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DVD Raw Deal
After the success of T-Men, ambitious poverty-row studio Eagle-Lion reunited director Anthony Mann with cinematographer John Alton and beefy star Dennis O'Keefe for this change of pace, a haunting revenge noir about an escaped criminal, his loyal girlfriend (Claire Trevor), and a lovely legal aide (Marsha Hunt) he drags along as a hostage... or perhaps something more. Raymond Burr is the sleazy, sadistic gangster who double-crossed O'Keefe; in the film's most memorable scene he lashes out at a clumsy party girl by tossing a tureen of flaming cherries jubilee on the hapless woman (the scene may well have inspired Fritz Lang in The Big Heat). Trevor narrates in a cold, deliberate, yet hauntingly effective tone, which matches the foggy mist that envelopes the characters from the initial escape (a brilliant exercise in minimalism), through the getaway down a wooded coastal highway, to the finale on the San Francisco docks. Mann provides his usual undercurrent of brutal violence (a fight in a taxidermy showroom in which the antlers of a mounted buck become a lethal weapon), but the film is pervaded by a sense of doomed romanticism not seen in Mann's films before or since, and the volatile romantic triangle adds a further edge to the moody tension. Rife with B movie dialogue, the film may come off stilted and campy to some viewers, but taken on its own stylized conventions it's a minor masterpiece of low-budget film noir. --Sean Axmaker
"We drove all night through the quiet hills," Pat Cameron tells us. "Joe hadn't said a word. I knew or thought I knew what was going on inside him. She was getting under his skin. Once I tried to talk to him but he told me to shut up. Deep down I guess I have no real beef about what I know is happening. Watching him, one thing keeps ringing inside of me. He's never really told me he loved me."
Pat Cameron (Claire Trevor) has just helped Joe Sullivan (Dennis O'Keefe) break out of the California State Penitentiary. They're on the road to the small coastal town of Crescent City where Sullivan will pick up $50,000 from Rick Coyle (Raymond Burr), a gangster who likes hurting people and playing with fire. The 50 grand is Sullivan's cut from a robbery where he took the fall for Coyle. What he doesn't know is that Coyle has no intention of giving Sullivan a dime, only a bullet in the stomach. Along the way and much to Pat's unease, Sullivan grabbed Ann Martin (Marsha Hunt), a young woman who worked on his legal case, from her apartment. As the hours wear on, Sullivan is drawn to Martin. Pat, who has without reservation given her love to Sullivan, can only watch. Sullivan is a hard case, but shows signs of the decent kid he once was. When he discovers that Coyle has sent a henchman, Fantail (John Ireland), to Crescent City to kill him, he resolves to take out Coyle whatever the cost. Unknown to him, however, Coyle has managed to capture Ann. With a phone call intended for Joe and a lie, Pat finds herself in a position to see her and Joe escape on a ship leaving the U.S. She also begins to recognize how much Joe is willing to sacrifice for herself and for Ann.
They're in their ship's cabin, and Joe has said he wants Pat and him to get married. He's talking on and on about how maybe they'll be able to find a decent life for themselves. "Why didn't he stop talking," Pat says to herself. "He was saying everything I'd ever wanted to hear all my life. The lyrics were his alright, but the music was Ann's...Ann's. Suddenly, I saw that every time he kissed me he'd be kissing Ann. Every time he held me, danced with me, spoke to me, ate, drank, played, sang, it would be Ann...Ann." Pat tells him that Coyle has Ann. He leaves the ship to save her. The ending is brutal and inevitable. No one wins.
Raw Deal is a solid Forties noir with several unusual aspects. The story is told from Pat Cameron's point of view, in a present-tense narration. Claire Trevor does a wonderful job of tense, sad understatement as she tells us the story. The plot also sets up an unusual triangle with O'Keefe, Trevor and Hunt. All three of them, regardless of their backgrounds, are victims of circumstances they can't control. This is not exactly a three-way love story, but a story of different kinds of need played out by the three. Anthony Mann's direction features great scenes of foggy highways, darkened motels, low camera angles and deep shadows. The fight pitting O'Keefe against Ireland and a third guy, with Hunt intervening with a revolver, in a darkened fish and taxidermy shop is a stand out. Trevor, during her narration, is given a haunting music theme which sounds like it was played on a theremin. It gives the story a sad, unreal, forbidding feel.
