Rent Johnny O'Clock (1947)

Stylish film noir with a terrific script - Johnny O'Clock review by RS

Not everyone will be impressed with  this stylish noir directed by the great Robert Rossen. It’s essentially a dance around  between Dick Powell, a tough self assured hoodlum  and Lee J Cob’s determined cop. Some my find the action rather dull. It’s strength lies in  and a tight script full of hard boiled noir dialogue and fine performances, especially from the leads. 

Forties Noir. - Johnny O'Clock review by Steve

Slow, understated film noir which which gives Dick Powell plenty of opportunity to deliver droll, hardboiled dialogue as the finagler for a dim racketeer (Thomas Gomez) who owns a gambling joint, while he attracts the attention of an array of supporting starlets.

A casino hatcheck girl (Nina Foch) entangled with a corrupt cop is murdered, and Powell has to keep himself out out of the electric chair while dallying with the victim's beautiful sister (Evelyn Keyes). And stop his jealous boss from nixing him for playing around with his alcoholic wife (Ellen Drew).

This was Robert Rossen's debut as director and while he's adept at creating the pessimistic ambience of noir, as co-writer he doesn't generate any dramatic intensity, at least until the climax. So it lacks energy. Everyone stands around the threadbare sets swapping sardonic wisecracks. And these often feel secondhand.

Its main merits are Burnett Guffey's luminous noir photography and Lee J. Cobb as the crumpled, dogged cigar chewing detective trying to make sense of it all. It's worth it for the atmosphere of the city at night, where it always rains and everyone smokes in the ominous shadows. While malign destiny closes in.