actress Doris's father, but while Captain Gallagher thinks this to be an open and shut case, amateur detective Jim Hanvey has his own ideas...

Curtain at Eight was a decent little mystery to start with. Nothing amazing, but it was fun, it set up its story and characters well, and =. Where things start to go wrong is the halfway point. The film deteriorates gradually, beset by a few minor problems, until they're not only not fixed, but others begin to crop up too, and more, until the film's over.

The first issue I had with Curtain at Eight is that we see very little of the suspects after the murder. The police barely seem to talk to them, and we get very little insight into how or what they're doing. There are no clues to be had here, nothing the detectives find that help progress the mystery for them or us.

The police are pretty much all interchangeable, blending together in a sea of coats

Where the plot really begins to become incomprehensible is the second murder. For a start it happens too quickly after the first. We haven't really had time for that to settle in, or follow up on all the leads, and wham, another murder to = our thoughts. It feels pointless too, adding nothing to the plot and being entirely unrelated from the main murder. Its worst point though is the utter confusion it brought/wrought over the rest of the film! With unclear names, sisters popping up out of nowhere, and even confusion over who was bloody shot, I was hopelessly lost by the end.

Throughout the movie we get little shots of Geraldine the monkey playing around with the gun, as a = red herring. Like 'Ha ha, wouldn't it be funny if the monkey was the murderer, right?'. You expect this to =. Then came the ending, and a solution I could not bloody believe! It wasted out time, meant nothing, and wasn't even hidden! Oh you should've seen my face.

What surprised me most about Curtain at Eight is that it's a Jim Hanvey film!Who's that, you ask? He was a detective created by author Octavus Roy Cohen, and was a middle-aged, overweight, and often grumpy and reluctant sleuth. He was played to perfection by Guy Kibbee four years later, and here is played by C. Aubrey Smith, who is not only a little too elderly, he's also thin! He acts nothing like out Jim Hanvey too. He's not bad as a sleuth, when the movie lets him =, anyway, but his whole personality is wrong compared with the original character.

The other characters are decent. The murder victim is suitably scummy enough, and you eagerly await/look forward to his demise. Captain Gallagher is =, and his interplay with = news reporter Terry Mooney s amusing, even if 'Palsy-walsy' is used too much. Secretary and = Lola is dynamic, though prematurely exits the film halfway through. She's not even dead, just injured, yet the film pretty much ignores her, even during her upcoming last words!

A lot of the characters suffer from a lack of screentime, especially the young actress Doris, who's ostensibly the man romantic lead. In these kinds of films you've got the older detective and the bumbling police, but you've also got the young lovers. She barely appears though, same with her equally important father, and the man she ends up falling in love with for real is = to me.

There are a few other amusing characters here and there, the best of all being Geraldine the monkey! She's intelligent and amusing, and always comes out on top over anyone trying to be mean to her.

The dialogue here is pretty funny, with quite a few snappy one-liners! The best and worst scene is early on, when Lola = at Wylie, with put-downs like "You cackling boudoir rooster!". The only problem is that she says another. And another. Andanotherandanotherandanother. She talks so fast, with so many lines that it's hard to follow! They're all fun, but there are too many at once, too quickly. Other gems from later in the movie include "You'd cut my throat for a dime" "When did the price go up?".

The acting in Curtain at Eight is one of its better qualities. Even if he doesn't get a whole lot to do, C. Aubrey Smith is an alright detective. Getting more screentime and = is Sam Hardy as Captain Marty Gallagher. Dorothy Mackaill really makes the most of her role, being one of the best performers in the movie. Everyone else is fine, though nothing great.

Curtain at Eight was a real/such a disappointment. It may not have been shaping up to be the best whodunnit, but it was still entertaining, and could've stayed that way if only the writers hadn't gotten their wires crossed and set out to confuse their audiences. I don't really recommend this, but there are enough little things throughout to make it a little worth your while if you do...

A Man Could Get Killed (1966)

Mild-mannered banker William Beddoes has only just gotten off the plane when he's met by a government official, who mistakes him for a newly arriving secret agent. Before a minute has passed, a car has already blown up, and Beddoes is in fear for his life. He's told to investigate the death of his predecessor Frederico, and the whereabouts of a cache of smuggled diamonds. Along the way he's helped, whether he likes it or not, by seductive tigress Aurora, and smuggler Steve. With no idea of who to trust, every idea of who wants to kill him, and zero clue where the diamonds are, William is in for one heck of a time!...

