23 May 2012

Try and Get Me

This film includes some classic noir story lines. The protagonist (Frank Lovejoy) is drawn into a world of petty crime when his search for a blue collar job results in despair,confusion, and rejection. Lovejoy's conscious becomes embroiled in turmoil when the values and convictions of an honest man fall short of providing security for his wife and son. Lovejoy meets a two bit hood in a bowling alley who convinces him that the workingmans' plight is a life filled with nothingness and unfulfilled dreams. They embark on a series of gas station robberies and enjoy the excitement of quick cold cash. Unbeknownest to his wife who thinks that he is working the late shift at a factory, the family settles into a temporary state of middle class bliss. But this is short lived, an eventual murder charge is brought aginst Lovejoy. The film then moves at a rapid pace, where prosecutors, newsmen, women, and victims are woven into Lovejoy's frozen conscious. Lloyd Bridges gives an indelible performance as the maniacal street hood who justifies crime as a means to achieve a higher class in an unforgiven society. The acting, camera work, lighting, and, editing is superb as the two are held and trapped in a town jail where ironically an angry mob seeks entrance and ultimate revenge. This film is a must see for noir enthusiasts. Critics argue that Richard Widmark's performance in Kiss of Death transformed the criminal figure into a warped and brutal character whose proclivity for violence was unrestrained. Lloyd Bridges's performance in Try and Get Me reaffirms this image, albeit, more convincingly.

Steve-602

22 May 2012

Rare lynching film based on an all but forgotten true story

A bit preachy in the style of the day but a remarkable film. Theopening is especially strong. Among the interesting touches, the movielynch mob is made up mainly of college students wearing their schoolt-shirts. New York Model Adele Jergens didn't have much of a Hollywoodcareer but she's right on the money in this one. Although the timeframe is post WWII, the story is based on an actual lynching in SanJose, California, in 1933. Reporter Royce Brier of the San FranciscoChronicle won a Pulitzer for his account of the event.CaliforniaGovernor James Rolph Jr. was quoted as saying he would like to turnover all jail inmates serving sentences for kidnapping to the custodyof "those fine patriotic San Jose citizens, who know how to handle sucha situation."

rvbunting-1

21 May 2012

Lovejoy and Bridges at their best

This is a true sleeper in the film noir category, because so few peoplesaw it in original distribution. There was a legal dispute caused bythe original title, "Sound of Fury" which some felt was too close toFritz Lang's "Fury" filmed earlier.Much of this picture was filmed in Phoenix, and the old city courthouseis very prominent, with it's beautiful copper doors. A true 'dive'nightclub, the "La Jolla Club" later known as the "Guys and Dolls" wasused for a key scene.Lloyd Bridges showed his wonderful range and capability as a wild-eyedpsycho, and Lovejoy was tragically sympathetic as a tortured regularguy gone terribly wrong. The cast was very strong.This is on a par with any of the noir films of the late 40s-early 50s,and holds up today.Enjoy!

bob the moo

21 May 2012

Strong first half (mainly thanks to Bridges) but the potential in the second half is not delivered on as well as I wanted even if it is still impacting

When Howard Tyler moved his family out west to California, he did notplan for unemployment to push them as close to breaking point as ithas. Down on his luck, Howard is hanging out in a bowling lane when hemeets the charismatic and generous Jerry Slocum. Slocum offers him ajob that will pay really well and Howard gratefully accepts. When helearns that he is the driver in the robbery of a grocery store, he hasmisgivings but none that cannot be drowned out by the relief of havingplenty of money in his pocket for the first time in years. However onething leads to another and it is not long before Howard finds himselfexceeding what he is willing to accept being part of but yet unable toget out.A late night "noir" double bill on channel 4 caused me to stumbleacross this film despite never having heard of it before. Although notstrictly a noir, the film is an effective drama that does rely on the"normal" guy drawn into a destructive world of crime. The plot offerslots of potential in the dark content and is still good even if itdoesn't really deliver on it. The narrative focuses on Howard's descentand I was surprised by morally quite how simplistic it all was.Howard's inability to deal with what he does is straightforward and theclear fate served him by the script is also quite easy. The media playsa part in the shape of journalist Gil Stanton and I hoped this wouldproduce something of real insight but mostly he and other charactersseem to exist to vocalise the moralising part of the script. They domake more of it towards the end but I wanted more in the way ofconsistency.The moralising and simplicity across the film does rather make for aweaker second half but the "descent" is by far the best part of thefilm. In terms of delivery it offers more dramatic scenes but this alsomeans more meat for the actors to work with. Lovejoy's desperation butyet conflict is written across his performance and at its best ispretty good. Unfortunately for him, he is totally in the shadow of areally enjoyable turn from Lloyd Bridges. Bridges is cool, arrogant,angry, slick, vain, violent and unpredictable and he is easily the mostmemorable part of the film. Inexplicable then that the script lets himdisappear for the vast majority of the second half of the film – hisabsence is felt. Carlson tries to be the heart of the later debate buthe cannot do it and comes over quite insincere and simplistic. Ryan,Locke, Jergens and others are so-so.Overall then this is an interesting moral drama that has plenty of goodmoments in the first half and plenty of potential in the second half'smoralising. Bridges and Lovejoy deliver well in the first half. Whileit is a real shame that the second half feels weak, simplistic and nowhere near as intelligent and challenging as I wanted it to be, it isstill pretty dark and interesting for the period and should berecognised for that.

movman66

20 May 2012

Remembering TRY AND GET ME

As others have said.....This movie stays with you....I was 10..probably younger..when I saw it....and I can still recall the feelingin my stomach and aching in my heart. I don't remember much of thedetails of the movie......just the overall feeling I came awaywith....the pain...of something terribly wrong, injustice... I don'tbelieve that it could have been "workmanlike" in any way since Iremember the feelings so strongly.....A "Workmanlike" made film couldnot have made that happen to me...I would really like to see it againas an adult....I hope I can find it on DVD. It's revealing to me that someone else.. as a child.. after so manyyears.. could have come away from the film with the same, exactfeelings. Thanks!

ccthemovieman-1

20 May 2012

Try And Get Me!

