Crime Wave (1954)

Crime Wave is an excellent example of film noir. Right from the opening shot it has noir written all over it from cinematographer Bert Glennon. And like most noir, you get straight into it – the film's opening holdup/murder scene at the gas station lets you know you're going to be in for a rough ride. Speaking of rough, Sterling Hayden was perfectly cast as the hard-headed, tough cop. The rest of the cast (which includes an eye-catching Charles Bronson) were pretty good as well. At times I thought Gene Nelson could show a bit more enthusiasm, but he did his job nonetheless.Scenes were filmed on location, which was impressive. As was the fact that the movie was filmed in 13 days. Wow. The story isn't fresh, but you get stuck in right away and are with Steve Lacey as he struggles to keep himself and his wife away from the criminals who drag him into their plans for a bank robbery. The dialogue is classic noir. It's a shame that this movie is another forgotten noir film. I mean, it's not The Maltese Falcon but it sure as hell is worth watching.Crime Wave is a minor film but one worth watching – it is surprisingly well shot, paced and interestingly cut. An excellent example of the low- budget crime dramas that Hollywood churned out during the 50's, I was a little underwhelmed by the ending. The cop just kind of has a complete switch of character when he tells the husband and wife duo that they are free and won't be bothered with. It seemed like a typical rushed ending that we get from a lot of B movie noirs.My Rating: 7/10Final Word: SatisfactoryFull Review: http://cineranter.wordpress.com/2014/08/24/movie-review- crime-wave/

"Crime Wave" is a rock solid little crime melodrama with a cracking pace and a time honoured theme of an ex-con trying to go straight. Its characters are tough and memorable and there are some great moments for not just the leads but the other performers as well. It doesn't have a lot of action but it's just as moody as the best films of its kind and fairly brutal at times. The cast is excellent right down the line; you come to admire Steve Lacey (Gene Nelson) for attempting to get his life back in order and hate his scummy associates for drawing him right back into the crime game.Sterling Hayden is enjoyably cranky, hard-boiled detective Lt. Sims, who subscribes to the idea that "once a con, always a con", and applies it to Lacey, who is visited by thugs including "Doc" Penny (Ted de Corsia), Ben Hastings (Charles Bronson), and Gat Morgan (Nedrick Young). Soon Lacey realizes that he's going to have to go along with Penny and his plans to rob a bank as the gang threatens Lacey's wife Ellen (Phyllis Kirk).This eclectic cast also includes Jay Novello, in a standout supporting performance as slimy veterinarian Otto Hessler, who's tired of humanity and now prefers to tend to the needs of animals, as well as James Bell as Lacey's parole officer, Dub Taylor in a typically hearty turn as a jovial gas station attendant, and legendary eccentric Timothy Carey in a deliciously creepy portrayal of lowlife Johnny Haslett. Bronson is fun as swaggering punk Hastings. Keep an eye out for Hank Worden and Iris Adrian as well.Efficient direction by Andre De Toth (who'd previously worked with Bronson on the horror classic "House of Wax"), impressive hand-held camera-work and use of real L.A. locations all aid in the storytelling in this taut and stylish production.Eight out of 10.

Andre De Toth directed this film noir, shot on real locations. Sterling Hayden stars as no-nonsense police detective Lt. Sims, who is on the trail of three recent prison escapees known to be in the area, since they held up a gas station and shot a motorcycle patrolman. A former con now trying to go straight(played by Gene Nelson) is contacted by both the fugitives and Sims for his help, but all he wants to do is live a quiet life with his new wife(played by Phyllis Kirk), which neither side is willing to do... Marginal film has effective location shooting but a bunch of mostly unsympathetic characters that it is difficult to care about. Charles Bronson costars as one of the hoods.

***SPOILERS*** While robbing a local gas station a shoot-out accrued with a motorcycle cop getting gunned bu by itchy trigger finger hoodlum Gat Morgan, Nedrick Young, who was himself shot in the crossfire. Given $100.00 and the use of the car by his fellow crooks Doc Penny, Ted De Corsia, and Ben Hasting, Charles Bonson, Morgan makes it to the apartment of his friend and former cell-mate ex-convict Steve Lacey, Gene Nelson, in oder to get immediate medical help before he bleeds to death. Getting in touch with another fellow ex-convict and disbarred doctor Otto Hessler, Jay Novello, to patch Morgan up and stop the bleeding Hessler is more interested in getting paid for his services instead of saving Morgan's life. With the bickering over what Hessler is to get paid Morgan ends up dying on the couch from loss of blood.Calling his parole officer Daniel O'Keefe, James Bell, for advice in what to do Lacey is told to get in touch with the local police which would very probably, in associating with a fellow convict, violate his parole and sent him back into the slammer. Things get even more dangerous and complicated when Doc Perry & Ben Hasting unexpectedly showed up at the the Lacey apartment and hold Steves wife Ellen, Phyllis Kirk, hostage in making sure that he goes along with their plan, as the wheel-man, to knock off the Bank of America branch in Glendale that Friday!With his wife Ellen being held hostage and him facing hard time behind bars for harboring a fugitive and cop killer no less Steve finds himself caught between a rock and a hard place in cooperating with the police. It's Let. Det. Sims,Sterling Hayden, sterling performance in trying to keep Steve on the ball in playing it both safe and dangerous that finally pays dividends for everyone involved. That's by Steve tipping him off to when the bank job is going to take place and at the same time keeping both Doc Perry and Ben Hasting totally in the dark that he's, Det. Let. Sims,on to them.Hard edge and gritty on location, the city of L.A, photography as well as tough and take no BS acting on the part of Sterling Hayden makes "Crime Wave" one of the best crime films of the 1950's. It was Sterling's sterling performance in the movie that had him land the lead role in the Stanley Kubick classic "The Killing" some two years later. As well as giving him the role of the mentally deranged General Jack D. Ripper in the end of the world black comedy, through nuclear destruction, in the 1964 movie to end all movies about the subject "Doctor Strangelove".