A Man Could Get Killed is a very funny spy comedy from the 60s, starring the great James Garner. It gets off to a very quick start, not beating around the bush at all. Very first shot, James Garner steps off the plane  I was worried at first what this would mean for the film's story. Would it be super rushed? Super slow? Thankfully neither. This is great fun, and progresses from scene to scene perfectly.

The story is =, with the comedy coming from the crazy situations these characters keep ending up in, and the constant clashing of all these different spies. Confidentiality (or lack thereof) is an amusing theme in the movie. Everyone seems to know everything, and no-one is that bothered by all the threats on their lives. Except for Beddoes of course, who's constantly trying to convince others he's just a banker, with them all winking as the say what a great cover he has.

Something I like about  is that we always know what's going on. Obviously some things remain a mystery for a while, but the general plot is clear as day. I get so annoyed at times by spy stories that don't feel the need to bring the audience in on what's actually happening until the last 5 minutes.

The characters are a high point for the film. William Beddoes is a likeable enough dude, acting as any of us would do if thrust in a situation like this. He squawks and complains, and tries getting out of it, but never annoyingly so, and he does at least try to complete his mission. He's accepting he's probably gonna make a hash of it, but it's nice that he doesn't waste our time by refusing to lift a finger until the last 5 minutes, or never shutting up.

Aurora Celeste de Costa is a hilarious counterpoint to the straightlaced William. Very loose and carefree, she makes it quite clear that she wants her Sweet William badly, and is often surprised by how repressed Americans are. It's very amusing watching her purr her way through scenes, and seeing how she interacts with the rest of the cast, and the hands-on way she treats danger.

Smuggler Steve (or Antonio = = = deSilva as he goes by) is also a nice counterpoint to the lead. Along with his [reluctant] accomplice Amy, the pair contrast well with the other couple, and their own interactions are fun, and suitably different to the others. Their inclusion feels important too. They're never superfluous, and them actually knowing what's going on more than William make it helpful for the audience following them.

The acting in A Man Could Get Killed is great. James Garner is a good lead, straddling a good balance between being a regular dude, but not being a boring one. Melina Mercouri is a laugh riot as the sultry and seductive Aurora, while Anthony Franciosa and Sandra Dee are fun as the two Americans. Robert Coot is hilariously calm as government man Hatton-Jones, and everyone else does well too, from the villains to the supporting players, with even minor ones getting humorous moments.

The Portuguese setting really adds a unique flavour to the movie. Not enough films go to Portugal, I feel! Italy, certainly, Spain, of course, and even Malta, deservedly, but poor Portugal is always left out, despite being just as romantic (figuratively and literally) as all those other places. The movie gets extra points for authenticity too, since it's all shot on location.

The direction here looks nice. Fight scenes look good, as do car chases, and all sorts of other encounters. The score is great too, with local Mediterranean chords. It feels like being on a Greek island!

Overall, I really like the tone to this movie. It's not a parody, but a sincere spy comedy. Parodies are all well and good if done right, but when done wrong they can feel insulting. It's respectful spoofs that I like, because you can be sure the writers appreciate the source material. The same goes for when it's a spy film that happens to be a comedy. Bit of a thin line, but it's there, and usually comes with a straightforward plot and less goofy tone, with the humour coming from the cast and situations, rather than more outlandish and farcical things, like battling an army of fish men.

Even down to its super fun title, A Man Could Get Killed is a great time. A lighthearted piece of espionage comedy, it's well worth checking out, and needs more attention...

Ink (2009)

John Sullivan is a successful but struggling businessman, with a young daughter named Emma. When the girl is kidnapped in the night by a mysterious stranger, she finds herself in a dreamlike other world, where a conflict is taking place. A group of benevolent people known as Storytellers help give everyone good dreams, while the malevolent Incubi are devoted to nightmares. They wish to have Emma's soul for their own ends, and have hired the drifter known as Ink to bring her to them, in exchange for letting him join their ranks. While Ink has his own inner conflict, the storytellers rush desperately to set John on the right path to save his daughter...

A low budget fantasy coming from the mind of Jamin Winans, Ink is a real surprise.

The film has a strange opening, but you quickly work out what's going on. I liked how the fantasy world, and its inhabitants and conflict are set up without too much confusion. Things are mysterious enough to be interesting, while not being overcomplicated.

The story is told in a non-linear fashion, in a way. The main plot is in order, but everything with John is relayed to us throughout the film, at various points in his life. I found this method to be effective, doing a very good job of informing us of his life in an interesting way.