The subject headline - Try And Get Me! - is the title of the movie, asI know it.Man, this is a different kind of film noir story, mainly because of theending. It centers around two crooks, played by Lloyd Bridges and FrankLovejoy. Of the two, Bridges is the more fun guy to watch. He and hisgirlfriend (played by Adele Jergens) have some very good dialog.Lovejoy and his potential girlfriend have some lines that are so badthey are laughable! It almost reminded me of poor Elisha Cook verballyduking it out with tough-gal Marie Windsor: in other film noirs cornybut fun stuff.This was an entertaining film almost from the start. The last 30minutes are really intense after Lovejoy cracks, stupidly admits hiscrime and is unfairly accosted as the murderer (he was the accomplice,not the murderer.) Then, the townsfolk, fueled by sensationalistjournalism by the local paper, form into a huge lynch mob and storm thejail after the two criminals. The scenes of that, and what happens, arehorrific. I am not exaggerating. In fact, it was one of the mostdisturbing scenes I've ever seen on film, especially for a classicmovie. The cheers from the crowd when they kill the two men (which isnot shown) are downright chilling.The film obviously is a powerful indictment on yellow journalism and ofmob mentality. The last scene was so distasteful that I have neverwanted to watch this movie again!

Robert J. Maxwell

17 May 2012

Brutal Moralistic Crime Drama

Frank Lovejoy is a veteran who never was sent overseas during the war.He can't find a job to support his wife (Kathleen Ryan) and little boy.Angry, embittered, and perhaps a little guilty, he falls in with badguy Lloyd Bridges who sport platinum cuff links and seems to beenjoying himself all over the little California town. Bridges offersLovejoy a job as his wheel man. Just a couple of minor stick-ups,nothing serious. But the robberies escalate into the kidnapping of acollege boy from a rich family. Bridges, an envious psychopath, killsthe kid out of spite. Both Bridges and Lovejoy are caught and jailedbut several thousand people break into the jail, beat the men, and passthem outside overhead like serving platters where they meet vigilantejustice.I haven't seen it since I was a kid but the memory of that climacticcollective murder still makes me wince.It's impossible to comment on the performances, or on much else forthat matter, after the passage of so many years but unless my brain hasturned to tofu, I'm compelled to recommend the film.It was made at the height of the anti-Red hysteria in Hollywood, a timewhen subliminal pro-communist messages were being read into cinematictrifles. And the advertising campaign that accompanied this releaseseemed almost to goad the audience into mindless mob action. Get in onthe ground floor of the explosive rage for justice! That sort of thing.In other words, hang the Reds.It was completely at odds with the message of the movie itself, whichwas that ordinary guys can get sucked up by circumstances and findthemselves suffering the same fate as those who are truly evil. Oh --and mobs can be dangerous. (If you're a social psychologist, think"risky shift".) Out of all the simple black-and-white crime melodramasthat appeared in the post-war period, this is one of the few that hadme by the lapels.Based on a real incident in 1930s San Jose, California.If it shows up, be sure to catch it.

jc-osms

17 May 2012

Gritty, multi-themed early 50s crime-drama

Interesting little B-movie thriller, which starts with the theme ofwhat an honest but desperate man will do to help his family survive,moves on to a loaded discussion on sensationalist lurid journalismbefore ending with a damning indictment of mob rule.It's quite a trip and to get us there introduces us to the memorablecharacter played by Lloyd Bridges, a cocky young psychopath whose pettycrimes take along with him on the lure of easy money, unemployed, hardup family man Frank Lovejoy. It's not long though before Bridges' truecharacter comes to light, escalating in no time to a kidnapping andbrutal murder with disastrous outcomes for all concerned.For its time, this is all pretty heady stuff, shown to us in matter offact style by director Endfield with to my mind anyway, little realdeference to noir conventions. The film is a bit slow to get startedbut once Bridges appears, it picks up on his manic energy. Some of theperipheral characters are just a bit too obvious, like the humanistprofessor friend of the sensationalist journalist whose screamingheadlines, the film would have it, egg the local townsfolk to stormingthe jail while said journalist's own realisation of his part in themayhem is also a little laboured but these are counteracted in somemeasure by some effective low-key character acting by Lovejoy andKatherine Locke as the lovelorn girl with whom Bridges sets him up foralibi purposes.The concluding riot scene, (with it seems a lot of university studentsto the fore!) gets the biggest budget and is effectively staged,reminiscent of its predecessor in Lang's classic "Fury", before the bigdownbeat message is double-underlined for us as the credits roll.A very watchable and considering its era, bold movie with interestingcharacters, dealing with big subjects and ending with a thunderingmoral message to boot. Quite a lot to pack in and done pretty well allround, I'd say.