All the actors do fine jobs. Raymond Burr could create strong, creepy villains. He has a nice scene when he throws a flaming flambe dish onto his girlfriend. John Ireland is very good as a sardonic henchman who doesn't mind killing Sullivan or taunting Coyle. Claire Trevor, very much doing the needy, almost whiny woman you know isn't going to win anything, does an especially fine job with the narration. In many ways, this is as much Pat's story as it is Joe's.
Raw Deal is a tough-minded noir which has held up well over the years. The DVD picture from VCI, however, could use some work. Too much gets lost in the night scenes. Still, the picture is better than average and is certainly watchable.
"Raw Deal" is the Real Film Noir Deal
"Raw Deal" is a 1948 suspense chiller that is the real film noir deal in terms of its mastery of that genre. It is part of the great noir trilogy from low budget film studio Eagle Lion teaming director Anthony Mann and cinematographer John Alton, which also included "T-Men" and "He Walked by Night."
The team of Mann and Alton deserves solid commendation for achieving a suspense classic with minimal costs. It is difficult to conceive of anyone doing any better with an astronomical budget. Here is a film occurring almost entirely within an eerie darkness centered on the escape of a convict from a prison and the unique triangle involving him and two women of disparate backgrounds and viewpoints.
Dennis O'Keefe, who also starred in Mann's "T-Men", is visited by girlfriend Claire Trevor, an experienced gun moll type, to tell him that she will be picking him up after the scheduled prison break slated for late that evening. She talks about how terrible it was that he took the rap for his mob boss employer, which he passes off with a "let bygones be bygones" experienced acceptance.
As the story develops, however, it is obvious that O'Keefe was the victim of a raw deal, making the film's title a natural. Raymond Burr as the mob boss has arranged the prison break with one thought in mind, believing that the odds are so long that O'Keefe figures to be killed in the process. Plans call for a meeting shortly after the breakout between Burr and O'Keefe, but the mob boss has no intention of attending. It will occur only if the escaping convict survives long odds. Announcing that he has no intention of ever meeting O'Keefe, Burr sends operative John Ireland in his place with instructions to finish off the escapee if he has not been killed by police at an earlier point.
The clever romantic triangle enhancing the rapidly paced script of John C. Higgins and Leopold Atlas occurs develops after O'Keefe has Trevor stop the car so he can see Marsha Hunt who, as a paralegal, championed his cause during his trial, believing correctly that he was being framed for a crime he did not commit. She urges him to give himself up and is thwarted after she sneaks away and picks up the telephone to call the police. He believes Hunt to be too big a liability to leave behind and takes her with him.
It becomes increasingly obvious as time elapses that O'Keefe is in love with the lovely and sensitive younger woman Hunt rather than experienced gun moll Trevor. At the film's conclusion during the early break of dawn O'Keefe is confronted with a decision on whether to save Hunt's life after she has been captured by Burr's mob or escape with Trevor by boat to a new life in South America.
Raymond Burr is involved in a scene reflective of Fritz Lang's noir classic "The Big Heat" when psychopath Lee Marvin hurls scalding coffee in the face of Gloria Grahame. Burr is a sadistic pyromaniac who throws his fiery birthday cherries jubilee in the face of his girlfriend, played by glamorous World War Two pinup girl Chili Williams.
This is one film wherein the action never lets up. Viewers are intrigued by a story that moves in a breakneck manner from the jailbreak in the dead of evening to the film's culmination at the next morning's daybreak. This is one film that never disappoints and hypnotizes viewers up to its riveting conclusion. "Raw Deal" gives the term hardboiled noir insightful definition and meaning.
"As slippery as a nail in a barrel full of oil."