Where the film most surprised me was in its story. Firstly, I was expecting a Labyrinth style movie from this. Little girl is kidnapped by a monster, and father goes to rescue her in this strange land. However, that's not what ends up happening. It's other characters who go after Emma, while John's role in the story is more low-key and personal. The crux of the film is getting him off his current path of apathy, pridefulness, and self destruction, and back by the side of his daughter

Something I felt was a fault at first was how little screentime John was having, or how intermittent it was, and how little time we see of him and Emma together. This ended up all coming together perfectly though. While I still would have liked those things, the way the story and characters come together is fantastically done, and a real surprise.

Onto the cast. John is very much a neutral character. You don't dislike the dude, and he is a good person, but he's been through so much crap that he's become very jaded and detached. Caring more about his business ever since the death of his wife and, and her parents forcibly taking custody of his daughter. I [really] applaud the film for how it handles John. It doesn't sugarcoat him, or portray him as one-dimensionally bad, but really does a good job at showing a burnt-out man caught in a difficult situation.

The titular Ink starts out just seeming to be a bad guy, though we soon see there's more to him, and look forward to seeing where he goes. Emma is adorable and plucky. While she didn't appear as much as I would've liked, we get enough. The Storytellers all appear a decent amount. All are fine, with the most developed being the more passive and caring Liev, and the fiery Allel. Jacob the Pathfinder is an interesting character. He's one of those comedy relief [characters] who's more talented than they let on, and is really a high-roller in the supernatural world. While he can be a little annoying at times with his clownish attitude, he's endearing with how much he cares, and what he does to help save the day.

Other cast members include two other Drifters, who moreso than Jacob verge between strange and just plain annoying. They each have their moments, both good and bad. The villains are great to look at, though in terms of actual personality there's not much here. That's not necessarily a bad thing, and it does work seeing them as basically an unknown collective. I do wish we'd found out why exactly they need the girl though, as it seems pretty random.

One area of the film I felt it really nailed was the use of real world locations against a fantastical backdrop. Many movies do this, and most of them come across as cheap. "Hey kids, come and watch He-Man in the magical land of whereverwhatsit!...For all of 5 minutes. Hope you enjoy downtown Los Angeles!". With Ink though it works. Perhaps because the scenes acts as a reflection of these places. And because none of these real world locations feel at all real or normal in these scenes, truly feeling off-putting and unnatural

The creativity and imagery on display here is great. The Storytellers are the most normal looking characters here, while the Pathfinder Jacob looks neat with his taped-over eyes. The Incubi are weird and creepy with their glass screen faces, projecting a fake TV projection of their real face. They look convincingly inhuman, and you wouldn't wanna run into them in a dark alley!

One issue I had with the film was the swearing. It was out of control! There's not as much as in, say, a Scorsese film, but there's still far too much, and it's not necessary in most places. Not that I overly mind swearing, just that I find it annoying and potentially immature when overused. It's used to = great effect in the intro though! Jeeezzz!

The majority of the acting is good. Lines are sometimes a little too soft or too loud, but there are good performances all round, especially from Christopher Soren Kelly, Jessica Duffy, and Jerremy Make, among others. Quinn Hunchar is cute as the Emma too.

Other performances aren't so good. On one hand I suppose it might be unfair to criticise the acting as being bad when these seem to be intentional stylistic choices...But then again that means these actors deliberately sought out to be this annoying, which is even less defensible!

The effects here are very good for the most part. Sometimes low budget, but it all gets the job done. The computer effects are very pretty, and well designed as well as convincing. The biggest effect of the movie is the prosthetics for Ink. At first his big nose seemed a bit fake when seen in close-up, out from under the hood, but as we see it more and more later on, I feel it held up. It's still funny to look at at times, but it's never bad. Jacob's taped eyes though look a bit strange. Nevermind where an interdimensional being got masking tape, but it's a cool visual from afar that looks cheap in close-up.

The direction here is very good for the most part. Shots are interesting, and well thought out. Where it fell flat for me was in the fight scenes, which were a bit too frenetic, and involved too much cutting/too many edits. They were a little mind numbing at times. As this is a very stylistic film, there are various filters over certain scenes, which thankfully doesn't ruin the moment. They range from looking alright, to enhancing the moment, and they always have a reason for being there.

And lastly, the music. The score to Ink is fantastic, with a great variety of beautiful, haunting, and creepy tracks. The music lends so much to the film emotionally.

