Kansas City Confidential (1952)

From my favorite movies..

Brilliant and touching

Admirable film.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Jack Elam, Lee Van Cleef, Neville Brand: three of the most notable bad guys in movie history.

The performance of the actors in this movie is very strong- comparable to modern standards with subtle moments of shifting emotions well displayed on their faces, a complex plot with characters who have more depth than they get in many films like this. All have their own motivations and none are simple stereotypes.The action is also creative and surprising with some actions taken which I've never seen in a movie before.I suspect that the director has something to do with the uniformity of the excellent performances by the cast. In the case of Jack Elam, his work here was extremely strong and he wasn't alone.Production values are nothing spectacular but don't distract.I'm going to look for other works by this director. I think this is a gem among movies in this period and budget range.

KANSAS CITY CONFIDENTIAL is a fine little film noir with a much more unusual storyline than you usually find in this genre. The protagonist, as played by John Payne, is a former convict now going straight by working as a delivery driver. All is going well until a trio of hoodlums hold up a bank and frame him, causing him to lose everything that he holds dear.The rest of the tale sees Payne travelling to Mexico in order to get revenge. This film is inventive and keeps you guessing throughout as to what's going to transpire next. Payne's character is very well written insofar as he's sympathetic and yet tough and able to handle himself at the same time. The story is full of twists and turns with only a few slower, more romantic moments.One of the best things about the movie is the casting of three top 'henchmen' actors to play the robber trio. The extremely imposing Neville Brand plays the brawny guy, Lee Van Cleef plays the slimy one, and the excellent Jack Elam steals the show as the sweaty and nervous one. The first half of this film in particular is excellent, delivering suspense in spades; the second half is more traditional but still watchable and with a neat ending that ties the sub-plots up nicely.

An extravagant armored car heist is carried out and Joe Rolfe(John Payne), who knows the law, but finds himself on the wrong side of it, is arrested on circumstantial evidence. He is manhandled and tortured by the cops; but is released finally for lack of evidence. The disgruntled Rolfe, wants to know the who and why he was set up to take the fall. He sets out to find the answers and scours the underworld on a trail that leads him to Mexico. The real thieves are among a blend of killers, felons at-large and even corrupt cops. Director Phil Karlson gives some interesting looks at the underbelly and avenues of crime. The cast is power packed and features: Coleen Gray, Neville Brand, Lee Van Cleef, Preston Foster and Jack Elam.