Dark City

A talky Paramount crime drama in the vein of 'The Asphalt Jungle', set in New York but shot in Hollywood, as dour as the youthful Charlton Heston in his first Hollywood vehicle. Surrounded by producer Hal Wallis with a first rate cast (including the two future stars of 'Dragnet') and delivered with routine excellence by the seasoned William Dieterle, with a glamorous but soulful female opposite number in the shapely form of sequin-gowned torch singer Lizabeth Scott (and stalked through much of the film by Mike Mazurki the way Mike Hammer was by Dr. Soberin in 'Kiss Me Deadly').

Early in Charlton Heston's career; Danny Haley(Heston)suckers Arthur Winant(Don Defore)into a crooked poker game; Winant ends up losing a check that belonged to his brother and goes back to his hotel room and hangs himself. Arthur's brother Sidney(Mike Mazurki)will methodically dole out revenge with his personal violent vendetta. The poker playing Cronies of Danny start being bumped off one by one. Survivors have no idea what their hunter looks like and Danny goes to Winant's widow Victoria(Viveca Lindfors)posing as an insurance agent needing a photo of Sidney...Danny is certain that Sid would like his check back that his brother lost in the poker game. Hard to find a dull moment. Strong players round out the cast: Lizabeth Scott, Dean Jagger, Jack Webb, Harry Morgan and Ed Begley.

Charlton Heston is wonderful as a gambler with a conscience who plays a fixed game of poker with his war buddy and in turn is accused of the murder in which the companion actually committed suicide. The supporting cast is equally great in this stereotypical 1950s film noir. Far from Heston's best, but still an very above-average film debut.

Heston does a marvelous job is in his first star turn. Jack Webb, Harry Morgan, and Ed Begley lend impeccable supporting work. Don De Fore is re-teamed with Lizabeth Scott for the first time since You Came Along. Scott (Dead Reckoning, Strange Love of Martha Ivers, I Walk Alone, Stolen Face) is one of my all-time favorite femme fatales. Dieterle's direction is fast-paced and interesting throughout. Unfortunately, the whole turns out to be less than the sum of its parts. The problem is in the inconsistent and unimaginative script. It's really a pedestrian tale of revenge with a miscast Mike Mazurki -- not a true film noir as it is normally billed. The parade of musical interludes is annoying. The chemistry between Scott and Heston doesn't work. And, the ending is a real letdown. Chalk this one up as a well-acted and well-directed misfire.