The Big Clock (1948)

Simply A Masterpiece

It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Laughton,a media mogul,has a mistress,and he doesn't treat her as he should.She baits him one night,and you guessed it,he cleans her clock.Then he sends his boyfriend (in the book),his go-to guy,Steve Hagen to clean up his mess.Then he's out to frame an innocent party who doesn't know his one night stand (again,in the book) is dead.The story takes off with the attempted frame-up .Harry Morgan gets hazardous duty pay having to provide chubby Laughton with a massage,and Macready nearly jumps out of his skin when Laughton grabs him by the arm.O'Sullivan is entirely unnecessary to the story,even to provide a home life for George.No Way Out isn't in the same class with this original.Who thought anyone but Hackman even approached any of these actors,certainly not Costner,Patton,maybe because his character was as ruthless as Hagen,and George and Will are both quality actors.

High Class and Glossy, this Lively Production is Filled to the Top with Big Stars, Big Sets, and a Big Story All Wrapped Up in a Slick Package for Post War Audiences that Wanted Quality Pictures for Their Meager Ticket Prices.Headlined by Ray Milland and Charles Laughton and Surrounded by Familiar Character Actors that Resonate, All Decked Out in Modern Fancy Big City Attire, the Film is a Treat to Look At with John Farrow's Artsy Direction and Fancy Blocking Using the Moving Camera in the Wide Open Indoor Spaces of Big Buildings that were a World Within a World.The Story is Complicated Enough and Interesting Enough for Mystery Fans and Crime Aficionados. Elsa Lanchester Devours the Scenery Playfully Adding the Comedy Relief and Wrings Every Second of Her Short Screen Time. This is Borderline Film-Noir and is Usually Included On Lists but Hardly Pure and Definite. The Strong Off Center Characters, Some Lighting Effects, and an Innocent Man on the Lam are its Strongest Noir Elements but Other Non-Norish Ingredients are too Prevalent to Make this Quintassential. The Corporate Takeover of the American Soul is a Subtext to All This and is Done with Symbolism and Clever Innuendos and is a Film-Noir Consideration.Overall, Not Without Some Weak Ingredients, Like the Back Story of the Workaholic with the Neglected Family, and the Opening Binge that Goes On too Long. This is a Solid, Highly Polished Picture that is Almost Magazine Like in its Pretty Pictures of the Post-War, Urban Landscape of Upper Middle Class Life When $30,000 a Year was a Hefty Paycheck and worth mentioning a number of times in the Film and was Laid Out for the Budding Capitalist in the Audience to Ponder.

"The Big Clock" is an example of an otherwise simple film made exceptional by masters at work, such as Ray Milland and Charles Laughton, but especially director John Farrow and his crew of technicians. Black and white photography, scenes gliding into each other, and taut direction of the action highlight this story of writer Milland working for publishing tycoon Laughton and getting caught up in a murder scandal. By way of flashback, we see how it all began, why Milland is on the run, and how clocks play a part in this sinister and fun film. With a solid supporting cast of George Macready, Henry(Harry) Morgan (who's spooky in a non-speaking role,) Maureen O'Sullivan (Farrow's wife in real life,) Rita Johnson (who I always liked in movies with her own little sparkle), and Elsa Lanchester (Laughton's wife in real life) in a scene-stealing role. In fact, Laughton seems to be the type of actor who doesn't emote much, but steals the scene from others in little ways. The plot unfolds and develops intricately but simply and it's delicious the whole way. This film really gets you in the mood for another film and another film, immersing yourself in the age of the old-fashioned movies they just don't make anymore. Period.

Besides being a who-done-it, this movie is also a brilliant comedy. Ray Milland and Charles Laughton give stellar performances as men who are at odds with each other, with lethal results. The rest of the cast is also excellent, especially Elsa Lancaster who plays an artist with a quick wit. The plot is clever, the acting wonderful, the cinematography catches the story's mood, and the movie, with all its twists and turns, is in general engaging and entertaining, The movie contains so many wonderful performances. And even though the movie was made in the late 1040s, it's still watchable today. That is, the movie has aged well and deals with issues that would resonate with today's audience. One thing about Ray Milland: he was a great actor with great screen presence, and proves that it this movie.