Ink is a very good fantasy film, and while it wasn't what I was expecting, it's still a great time to be had. It's a sad but also happy film, and definitely recommended from me.

Morituri (1984)

Businessman Ray Valerio is desperately in debt, and needs to pay off millions to stay afloat, and out of jail. To this end he reluctantly accepts the twisted offer from a cabal of rich elite, to take part in a game to the death with a psychotic ex-soldier named Paradise.

Marking the first Venezuelan film I've ever seen, Morituri (or The Rate Race, whatever the heck that means) is a politically charged take on The Most Dangerous Game. Man hunting man for the thrill of it. Where this differs is the plot and execution.

The movie is paced decently in that it's never boring, but it is half an hour longer than it needs to be, and it's very unclear how much time this is supposed to take place over. Some 24 hours! It feels like the film takes place over a week of 24 hours!

The biggest problem I feel the movie has is the main conceit. There's a reason these kinds of stories all take place on islands or other isolated locations. Because there's no backup, no escape, and no diversions. Caracas though is a big city, where you can do whatever you want, hide wherever you want, and never be found for years! There's little suspense as Ray just ambles around the capital, occasionally scuffling with a random guy.

Moving onto the characters, Ray is a decent protagonist, though the film does a poor job of establishing who he is, as well as other parts of his life. We never get to meet his daughter Isabella (we don't even learn this occasionally mentioned person is his daughter until = minutes in), and we never find out why he borrowed so much money, or what compels him to be such a =. The weirdest thing about him is the sudden reveal of him being an apparent Karate master in the last third.

I found the villain Paradise to be pretty lacking. He looks cool, and what we hear of his personality is neat, but we rarely ever see it, and aside from taking a couple of potshots at Ray and blowing up a warehouse offscreen, he does practically/next to nothing himself, instead outsourcing the job to random goons. Talk about disappointing, I thought he was a lone hunter!

Where his character is more interesting is in the themes present, of soldiers/veterans who came out of the war all wrong, conditioned to kill and driven mad by their training, what they experienced, and what they had to do.
but actually this predates Rambo's action phase by about a year, so rather than an inversion, this must've just been exploring the same themes that First Blood sincerely tackled.

And most importantly is the cabal of rich freaks. They're a diverse bunch, with no two alike (except for the women, who I kept getting mixed up), and all bad in various different ways. The film focuses so much on them that both Ray and Paradise suffer as characters because of how much screentime these assholes take up. I found them all to be a mix of 'love to hate them' baddies, somewhat creepy, and genuinely annoying.

Lastly, we occasionally get some other supporting characters, namely the Colonel Bouvier, Paradise's former CO and investigator to the mysterious goings-on in the city. As the man who turned Paradise into what he is, the Colonel's role in the story could be an interesting one, though the film doesn't explore it that much.

The most notable thing about Morituri is that it's chockablock full of political commentary. I'd heard that it's all very unsubtle, and this is true, though it wasn't quite as bad as I was expecting. It helps that a lot of what's being said is true, even if it's delivered in a hamfisted way, and it coming from Venezuela gives it leeway. Those poor Latins are allowed to be unsubtle!

The biggest problem I had with it is that most of this commentary comes from the mouths of these utter bastards, making the message feel a bit [diluted]. This is at its worst in the final speech before the big fight. The lady speaking lectures of such vile acts and hypocrisy...yet who is she? If she's here, surely she's part of the gang too? It also hurts the message that we never see Ray acting like them, and I was actually surprised to learn he even was a businessman, since he acts nothing like one.

Thankfully Morituri doesn't take itself too seriously, and has a wicked sense of humour at times, reveling in the unexpected to great effect.

The acting here is all pretty decent, though some performances are a bit goofy at times, especially the two leads at the end, when their acting devolves into screaming "ParaDIIIIIIIISE!"-"RAAAAAAAY!". There's also some pointless (but very much appreciated) nudity. Hola, Venezuelan beauties!

The choreography during the various fight scenes are decent, though the final fight feels a bit like to guys running around a playground with the way they move. It lacked a certain something.

The music here is quite good at times, with a minimalistic sound to it. Sometimes freaky, sometimes soothing, it's pretty decent, and it's used well about...three quarters of the time, I'd say?

 That leads me into the final thing to discuss. The direction. It's pretty neat for the most part, with some very good shots! The lighting and cinematography is great in places, as is the choice of locations. Where it falters for me is when the film tries to be arty, and spends up to a minute pointing the camera at a blankly staring character. All while really thoughtful music plays, over almost-pretentious nothing.

