Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

Blast of Silence (1961) is a true oddity: most agree the so-called "classic noir" cycle ended around the late 1950s and that so-called "neo-noir" didn't make an appearance until the late 1960s with films like Point Blank. But Blast is a little independent noir about a hit-man in New York during Christmastime, made in 1959 and released in 1961. As far as noir goes, it's rather obscure, probably due to its lack of big names behind or before the camera. It's a shame, because to my mind, both Blast and its director/writer/star Allen Baron are unjustly unsung.One thing which sets Blast apart from A level noir like Double Indemnity, Out of the Past, or even grimy fare like Ace in the Hole is its total lack of glamor. The movie was shot on location guerrilla style, capturing the feel of late 1950s New York without any studio gloss and lending Blast a sense of authenticity. You really feel the atmosphere of the streets, the bars, the grimy apartments where both denizens of the underworld and ordinary folks just scraping by spend their nights. None of the actors are what anyone would call gorgeous or exuding Hollywood charisma; everyone is very ordinary-looking. The acting is weird, sometimes even what one would call weak-- though I would also argue this is a strength, especially in the case of Allen Baron as hit-man Frankie Bono.In many ways, Frankie Bono feels like a proto-Travis Bickle. He too seems to see himself as "God's lonely man," cut off from normal people, uncomfortable with human contact when it comes his way. Like Bickle, we know little of Bono's past, though from his rare outbursts on the subject, we can tell it wasn't so swell. Bono rides the line between being sympathetic and monstrous: he has a sadistic streak and seems to take pleasure in stalking his targets. In one of the most shocking moments of the movie, he even attempts to sexually assault his childhood sweetheart after she invites him over for Christmas out of pity, since violence is the only way he seems to communicate anything, including desire. Baron's performance has often been criticized as "stiff," but this actually fits his misanthropic, socially awkward character. This "stiffness" also makes his violent outbursts and sadistic actions all the more effective.Another controversial element of the movie seems to be the voice over narration. VO narration is common in noir, but it's usually done by the main character; here we have an unseen narrator who directly addresses Frankie himself ("You like being alone-- by now, it's your trademark." "Soon you learned to let the hate out another way."). We have no clue who this narrator is-- it could be God or some guy down the street, or it could even be Frankie himself, so alienated from people that he cannot directly address himself. You may find it intrusive, distracting, or even cheesy, but I personally love the voice-over in Blast of Silence. It's hardboiled and bizarre-- much like the movie as a whole!Blast of Silence is my favorite film noir: it's rough around the edges to be sure, but it features a fascinating anti-hero and a snapshot of 1950s New York City. If you liked Taxi Driver, then you may like this too, as it feels like an older version of the Scorsese film, all the while retaining its own wonderfully weird identity.

