So much average

Powerful

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

Pretty good film noir. I wouldn't say it's one of the best but it's pretty good. I am always interested in a movie's film locations especially if it was filmed in L.A. But part of this film seems to have been filmed in some parts of Mexico like Tijuana. Yet, there's no mention of those international locations mentioned on this website about this movie. I noticed Borados was mentioned in the movie and even a sign shown as one of the primary locations where most of this movie was filmed. This is where most of the action occurs. I did a web search and noticed that there is a Los Borrados town in central Mexico in the state of Zacatecas. Perhaps this is the same town which was later renamed to Los Borrados. Was this movie actually filmed there?

A mystery man stakes out the delivery schedule at a Kansas City bank. He recruits Pete Harris (Jack Elam), lady's man Boyd Kane (Neville Brand) and cop killer Tony Romano (Lee Van Cleef). He makes everyone wear a mask and keep their identities a secret. The four masked men rob an armored truck of $1.2 million and frame flower delivery truck driver Joe Rolfe (John Payne) by using a replica of his truck. The mystery man sends the other three to other countries to wait for the final payout. Flower truck driver Joe is quickly arrested and his past hounds him during the police interrogation. He gets fired from his job. After he is finally released, he tracks down Pete Harris to find the rest and exact revenge.It's a hard-boiled crime drama. There are a couple of questionable turns. I'm willing to buy that the three robbers would wait for their money especially since the guy is pointing a gun at them. I'm less willing to buy that the mastermind would ever fulfill his obligations especially since none of the other three men can identify him. The plot is a bit too convenient and it has a few holes in its logic. It does have some nice noir style. It's got good violence and abrupt brutality.

This initially started out as a great movie. A basic bank-robbery/frame-up plot is punctuated with a bit of intrigue, as the robbers are anonymous to each other due to some creepy masks.Our hero's sense of desperation is fairly- accurately relayed throughout his beatings at the hands of the cops, loss of employment, and search for justice in Tijuana. The death scenes are pulled off fairly well, despite the complete lack of blood. (I get it: WWII just ended and soldiers didn't want to see any more carnage. However, it isn't as difficult to change a camera angle as it is to completely suspend one's sense of disbelief.)The movie starts to unravel as soon as our protagonist's love interest comes into the picture. Her acting ability is sub-par, and her dialog does little to endear her to the viewer. In fact, the suspense the film has produced up to this point is completely destroyed... and all for a poorly-interwoven romantic sub-plot. The gritty atmosphere is abandoned for a mediocre romantic angle that goes nowhere - and our hero's belle is nowhere near likable enough to develop the sub-plot to any degree worthy of the digression.As such, whereas I would have given the movie 8/10, it is reduced to 5/10.

You have to feel bad for ex-con / flower delivery man / patsy Joe Rolfe (John Payne). He ends up being nabbed by the cops when a gang of hold-up men robs a bank - a gang driving in a van similar to his. Joe, who has little to live for and who is desperately trying to hold on to what he's got, gets righteously angry and tracks down the perpetrators of the crime, insinuating himself into their schemes and ultimately getting in over his head.Capably directed by Phil Karlson, "Kansas City Confidential" is a solid example of prime film noir, with a flawed but still basically likable protagonist. His quest to get back at those who wronged him is a familiar story but it's still a good one, and part of what makes this work so well are the twists and turns along the way; George Bruce and Harry Essex wrote the script (with some uncredited contributions by star Payne and director Karlson), based on a story by Harold Greene and Rowland Brown.Karlson takes a true no-nonsense, no frills approach to the gritty material, and the actors play it for everything that it's worth. Payne is good in the lead, playing a man with some toughness to him but who has to rely on his wits to get through situations, and doesn't get through them unscathed. The gorgeous Coleen Gray provides an endearing love interest and Preston Foster has a fine screen presence as the idea man behind the robbery. However, what is truly delightful is seeing a trio of legendary character stars near the beginnings of their film careers - Neville Brand, Lee Van Cleef, and Jack Elam. Seeing these guys together in one film is a treat.If you're a fan of this genre or any of these actors, then seeing this little gem is highly recommended. It has many fine and riveting scenes that keep you watching and waiting to see how it turns out. It's intelligent and believable at all times.Eight out of 10.