Half a Sinner (1940)
Although young and beautiful, schoolteacher Anne Gladden fears a dull future. She finally decides to take a walk on the wild side, splurging on some fashionable new clothes and setting off to find adventure. Her new confidence inspires her to flirt with complete strangers. When a gangster pays unwanted attention to her, she ditches him and flees in his car, unaware that there's a corpse in the trunk. Determined to recover his stolen vehicle and its incriminating cargo the thug begins a desperate search. The oblivious Anne, comes to the aid of a handsome young man stranded alongside the road. Romance blooms, but after the shocking discovery of a body in the trunk, the duo decide they have to return the car. The bickering lovebirds head back to the city, trailed by both the angry gangster and the cops, who suspect the young couple of murder.
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Good movie but grossly overrated
Good concept, poorly executed.
This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.
The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful
This woman is so dingy in this film she irked me from the get-go. First of all the unwanted suitor just met her in the park where she was sitting - he wasn't a stalker, he was a man that just met her and trying to come on to her. Secondly, she steals a car to get away from said suitor and she's to dingy to realize that stealing a car makes her a thief and the cops will go after the stolen car. Third, she picks up a man she doesn't know long her way to really nowhere while getting away from the suitor. This man sees the dead body in the back of the car and we are now in for some lame comedy as the police are hot of the trail of the real criminals and a stolen car.I found this one a bore fest - trying to hard to be funny with a boring story to follow. I did not find anyone "cute" in this film just ewe.I got this film in the Dark Crimes 50-Film Pack and this is NOT a dark crime. It's a (so-called) comedy crime film - nothing that dark about it except riding around in a stolen car with a dead body. It's not film noir or anything close to that.2/10
What a delightfully, harmless, innocent, fun movie discovery! Every once in a while, we give up trying to find some new movie we haven't seen that will grab us and hold us until the end. Usually, we come up terribly empty. And then...You find THIS movie. It is no blockbuster. But why must every movie be one? I came upon this movie tonight on YouTube and was so pleasantly surprised at the whole thing.The stars are hardly on the tips of our tongues except the wildly amusing and very posh CONSTANCE COLLIER. I don't know what it is about this actress, she delights me at every turn. There are others like the perennial old man, character actor, Clem Bevans! It's amazing how a man at only 63 could play the same part in movies for so many years...but there were such talented men, many years ago.I recommend this movie if you are looking for a fun, Saturday afternoon movie to enjoy. You won't need to scratch your head at this comedy-murder-mystery, just delight in the entirely implausible plot and you will be handsomely rewarded with an hour of fun!
Comedy noir would seem to be a contradiction in terms, but there are in fact movies in this vein that deserve serious attention, particularly The Ladykillers (1951). A much lesser entry, however, is Universal's 1940 release, Half a Sinner, in which a none-too-flatteringly photographed and costumed Heather Angel is pursued not only by comic cops and comic crooks but by smiling bland man, John King. The second last of over 400 films (many of them shorts) directed by comedy giant, Al Christie, this Trouble with Harry/Midnight Manhunt effort is somewhat repetitious but pleasant enough to talk during and even come late for. The players do what they can with their something-borrowed (cf. the overcoat device in Manhattan Melodrama), something-thin material, but only Clem Bevans, Tom Dugan, William B. Davidson and ever-reliable Constance Collier really shine.
As school winds down Anne Gladden (Heather Angel), a single teacher, decides to throw caution to the wind, gets herself all dolled up and heads out to the park. There she is accosted by a rude gentleman and in order to get away takes his car and drives off. She is unaware that the car is stolen and that there is a dead body in the back seat under an overcoat. The coat belongs to the boss of the gangsters and he's not happy that the evidence that could put him away for a long time is now out and about on a joy ride. Soon Anne is not only being chased by the cops and the gangsters but she's managed to pick up a nice man as well.Suspenseful and silly this is a very enjoyable romp as the ever lovely Heather Angel tries very hard to get out of trouble and hang on to her man. Clearly a program picture this fun film manages to be considerably more especially when Constance Collier as Mrs Brenckenridge shows up and runs rough shod over everyone and everything. The woman is a pip.I really liked this a great deal. This is one to keep an eye out for since its an hour of your time well spent.