Anthony Mann (originally known as Emil Anton Bundesmann) is probably known by many for his taut, stylistic westerns of the early fifties (Winchester '73, Bend of the River, The Naked Spur), but many also known him from his generally low budget noir thrillers produced in the mid to late 40's for such poverty row studios as Republic and RKO. Of these films, the favorite among fans being T-Men (1947), but I think Raw Deal (1948) holds its' own quite well, and is essential viewing for anyone interested in the genre. The film stars Dennis O'Keefe (who appeared in the earlier Mann film T-Men), Claire Trevor (Born to Kill, Key Largo), Marsha Hunt (Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman, Jigsaw), and Raymond `Perry Mason' Burr (The Whip Hand, Bride of the Gorilla). Also appearing is John Ireland (A Walk in the Sun, All the King's Men) and Curt Conway, who had bit parts in films like T-Men and The Naked City.
The film basically begins with Joe (O'Keefe) busting outta the joint (that's slang for escaping from prison, in case anyone was wondering). Joe was sent up for a crime he didn't commit, as he took the rap for his friend Rick (Burr). We learn that Rick aided in Joe's escape indirectly (greasing a few palms, I suspect), but it's not in Rick's best interests to see Joe survive the escape attempt as he owes him a large wad of cash and also he can put the finger on Rick. In a sense, Rick feels he's giving Joe just enough rope to hang himself with, and the police will take care of his dirty business (with escaped convicts, it's always shoot first, and then shoot again, at least in films like this). Anyway, with the help of his girlfriend Pat (Trevor), he does escape, but the police quickly throw up a dragnet, and so Joe and Pat are forced to seek refuge in the apartment of Ann (Hunt), a legal aid that worked on Joe's case. She feels Joe should turn himself in, so they end up taking Ann with them in an effort to keep her from spilling the beans. With Ann in tow, Joe and Pat make their way to San Francisco, hoping to catch a boat to South America, but first Joe must pay a visit to Rick and collect the money he's owed. Little does he know Rick has other plans, ones that involve Joe taking a dirt nap...
It's pretty rare that I give out five stars, but I feel this film is deserving, as this is a case where I feel everything clicked. Mann's direction, along with John Alton's (T-Men, He Walked by Night) cinematography combined beautifully to create a dark, rich story that drew me in so completely. When I think noir films, images of cityscapes, shrouded by shadowy night come to mind, but here, most of the story takes place on the road, and in remote, forested areas. Regardless of this aspect, they still managed to utilize the available elements to create one of the best films in the genre, aided by a tight script, thoughtful characters, and wonderful performances. O'Keefe is a believable mix of criminal and hero, driven by his needs, but tortured his conscious which is drawn out by the good girl character of Ann (who finds herself attracted to the good nature that she believes lies beneath Joe's repellent exterior). On the other side is the slightly worn character of Pat, who, in any other film would have come off as a plain old gun moll, but here she's fully developed in her own right (aided by her monotone narrative throughout the film, taking her character well beyond what I would have expected). She desperately loves Joe, but sees him slipping away as Ann's influences take their toll. And then there's the character of Rick, the seemingly refined, yet highly sleazy, sadistic, strong-armed antagonist with a slight case of pyromania (check out the flaming Cherries Jubilee shower his gives his mistress after she makes the mistake of bumping into him, spilling a drink on his fine duds) who's position of leadership is based not on the respect of those under him (it's rare that he does his own dirty work), but on the fact he's the biggest dog in the yard (especially the way he's filmed, at low angles to make his appearance seem that much more menacing). Finally there's the character of Fantail (Ireland), one of Rick's henchman, who's thinly veiled contempt for his boss comes through often, but apparently lacks the will or desire to wrest control from his boss. Another strength was the film's pacing. The story moved along well, needing only 79 minutes to completion, and not one wasted moment throughout. Perhaps this relatively short run time was more a product of the minimal budget, but it's immaterial as Mann gets the job done, presenting one of the finer films I've seen in awhile. I think my favorite scene was the fistfight between Fantail and Joe in the taxidermy shop. It's very intense, shot beautifully, and had me glued to the screen (if you ever find yourself in the position of brawling in such a place, make sure you mind the antlers). Was there some predictability within the story? Perhaps, but I was so taken in I rarely noticed, nor did I care.
I thought the print on this DVD released by VCI looked very good. There's slight indications of wear, but the contrast appeared sharp and clean, and the audio very decent. One has to remember this wasn't a major studio film, so this may be the best transfer we'll see, unless someone pops for a full-blown restoration. Special features include a 7 minutes piece called Dark Reflections Part 2, narrated by writer Max Allen Collins (an excellent piece, by the way), and three rough looking trailers for Impact (1949), The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), and Smash Up (1947).
