Mystery Street (1950)

best movie i've ever seen.

Beautiful, moving film.

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

This one really knocked me out. The screenplay is so tight. There is nothing unbelievable. The characters are all interesting and then there is Elsa Lanchester perfectly understanding how to make the most of every second. Ricardo Montalban was such a fine actor. He deserved a much better movie career. Then to see people like Jan Sterling and Betsy Blair in such good roles and offering such solid performances is such a pleasure. We kept saying, "This is Law and Order!" And what complement could be greater only this came about 40 years earlier. Of course you know it will have a satisfying ending but you won't believe the roller coaster ride you are given first. And Boston!!! When has that city ever been given such prominence. The movie is a knockout. Not a wasted second. How did this one get away? Masterpiece is overused but this is one.

A grisly little entry in the police-procedural film noir sub-genre that stars a swarthy Ricardo Montalban as chief detective investigating the death of a mysterious girl (Jan Sterling) whose skeleton is found buried on a beach. Though there are a string of plot threads swirling around the true identity of the girl's murderer, this isn't a mystery (misleading title aside) and we pretty much know who the culprit is from early on. This movie is more interested in the forensics work that goes into tracking down the murderer -- think of it as a 1950s version of a CSI show. To that end, there are all sorts of little nasty details that come as a bit of a surprise in a film from this time period -- the foot of a skeleton poking out of a sand dune, a photo of a dead woman lying in a pool of blood, the tiny bones of an unborn baby being contained in an envelope -- and the film goes out of its way to emphasize the deadness of a dead human body (as Jan Sterling's body is being carried away from the car in which she was just shot, the murdered accidentally thunks her head against the car door).Sterling, despite the fact that she usually played caustic, cheap blondes, always had a winning quality for me, and I was somewhat bummed that she dies so early on. But to make up for the lack of her, there's a wonderful performance by Elsa Lanchester as an eccentric busy-body and a smaller and less showy but captivating performance by Betsy Blair (aka Mrs. Gene Kelly) as Sterling's friend and neighbor.Directed with style by John Sturges.Grade: A-

The somewhat generic title "Mystery Street" offers no real clue as to what is contained therein, and belies the fact that this film exhibits some very contemporary themes and devices. It is partnered with "Act of Violence" on a "film noir" DVD which offers an excellent evening of entertainment from two lesser-known movies of that genre.Ricardo Montalban plays a Portuguese-American police detective trying to piece together the clues left behind by a skeleton found buried in the sand dunes near Hyannis, Massachusetts. The proceedings are a definite precursor to TV's "C.S.I." and similar series devoted to police forensics and procedures, and a crime lab run by Bruce Bennett at Harvard University features prominently. It's no secret to the audience who the skeletal remains are, but it is for earnest, hardworking Montalban to discover for himself.In the process, the youthful Montalban interacts with several potential suspects and witnesses, all the while treating us to his special brand of Latin charisma that made him so popular with female audiences. He's in fine form, confident and looking great in a trench coat and fedora, although sometimes his accent gets a tad in the way.The stellar supporting cast includes fabulous Elsa Lanchester as an avaricious and corrupt landlady who soon finds herself in over her head. Her expert dramatics are priceless, and she is allowed ample screen time to flesh-out a unique character who is both compelling and repulsive. Next mention should go to beautiful Jan Sterling in a pivotal role of a cynical but desperate dance hall girl looking to strike it rich. Marshall Thompson and Sally Forrest appear as a young married couple with their share of problems and more than a few secrets. The rest of the cast is filled with great little cameo performances, most with one scene each in rapid-fire succession.So fans of classic police drama will find much to enjoy in "Mystery Street," a movie which certainly foreshadows current trends in that genre, and gives fine actors a great showcase for their talent.**** out of *****

Wasn't sure if I would like this one but it was in the DVD collection so I thought what the hell. I couldn't have been more surprised. Ricardo Montalban was never one of my favorites - or even one of my second favorites - but was at whatever passes for his best in Mystery Street. He got able support from stalwart Bruce Bennett and the whole picture benefited from another fey performance by Elsa Lanchester, who never disappoints. Whenever the story began to go slack her presence helped immeasurably.The story was very absorbing and held the interest throughout but was a tad long and could have been a bit tighter. Was very impressed by Director John Sturges' grasp of the noir genre and the last 20 minutes of the film were appropriately tense and includes an exciting chase. Also enjoyed the Maguffin as well as the red herrings and dead-ends strewn about the plot.A lot of readers have summarized the plot, so suffice it to say that this is a very underrated film and deserves better exposure than it has had over the past 60 years. A top notch mixture of casting, directing and storyline all came together for my rating of 8 out of 10.