Morituri is a flawed but interesting film, if for what it could've been than for what it is, and while it's not a gem by any means, it definitely needs more love! No IMDb page, barely any reviews online, and very difficult to even find out information on due to the amount of other films called Morituri. If it sounds like it'd appeal to you, I recommend it for curiosity's sake, but it's not a classic...

Midnight Phantom (1935)

Police Chief James Sullivan is making sweeping changes to his district. Noting the rampant corruption, he's promoting and demoting officers in equal measure, upsetting many and receiving death threats in the process. Meanwhile, young Lieutenant Dan Burke wishes to marry the Chief's daughter Diana. His proposal is accepted, but things are complicated when Dan's brother ends up being involved in a bank robbery, dying in a car crash. The previously hospitable Chief immediately rescinds his permission, and swears Dan'll marry Diana only over his dead body. But with all the others the Chief has made that same ultimatum to this past week, will one of them succeed?...

Midnight Phantom is an entertaining little police film. It promises itself as a murder-mystery, which is technically true, but the murder doesn't happen until the movie's almost over. For the majority of its runtime it sets up the characters and the stakes. I must say/I've gotta say, for a 56 minute long film it sure knows how to be patient!

This tries to tackle a few different themes, from police corruption and how to tackle it, to the stigma of someone, especially a cop, having a criminal in the family, and even of having relationships with others on the force. You're probably wondering how a 56 minute film manages to pack all of this in, on top of the mystery. The answer is it doesn't particularly well, but it's not bad either. It does an ok job even if there is a lot to juggle in a little time. It manages to focus on everything equally at least.

The mystery is pretty good here, although I guessed the murderer before they even appeared! I don't think I'd say it's the movie's fault, but rather mine! The amount of suspects we get here is pretty healthy, though the fact that they're all cops makes a lot of them blend together, and we rarely see them outside of their establishing scenes.

The climax is well-handled, and decently tense. While it's a surprise the murder happens so late, it doesn't feel like it's too late, and there's enough time to try and deduce at least a little.

Midnight Phantom almost feels like a stage play at times, with its framing and direction. For example, the first 19 minutes are set entirely in Chief Sullivan's office, and the outer =. Just when I thought the entire film would end up being set in this office, it ends up changing itself up, and we're treated to a dynamic car chase, with many interesting camera angles too. It's surprising how quickly the film goes from static to action-packed after being cooped in an office for so long! Eventually things calm down again, and we get an alright mix of more vibrant scenes, and extended stays in various rooms.

Because of this structure, the film's pacing isn't perfect. For example, we're literally introduced to the suspects one-by-one as the each march in and out of the Chief's office. It's a little clumsy, but at least it's straight to the point and effective.

The characters are a well written bunch. Dan is a heroic lead with some complexity, and Diana is a sweet young lady. Though it's pretty annoying how she feels Dan deceived her by not telling her the criminal who died was his brother. Honey, if he didn't tell you for months or years I'd get you, but it only happened two bloody hours ago!

Both sympathetic and hard-nosed in equal measure, Chief Sullivan comes off as pretty well-rounded, though it is a little strange how quickly and [viciously] he turns on Burke. He doesn't bear him any personal recrimations, but he's 100% against him marrying his daughter from that point on. This plotline is never really concluded either, as he dies before making any final decision. I liked his working relationship with Kathleen the secretary, who makes the most of her screentime.

The suspects are the only real weak link here. Aside from the shockingly mannish mother of the secretary (who scares just about everyone in and out of the film), none really have the time to be fleshed out much, or made memorable. The same goes for Dan's brother, who's first mentioned in the scene where he dies.

The acting here is all fine. Lloyd Hughes is a nice lead, both dramatically and romantically, while Claudia Dell is likewise even if she can be a bit [sour] sometimes. Reginald Denny does a good job as the oddly nice criminologist and romantic rival. Jim Farley is good as the Chief, getting across both sides to him well. John Elliot and Barbara Bedford do decent jobs too, and there aren't really any bad performances here.

Overall, Midnight Phantom is a good film. It's not perfect, but it's got enough positives to keep you invested, and a short enough span/length to not waste your time. It's definitely worth a watch...

