Naked Alibi (1954)

This is an underrated film noir that hasn't gotten much exposure within the genre. Sterling Hayden and Gloria Graham were well known performers in the genre at the time and they both do an excellent job in this film. But the big surprise to me was Gene Barry as the duplicitous criminal and supposed religious family man. When I was growing up in the 1960's, Gene Barry was a very familiar face on TV. He starred in numerous TV dramas such as Burke's Law, The Adventurer, and The Name of the Game. These were very predictable TV dramas where Barry often played virtuous characters fighting criminals. He was the epitome of the bland corporate TV actor. But in Naked Alibi, Barry portrays a much more conflicted character and he rises to the occasion. It does an excellent job in his role. What has often amazed me is how actors that were so good in low budget film noir movies in the 1950's eventually became stuck in vacuous and uninspiring roles on TV in the 60's. It is probably the greatest shame of American TV and movie culture that talented actors were forced into unimaginative and simplistic roles just so they could survive. Gene Barry is a perfect example of someone who could have had a great acting career if he hadn't been destroyed by Hollywood.

The title "Naked Alibi" is a very strange one, as back in the day you'd never see naked people in mainstream Hollywood films and there is nothing naked whatsoever in the movie. Don't let that stop you from watching it, as it's an excellent and gritty film noir story.When the film begins, police captain Joe Conroy (Sterling Hayden) is investigating a case where a lieutenant was brutally murdered. He thinks Al Willis (Gene Barry) is responsible--after all, he's a HUGE hot-head and he had a grudge against this dead cop. Soon, two more cops are brutally murdered and Willis appears to be the likely suspect. But, when Conroy is fired for police brutality, he's determined to follow Willis into Mexico and prove he's a psycho killer. However, he's no longer a cop and has no jurisdiction...and Willis has a gang waiting for him. All Conroy has is a dame (Gloria Graham) and her kid!The film works well because Sterling Hayden (as usual) is excellent in these sorts of tough-guy roles. Additionally, Barry is very good as a scum-bag and the script keeps you on edge. Not a great film but certainly a good one worth your time.

Director Jerry Hopper with Stars: Sterling Hayden, Gloria Grahame, Gene Barry, Max Showalter, Marcia Henderson and Chuck Connors. Story is Al Willis (Barry) is picked up for drunk & disorderly conduct without ID and is in an interrogation room at the local Police Station being questioned about some robberies. A detective lieutenant (Showalter) is questioning the belligerent Willis. A scuffle results in Barry smacking Showalter in the head with an ashtray and threatening the cops that he will get even, the two other cops in the room subdue him just as Chief of Detectives Conroy (Hayden) walks into the room. Willis is identified as a good citizen and owner of a bakery, he apologizes for being drunk and is let go. Sometime later Showalter is gunned down in the street at a police call box. Conroy remembers Willis's threat and hauls in him in after a brief chase. Conroy (who has a reputation for brutality) develops a hard-on for Willis convinced that he is the killer, but Willis and his lawyer pull strings and Willis is released. All hell breaks loose when the other two cops in the interrogation room are killed by a car bomb and Conroy is photographed attacking Willis. Conroy looses his job but becomes obsessed with "getting" Willis stalking him around town. Willis getting un-nerved decides to leave town and his wife (Henderson) and child to take a vacation away from Conroy. Up to this point the film effectively has you sympathizing with Willis against loose cannon Conroy, but when Willis ends up in "Border Town" and assumes a new identity and joins gal pal B-Girl chanteuse Marianna (Grahame) our perceptions change drastically. It would have helped if this film would have been shot more on actual locations as it is its almost all Universal back-lot, it picks up when it moves to "Border Town" (Tijuana) and Barry is revealed, but that location looks minimally used at best, it pales in comparison to say "Touch of Evil". Its also one of those quasi Noirs that take place way too much in the sunshine for the first 3rd of the film (but hell they didn't know we'd be debating Film Noir 60 years later). Barry is way better than I was expecting (showing a lot of range that I never saw in TV's "Bat Masterson" or "Burke's Law"), and Grahame & Hayden are great as usual, Connors plays Conroy's second in command adequately, but the budget lets this film linger in the second tier of Noirs. Graham sings a song at the bar obviously a lip-sync, but she shakes that thing a bit doing it so who cares, lol. I'm a Gloria & Sterling fan so its an essential for me. 7/10

I saw this film many years ago in England and remember being shocked by it. Saw it once in France under the title "Alibi Meurtrier". It's a good film but I could not tolerate Hayden's "manipulation" of Gloria Grahame. Since that time, every time I see Sterling Hayden's face in a film I am filled with hate for this man !! But decors and music are good and the whole thing is a good example of a pessismistic film or 'film noir".