Blast of Silence is a late noir and a pretty good flick and maybe somewhat of a sleeper since it was a blind Criterion buy. It is the story of a hit man. The circumstances which comprise the plight of the average noir hero (or anti-hero) are probably many and varied. A guy might be living an ordinary life and suddenly be hurled into the mire by fate. Or another maybe a guy who has a dangerous life style but finally makes the mistake that begins the nightmare. In this case, however, the hero has apparently and seemingly been so afflicted since the womb. This is wonderfully depicted in an opening sequence that should go down as a classic, in my view. I shall not reveal it but it is immensely satisfying and an excellent way to begin the show.This movie made me appreciate the professionalism of what it might be like to be hit man. Not that it would appeal to me, personally, but this guy knows what he's doing. We follow the planning leading up to thing itself but the movie is less about the situation and much more the man, his mental state. To that degree that he is good at what he does, to that same degree perhaps, he is not so good at feeling good and being happy. This is dramatized by a rare second-person narration, which (as a reminder) goes something like this: You open your eyes and it's a new day and the same feeling comes over you just like yesterday, that clammy feeling, and that feeling of hatred, for your old man, for yesterday, for today, for tomorrow, for Christmas, for just about everything, and you wonder will this ever end ...This voice-over that work quites well and is mercifully not overdone or too overbearing. It works because it tells the viewer what's going through the guy's head and how he is experiencing it, an economical way time-wise of letting us know this guy.I had never heard of any of the players, and I found that refreshing, no hearkening back to any prior roles. The lead is not a veteran actor and his performance perhaps shows as he comes off rather stiff, even a little dull. The good news is that it works for the character, who is a loner and socially inept with women as well as with prior male buddy acquaintances he comes across, all serving to accentuate his obvious isolation. Some of his lines seem awkward, but as I say, it works. That's just the way Frankie Bono is.There is a greasy gun dealer that is played by a soft-spoken fat man, a small but juicy role. There is also a sweet girl who is sympathetic to Frankie but to only to a point, she is way too far on the right side of the tracks. I really liked her, both the character and the actress. There are no femmes fatales. Frankie is messed up enough, he doesn't need one of those to do him in.There is a neo-realistic element. The camera takes to the street of NYC, mostly Manhattan; Rockefeller Center at Christmas time (where everyone seems happy except Frankie), Staten Island (the Ferry) and elsewhere.I won't say much about the story except that given Frankie Bono's character, the norm for him would probably entail going the job site (if you will, whatever city) and carry out his dastardly task in the time allotted, spending most of his time in a hotel alone. But here, a chance encounter with a old friend from the orphanage leads to involvement with still others including the previously mentioned girl and this drives the story. New conflicts arise in the already troubled mind of Frankie Bono and he considers the possibility of change. Can he do it? This one probably doesn't rise to highest level of the noir genre (or maybe I'm not giving enough credit) but it's certainly a good watch, and again, the opening sequence is superb.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart said about hard-core pornography that he could not define it, but he knew it when he saw it. I feel the same way about film noir--I cannot define it, but I know it when I see it. And, in my estimation, this movie is quintessential noir. It is the story of a self-described loner, Frank Bono, who has been hired to kill a small-time mob operative in New York City. The filming, in black and white, is in a style that perfectly matches the seedy story being told. The movie has the look of a low budget effort, which indeed it is, and this creates an ideal atmosphere for the downbeat tale that is being told. It would be hard to fake the authenticity conferred by the low production values and the use of relatively unknown actors. The filming effectively uses contrast and shadows, a hallmark of film noir. There are no self-consciously arty shots. Much of the movie is filmed against a backdrop of New York locations. The New York settings play such an import role in establishing time and place that there is an extra of the DVD presenting details on the locations with a lot of before (1960) and after (1996 and 2006) shots. The unusual second person narrative, delivered in a suitably gravely voice, allows for getting to know Frank at a depth uncommon for this type of movie. We see how Frank drifted into his profession, how he had yearnings (or fantasies) about how he could have turned out differently, such as an architect or engineer. He sees a bridge and says to himself that he could have designed that. Frank prides himself on being a loner, a quality that he feels is essential to his job; he makes comments to himself like, "If you want a woman, buy one. In the dark, so she won't remember your face." However, during the course of the movie he is challenged to examine his isolated lifestyle.The sharp, cynical dialog raises this movie several cuts above a typical B movie. The opening scene gives you an immediate insight into how Frank views the world and alerts you to memorable dialog that is to come: "Remembering, out of the black silence you were born in pain. ... You were born with hate and anger built in. Took a slap on the backside to blast out the scream, and then you knew you were alive. Later you learned to hold back the scream and let out the hate and anger another way."The jazz score is effective.This is worth viewing and is not just for lovers of film noir.

Blast of Silence (1961)In some ways, the filming and the cool grey timbre of this film are so singular and evocative, you really have to watch it. In this way it reminded me of a gritty, New York version of the 1958 Elevator to the Gallows (set in Paris). They both have some of the most beautiful, evocative scenes of people just walking the streets of the city, day and night. In "Blast of Silence" you get taken to several parts of New York, unedited, shot with a simple but elegant intuition for the place. This is a movie by New Yorkers about New York.But the plot, about a lone killer on his last dubious assignment, is a strain. Beyond the convincing despondency and isolation of the leading actor (Allen Baron, from Brooklyn, who is also the director), the cast struggles to be relevant. The one other shining performance is the gun dealing and rat lover, played by Larry Tucker with a kind of relish for the unsavory dirty aspects of his part. Great stuff.If you accept that the story isn't much, by itself, and watch it for the scenes of the city, for the impressions of ordinary New Yorkers at the time of Kennedy's election, you will be really wowed. Right from the first shot, the low budget hand held camera on a train in a tunnel, going on and on until finally finding the light of day, to the last scenes in a a light, windy, driven snow in the Meadowlands, it's a thrilling, original ride. The filming has a gritty, everyman quality that seems to come right from art school without the affectation. It really is worth it just for the scenes, and the urban scenery.