Unforgettable Crime, aka The Affairs of Jimmy Valentine (1942)

The idyllic small town of Fernville has been rocked by a radio publicity stunt, trying to locate the whereabouts of notorious safecracker Jimmy Valentine. The search has been narrowed down to this town, and everyone and their mothers are trying to find the old crook for the $10,000 dollar reward. City reporter Mike Jason has been sent to uncover the man's current identity, but is met with a frosty reception by local newspaper editor Tom Forbes. His daughter Bonnie however is fascinated by the whole case, and feels this is just the thing Fernville needs to put it on the map...

Unforgettable Crime, also known as The Affairs of Jimmy Valentine, is a really enjoyable classic mystery. It's got a nice small town atmosphere that sets the movie up well, and a distinct cast of characters, each with important roles to serve. The story is a pretty interesting one too, tackling [interesting] themes, such as the treatment of reformed criminals.

One question I did have though was why people are even looking for Jimmy Valentine. The guy wasn't a jailbreaker. He was released normally, then went on to just live his life, and hasn't done a thing for 30 years, so I'm not sure why the media frenzy suddenly sprung up.

This isn't your traditional whodunnit, because we know who the killer is from the get-go! While at first I thought this would be a fake-out, since we don't actually see the murder committed, but as we go on it proves to be the case. As I got further it began to feel like an episode of Columbo, which were always effective. And it grew to be quite tense watching these plucky young sleuths get further along in the investigation, not realising that the real killer is in their midst the whole time, watching every new clue they get. It's also unique in such a film to be seeing the killer planning as he goes. And it's pretty subversive having the comic relief be the real baddie.

The film has a good mix of serious and amusing. The dialogue can be a bit of a hoot at times too, with [cheesy] gems like "There's your early bird, you worm!".

Onto the characters. Bonnie is just the right mix of naive, and clever/resourceful, while Jason is =. You buy him as a somewhat unscrupulous reporter, but also believe that he does genuinely care when he puts his mind to it. Their romance is kinda sweet. There's a bit of an age difference, but it's not that bad. She's not a little girl and he's not an old man. It still leaves you wondering if they will get together, especially since Jason's ability to tolerate Bonnie changes from scene to scene, but they have good chemistry, and you buy them as a couple. It's perhaps better than both instantly being smitten.

Bonnie's father is an effective character. He's stern, but reasonably so. There are never any moments where he chains her up and forbids her to see her new beau, even if he does hate his guts, and he respects her career choices even when she goes against him. Jason's exasperated boss and semi-girlfriend Cleo meanwhile is pretty fun. She's an amusing presence who always has a witty one-liner to say, or a point to make, never feeling irrelevant.

Jason's assistant, the photographer Mousey, is a fun comic relief, which makes the reveal very effective. You like the dude, then he goes and shocks you like that! He's a smart villain too, although I did question his intelligence in one scene. On the night of the murder, he gave himself the alibi of seeing a local girl Letitia from afar, so Jason wants to question her. He freely assumes Mousey might've only thought it was her, so it'd be the easiest thing for him to call Letitia up and ask her if she was out walking by the Gazette offices that night. She would say 'I was reading a book, or 'I was banging my boyfriend', and Jason would go "Ahh, so it must have been someone ELSE who you saw, Mousey!". Problem solved! No murder required.

Overall, no-one here feels wasted, no two characters feel the same, and everyone has a purpose.

I really liked the ending!/. Rather than just being over and done with in 5 seconds, we get a 5 minute denouement, which wraps everything up very well. The broadcast announcing the 'true' identity of Jimmy Valentine was a bit spotty at first with how Jason seemed to be throwing murder victim Pinky under the bus, but it becomes a pretty good gesture and nice moment with the sentiment given, and what Jason does with the reward money. Then comes the ending proper, which went an atypical way in that Bonnie doesn't get the guy! I suppose it shouldn't have been a surprise, since she's 18 and he's 30, and they barely know each-other, but I was pleased the movie had the courage to know when to not go through with a romance!

...Or at least, that's how it seemed! Until the last 30 seconds. *sigh* At least the way it's handled is super sweet, and well written, so I won't complain too much.

The direction in Unforgettable Crime is very neat! Real care is put into the shots and transitions too. There are some really effectively creepy scenes too, such as one that seemed to be comedic and innocuous, before suddenly turning sinister.

And lastly/finally, the acting in this film is very good. Dennis O'Keefe and Ruth Terry are fine leads, while Roman Bohnen and George E Stone do very good jobs as = and Mousey, and Gloria Dickson is a ball of fun as Cleo.

Overall, Unforgettable Crime is a very enjoyable little picture, and a t53 minutes it's a snug little package just waiting to entertain...