Still panning the 40s and 50s for gold
Odd Man Out - surely one of the most beautiful black and white films ever made? A fairy tale Belfast of snow and rain and shadows full of acutely drawn characters ushering James Mason to his inevitable end. Wasn't sure about some of the knockabout stuff in the last third (Robert Newton a bit OTT for the mood) but the last reel redeems everything. A genuine must see.
Armoured Car Robbery - meat and two veg heist caper, impeccably served. Lantern jawed Charles McCraw in pursuit of oily psycho William Talman and his odious stripper squeeze who loves her 'lettuce'. Lean, mean fun with a great splattery climax.
The Prowler - James Ellroy calls this 'Perv Noir' in the extras - can't argue with that. Van Heflin and Evelyn Keyes are great as the bad couple, although for once it's the lady who's done wrong. Great metaphorical climax atop a big pile of sand and shale in the middle of nowhere
Between Two Worlds - wartime fantasy, a boat carting a crew of dead souls to heaven or hell. Ends up a series of moral platitudes - greed bad, mums good, honest joe good, big business bad etc etc. Dated to say the least.
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