Sexual Astrology - DVD : Kansas City Confidential

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Rating: - Tight little Noir
What an improvement over my public domain disc of this superb little noir! The cast is excellent, especially the three bad guys in early roles. Preston Foster is far more interesting than he usually is. And John Payne is far stronger than usual. Interesting to see the same pool that was used in "Kiss Me Deadly" substituting for a resort in Mexico.

This film is a perfect example of why I collect film noir! Thanks to MGM.

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Rating: - An interesting crime drama
This is one of the classic thrillers of John Payne who is most remembered for his role as a fiancée of Maureen O'Hara in the movie Miracle on 34 Street. He co-starred with O'Hara, and Betty Grable in several movies, and he is known for musicals such as The Razor's Edge with Tyrone Power. In this crime drama, Payne plays an ex-con Joe Rolfe/Peter Harris who tries to clear his name when three unknown bank robbers use a florist truck similar to Harris's truck. When authorities find the truck used in the heist, they release Harris and he goes in search of three robbers; Boyd Kane (Neville Brand), Tony Romano (Lee Van Cleef), and Pete Harris aka Johnson (Jack Elam). The heist is orchestrated by an ex-cop Tim Foster (Preston Foster). This adventure takes Harris to a resort town in Mexico where he not only tracks down the three robbers but also the mastermind, Tim Foster. The suspense in the movie is that the three robbers do not know each other except Tim Foster. During this drama, Harris meets Foster's beautiful daughter Helen Foster aka Pumpkin (Colleen Gray) who is studying to be an attorney. Obviously she falls in love with the charming Peter Harris. At the end the bad guys die and the good guy Harris wins. The movie has interesting plot and suspense, and John Payne offers a brilliant performance.

1. Miracle on 34th Street (Special Edition)
2. The Razor's Edge
3. The Dolly Sisters
4. To the Shores of Tripoli

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Rating: - Like noir? This one almost qualifies.
Not a classic but a pretty good second feature. John Payne heretofore a lightweight & not my first choice, does a good job as Joe. He's a good guy & a decorated vet. He's also an ex-con who has gone straight as a flower truck delivery man. There is a big bank robbery along his route & he has been set-up. The master mind of the robbery is disaffected Police Chief Tim Foster who has been forced to retire. He hires a trio of thugs (Lee van Cleef, Neville Brand & Jack Elam) to help him. They all wear masks & don't know each other or the Chief. The cops arrest Joe & try to beat a confession out of him. They have to let him go but not until he's lost his job. So he decides to go after the thieves that framed him. There is also a big reward for their capture & return of the 1.2 million in cash. Joe gets a lead & catches up with Harris (Elam) in Mexico. Joe softens him up a bit & gets part of the story. Harris is heading for a small village where they are going divvy up the stolen money. Along the way Harris is killed by the local police. Joe assumes his identity & proceeds to meet with the others at the appointed meeting place in Mexico. Remember, he doesn't know them or they him except for the Chief who knows them all. Now the tension gets ratcheted up as the two remaining knuckle-heads, the Chief & Joe manuever for advantage. They are driven by revenge, paranoia & greed. Then, the Chief's daughter, Helen (Colleen Grey) arrives unexpectedly to visit dad & complicates everything. She's not leaving & immediately takes up with Joe. The climax may come as a surprise. This is noir-lite in that there is no femme-fatale (Helen is a good girl) & you know there will be a happy ending. But it is a good crime caper movie with a very good plot for sure.

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Rating: - Kansas City Confidential
If you love the old movies of the Silver Screen era you will probably like this movie. The movie has several well know supporting cast "Bad Guy" type actors. If you are lookng for high tech action forget this one.

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Rating: - A fool-proof heist...A framed man...Falling for the beautiful "dame": The suspense of Film Noir
This is a film noir. Made in 1952 in Black and White, it has the cynicism, it has the interesting plot twists that draw you into the story, it has the lead male in desperate circumstances beyond his control, but no femme fatale, no chiaroscuro, no stylishly odd camera angles. This is one of the heist-themed noir films. I found it very engaging and satisfying. The story was believable, the acting was at times inspired, at other times just a bit lackluster, possibly due to a few weak spots in the script. The DVD picture and sound are both excellent, and the disc has no extras. Strange, but I found the leading male resembling Kevin Spacey at times, Jimmy Stewart at times, and Robert Mitchum at times...fun, but a bit distracting. There are three "heavies" who stand out: Lee Van Cleef, Neville Brand, and Jack Elam are all famous for work they did in the 1950's through the 1970's, and it is very interesting to see them here as young men (without cowboy hats, too!) These men have all brought their characters to life with great performances. This film is in the second tier of its genre: Very good, but not essential. Overall, I can strongly recommend it to fans of 1950's crime movies and film noir. 4 1/2 to 5 stars.