The long-awaited emergence of Nightmare Alley into the light of DVD should achieve two things: make a legendary film noir available to a new generation, and restore the horrific charge to the lately watered-down term geek, a concept that once had the power to give people very bad dreams indeed.
To his lasting credit, Tyrone Power--20th Century Fox's extraordinarily handsome but not terribly interesting star of the '30s and '40s--begged for the chance to play Stan Carlisle, the predatory charmer who snakes his way through this bracingly unwholesome story. A spieler for--and lover of--carnival mind reader Zeena (Joan Blondell), he displays uncanny skill at "reading" the susceptible rubes, including a tough sheriff who turns to jelly after Stan psychs him out. Once Stan's... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Tyrone Power - Joan Blondell - Coleen Gray Director(s): Edmund Goulding DVD Release Date: Released the 07 June 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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"What's the use of having a war if you don't learn from it?" The speaker is Alec Stiles (Richard Widmark), a menthol-sniffing asthmatic in a snap-brim hat who's nailed down the organized-crime franchise for a burg named Center City, and who runs it "scientifically," using methods he picked up in uniform during WWII. He can even tap into the databanks of the FBI. Which, by coincidence, is gearing up to bring his mini-crime wave to an end. Street with No Name invites us to sit back and watch both sides deploy their methodologies at each other.
The semidocumentary crimefighting/spybusting thrillers of the late '40s are fascinating for their blend of institutionalized rectitude (the FBI is totally trustworthy and awesomely competent), authentic locations ("filmed where it... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Mark Stevens - Richard Widmark Director(s): William Keighley DVD Release Date: Released the 07 June 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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This silky smooth film noir pits gruff police detective Dana Andrews, stiff and blunt in his street-bred manners, against a cultured columnist and acidic wit (Clifton Webb at his prissiest) in a battle of wits during a murder investigation. The cop is a romantic hiding under a hard-boiled exterior who falls in love with the beautiful victim through the portrait that hangs in her apartment. Gene Tierney, whose heart-shaped face mixes the exotic with the girl next door, brings the poise and calm of a model to her role as the object of every man's gaze and the target of a killer. Laura, handsomely shot in dreamy black and white, is the first and best of Otto Preminger's cool, controlled murder mysteries. In the gritty world of film noir it remains the most refined and elegant example... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Gene Tierney - Dana Andrews Director(s): Rouben Mamoulian - Otto Preminger DVD Release Date: Released the 15 March 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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An amazingly effective film noir action movie, shot on location in New Orleans in 1950, that has twists of plot and explosions of violence that can still make audiences gasp. Elia Kazan, of all people, directed this story of a public health worker (Richard Widmark) and a police detective (Paul Douglas) who have only a few hours in which to capture some fleeing felons who may be infected with the plague. The bad guys are played, with enormous relish, by Jack Palance and Zero Mostel, the latter only a few years before Kazan ratted him out to the House Un-American Activities Committee. In retrospect, this modest crime picture looks like a crucial turning point in the formation of Kazan's distinctive style, a clear precursor to the blistering location work of landmark films like On the... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Richard Widmark - Paul Douglas - Barbara Bel Geddes - Jack Palance Director(s): Elia Kazan DVD Release Date: Released the 15 March 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Laura will always be director Otto Preminger's most beloved movie, but he gets closer to the essence of film noir in this fascinatingly slippery item about a psychiatrist's wife whose weakness for kleptomania makes her prey to an oily hypnotist, con artist, and manipulator par excellence. The fashion-plate wife (dresses, robes, and peignoirs by Oleg Cassini) is played by Laura herself, Gene Tierney. The mellifluous conniver is Jose Ferrer, coming off like the illegitimate son of Waldo Lydecker ("I'm so glad you're here--you make Tina's party seem an almost human event"). Among other things, Ferrer would probably like to get Tierney into bed, and a good many people--including Richard Conte as the caring husband--come to believe he has. But that's not the extent of his ambitions,... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Gene Tierney - Richard Conte Director(s): Otto Preminger DVD Release Date: Released the 06 September 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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