Tuesday, January 6, 2015

CRY DANGER (1951)

The directorial debut of Robert Parrish finds Dick Powell getting a questionable early release from prison.  He'd been sent up for robbery, but it seems that the $100,000 he supposedly stole has never been found...so you can probably guess that his release wasn't due to good behavior.  Now Powell is looking for the person or people who framed him, while at the same time bunch of other people (including the police) tracking Powell in hopes that he'll lead them to the dough he supposedly has hidden somewhere.

The story isn't that original, (although it's a good one that I always enjoy seeing, most recently in ZIFT) but the main thing that will catch your attention is the non-stop wisecrack dialogue told in a deadpan way by serious characters!  At first you kinda smirk but then you realize that it's not stopping and it's brilliant.  I have absolutely no idea what possessed screenwriter William Bowers to write the dialogue in such a way, but I'm glad he did it cause it really livens up the movie.  Solid acting, quick pace, excellent dialogue that is a non-stop delight, beautiful shots of Los Angeles, good direction, brief appearances by a young Kathleen Freeman and one of the longest two-door cars I've ever seen in my life!  Recommended for classic film lovers.
Why does he have his seat pulled up that far?!