|
|
|
|
search movies
Genres
World Cinema
UK Premier
US Premier
Indie-Arthouse Cinema
Film Noir
UK Classics
US Classics
Australian
All genres
showcase
Now Available
Kino Hot Picks
Directors
Actors
collections
Kino All-time Top 100 rental titles
Christmas Movies
Blu-Ray High Definition
Featured Genre
Director's Cut
Actors' Studio
AACTA - AFI Winners . . . Best Picture
Oscar Winners . . . Best Picture
Cannes Classics
Members' Top 100 requested Titles
Service
Send a Gift
Contact Us
|
 |
Director: |
Stuart Heisler
|
Starring: |
Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, George Meader, Arthur Loft, Eddie Marr, Moroni Olsen, Margaret Hayes, Donald MacBride, Frances Gifford, William Bendix, Joseph Calleia, Richard Denning, Bonita Granville, Brian Donlevy
|
Genres: |
Drama, Film Noir, Crime, Mystery-Suspense, US Classics
|
Origin: |
USA
|
Certificate: |
PG
|
Languages: |
English
|
Running Time: |
85 min
|
|
|
What holds interest in THE GLASS KEY is not the convoluted plot full of red herrings (until the murderer is unmasked), but the performances of the three leads--Brian Donlevy, Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd. Ladd and Lake have some good chemistry going here, especially in the scene where they first meet and find themselves immediately attracted--a flirting encounter that director Stuart Heisler uses to catch every glimmer of their star appeal as a team.
Everyone takes some hard physical stunts. Lake's sock to the jaw when she encounters Brian Donlevy (as a crooked politician) turned out to be a real one. (She told him she didn't know how to pull punches). Dane Clark (in an unbilled early role) gets shoved through a plate glass window by Donlevy and into a pool. And Alan Ladd takes a brutal beating from William Bendix that is painful to even watch, it's brutally realistic. Ladd's "beating" make-up deserved an Oscar. His escape out of a broken window has him falling off an awning and crashing through the ceiling where a family is having dinner.
Richard Denning has a brief role as Bonita Granville's unfortunate brother who gets killed off early in the proceedings. No use telling the plot outline--just be ready to watch the film for its authentic '40s film noir style--crisp B&W photography full of menacing shadows and some unpredictable twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the end. Ladd's icy calm is a little too guarded but watch him in the scene where Bendix takes him upstairs for a drink. Their contrasting acting styles are fun to watch--and Ladd manages to steal the scene with his underplayed cat-and-mouse expression as he casually toys with a glass or a bottle.
For fans of Ladd and Lake, The Glass Key is a good one.
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
