The sob story that mobster Joseph Calleia gives American reporter Carole Landis would give any sob sister enough tears to soak the newspaper, but Landis is equally as hard-boiled as Calleia is ruthless. A far cry from the dainty heroines I recall her from earlier films, Landis reminds me more of Constance Bennett here than those ingenues, and she gives Calleia a slap across the face that he'll never forget. She's obviously a foe that he's going to enjoy sparring with, and this is by far her best performance. It's a shame that it's her second to last film, tragedy occuring the same year.
A great art deco set and top notch late 40's fashions mixes American spunk through Landis and a variety of British archetypes with memorable characterizations by Derek Farr, Nigel Patrick and Stanley Holloway. You not only got a very intelligent screenplay but gritty crime drama with subtle comic elements (which includes a bunch of eccentrics from a local gymnasium) and a fast pace that makes this fly by. Calleia is a great villain, mixing comedy and menace, and even with stereotypical elements, he's fascinating to watch. Definitely a must for fans of crisp, fast talking 40's crime epics, showing that there could be Big Town bosses outside of Chicago and New York and other gritty American cities.
A great art deco set and top notch late 40's fashions mixes American spunk through Landis and a variety of British archetypes with memorable characterizations by Derek Farr, Nigel Patrick and Stanley Holloway. You not only got a very intelligent screenplay but gritty crime drama with subtle comic elements (which includes a bunch of eccentrics from a local gymnasium) and a fast pace that makes this fly by. Calleia is a great villain, mixing comedy and menace, and even with stereotypical elements, he's fascinating to watch. Definitely a must for fans of crisp, fast talking 40's crime epics, showing that there could be Big Town bosses outside of Chicago and New York and other gritty American cities.