Lawrence Tierney is "Born to Kill" in this 1947 noir starring Claire Trevor, Walter Slezak, Isobel Jewell, Elisha Cook, Jr., and Audrey Long. Trevor is Helen Brent, a recent divorcée doing her time in Reno when she stumbles upon a woman's (Isabel Jewell) body while trying to return the woman's dog to her house. The victim was a friend of Mrs. Kraft (Esther Howard), the owner of the rooming house where Trevor was staying. Helen leaves the body - and town - without a word to anyone. The murderer is a jealous boyfriend, Sam Wild, (Tierney) who saw Jewell out with another man.
On the train out of town, Wild meets Helen, whom he's already spotted the night before. When he pays her a visit at her home, however, he realizes she's already engaged (to Philip Terry) and goes after her beautiful, wealthy sister (Long) and marries her. But the attraction to Trevor is still there on both sides. When a detective comes to town (Slezak), hired by Mrs. Kraft, and starts nosing around, Wild knows it's time to take action.
This is a good noir, but unlike some others, the casting of Tierney was troublesome to me. Every woman in the film ooh-ed and ah-ed over him. Now, had it been Robert Mitchum, for me it would have been believable. Tierney did not have the requisite charm to dazzle an heiress and a staff of servants or the handsome looks to this writer to pull off this character. On top of which, it seemed rather obvious to me that he was wearing a rug.
Well, to each his own, I guess. Trevor does a terrific job as a woman who loves her sister but who desires her husband in spite of herself. Cook turns in his usual good performance as a sycophant friend of Tierney's, and Esther Howard is a Marie Dressler type and very good as the drunken Mrs. Kraft.
Recommended, but you have to buy Tierney as a charming and devilishly handsome killer - I didn't. I kept wanting to pull his rug off and wipe the smirk off his face.
On the train out of town, Wild meets Helen, whom he's already spotted the night before. When he pays her a visit at her home, however, he realizes she's already engaged (to Philip Terry) and goes after her beautiful, wealthy sister (Long) and marries her. But the attraction to Trevor is still there on both sides. When a detective comes to town (Slezak), hired by Mrs. Kraft, and starts nosing around, Wild knows it's time to take action.
This is a good noir, but unlike some others, the casting of Tierney was troublesome to me. Every woman in the film ooh-ed and ah-ed over him. Now, had it been Robert Mitchum, for me it would have been believable. Tierney did not have the requisite charm to dazzle an heiress and a staff of servants or the handsome looks to this writer to pull off this character. On top of which, it seemed rather obvious to me that he was wearing a rug.
Well, to each his own, I guess. Trevor does a terrific job as a woman who loves her sister but who desires her husband in spite of herself. Cook turns in his usual good performance as a sycophant friend of Tierney's, and Esther Howard is a Marie Dressler type and very good as the drunken Mrs. Kraft.
Recommended, but you have to buy Tierney as a charming and devilishly handsome killer - I didn't. I kept wanting to pull his rug off and wipe the smirk off his face.