Murder By Contract (1958)

My favourite moment in Murder By Contract (1958) was when Claude (Vince Edwards), the cool out-of-town contract killer wearing a suit and a pair of shades, is picked up by two hoods (Philip Pine and Herschel Bernadi) who will oversee his assassination of a jury witness. Claude wants to tour the sights of LA. “I’d […]

Stray Dog (1949)

In Akira Kurosawa’s Stray Dog (1949; Nora inu), a young Toshiro Mifune plays a rookie detective named Murakami who feels shame and twists himself in knots over losing his newly acquired Colt pistol to a pick-pocket on a tram. This is both a film noir and a police procedural, which seems to have influences on […]

Night And The City (1950)

Directed by Jules Dassin and shot on location in London, Night And The City (1950) has the iconic look of the film noir genre down pat. From the chiaroscuro lighting of faces in close up to the placement of a suited individual against a dark cityscape, Max Greene’s cinematography is brilliant. The film is also […]