Good start, but then it gets ruined

Better Late Then Never

Am I Missing Something?

Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

Despite having read praise for his work in the Film Noir & Western genres over the years,I have somehow never got round to seeing any titles by director Anthony Mann,with the only Mann title that comes to mind being Spartacus-where he was replaced by a director called Stanley Kubrick. (whatever happened to him?!)With my dad having enjoyed seeing The Falcon movies last Christmas, I was pleased to stumble upon a Falcon-style Film Noir by Anthony Mann,starring Falcon lead Tom Conway, (aka Tom Sanders-George's brother) which led to me setting my clock,for a morning shot of courage.The plot:Walking around a street with blood dripping down his face,a man in a pin-stripe suit bumps into a taxi.Thinking that the guy is a drunk,cab driver Patty Mitchell tells the guy to get in the cab so she can drop him off home.Driving round,Mitchell is shocked to discover that along with the guy not being able to remember his name,that he is also unable to recognise his own face.Checking his pockets,the man finds nothing but 2 ticket stubs and $500.Suggesting to the man that the police may be able to help him track down his ID,Mitchell heads to the police station.Getting out the car,Mitchell and the man catch a snippet from a near-by radio that the police are after a murderer who has $500 on him,and was last seen wearing a pin-stripe suit. Believing that the man does not have the face of a murderer,Mitchell vows to drive the man to clear his name.View on the film:Keeping his "unofficial" remake of the 1936 Film Noir Two In The Dark to a trim 68 minutes,director Anthony Mann and cinematographer Jack MacKenzie give "the mans" stage world a glamorous appearance,which has darkness bubbling underneath,as Mann and MacKenzie show the elegant gowns & posh night clubs to be a cover for the double-crossing and lying that its inhabitants take part in.As "the man" and Mitchell gets closer to uncovering his identity,Mann wraps the title round a Film Noir thread,with Mann superbly using over-lapping shots to create an uneasy atmosphere,as "the man" starts to remember.Crossing a light Comedy touch into Film Noir territory,the screenplay by Robert E. Kent, Gelett Burgess and Gordon Kahn strikes a fine balance of keeping Mitchell & "the mans" exchanges hilariously quick-witted,whilst making sure that the corrupt world they find themselves entering is correctly treated with a harsh manner.Keeping the movies plot moving at an excellent pace,the writers display a real procession in revealing the mans troubled past piece by piece.Staying close together for most of the film,Ann Rutherford and Tom Conway both give splendid performances,with the pretty Rutherford curling Mitchell's lips round every sharp one-liner,whilst Tom Conway (who sounds just like his brother!) brilliantly shows his unknown past to rest heavy on his shoulder,as the man finds the courage to unlock his dimly-lit Side Street past.

Catch that noirish opening—Ted (Conway) wandering around in the fog with an even bigger fog inside his head, not knowing who he is or where he came from. Good thing girl cabbie (it's still war time) Patty (Rutherford) helps him out since the cops think he's murdered someone. These look like classic elements of noir, especially with master of the genre Anthony Mann in charge. But this is early in his career when he was still doing programmers.There may be some interest here for film historians since the movie appears to straddle two genres— the humorous murder mysteries of the 30"s and early 40's and the emerging noir crime dramas of the post-war period. Note how Mann uses a noirish close-up to dramatize Ted's recovering memory. Looks like his darker artistic side is looking for opportunities to surface.Still, thick-headed cop (Parnell) and fast-talking reporter (Lane) remain anchored in Charlie Chan's and Falcon's of the earlier period. But however you cut it, the movie's still a fun diversion, with a bouncy Rutherford, a polished Conway, and a pay-me-by-the-word Lane. Just don't try to figure out the mystery. I lost track somewhere between the butler-did-it and the gorgeous Jane Greer's revealing gowns.

Very well done who-done-it. I love mysteries and watch it every time it is broadcast. Tom Conway plays a man with amnesia who seems to be implicated in a murder plot, but obviously doesn't know whether he was the murderer or not. As the plot thickens it seems more and more like he might have been.I did not realize for some time that it is a remake of the 1936's "Two in the Dark". This version is much better. Primarily due to Tom Conway's charm and Ann Rutherford's spunk. I don't think this one is quite as good as most of the "Falcon" series, but Conway never really got the credit or the opportunities he deserved.

This came before Anthony Mann's famous, unique and quirky noir. By the time it was made, there had already been many authentic films noir. However, this updates what had been a formula throughout the thirties: the romantic/comic/mystery. There is romance. There is some comedy. But instead of mystery: We have here a true film noir. (The difference between this and other entries in the genre makes the importance of a good director very clear.) It begins with Tom Conway, in an excellent performance, looking at a sign noting an intersection of two streets. He doesn't know where there are, where he is. Or, even, who he is. Amnesia, yes indeed.Now the comedy: Ann Rutherford, a female cab driver, happens by and helps him out. She calls her taxi Harry and, later, people get confused and think Harry might be the name of a suspect.Though this has its light moments, it is a dark little movie. (And little it is, at just a bit longer than an hour.) We have a comic newspaperman and a semi-comic police officer. But we have some genuine bad guys too, and some women who are right out of the noir canon as well.Among these is Jane Greer in a very early appearance. Though her role is small, she grabs out attention. The camera loves her, almost in the way it was to love a very different sort of performer: Marilyn Monroe. Though Greer doesn't have a lot to do or a whole lot of screen time, when she's around, we can't take our eyes off her. Now, there was real (and sadly underused) star!