Shoot to Kill (1947)

This is a cheap Lippert b-movie that overachieves its budget with such little extras as a great piano player, the solid Charles Trowbridge as a D.A., and some flashes of good cinematography. Taught with constant danger, it is sort of a hodgepodge of flashbacks, confusing plot twists and fast pace. The way it just keeps relentlessly forging ahead keeps you interested enough to see what happens next.Russell Wade, a nice guy type on-screen and off, is perfectly cast as the crusading newsman. Susan Walters, 35-ish veteran actress and no young piece of fluff, is convincingly hard as a strong-willed woman with big ideas. The villains are numerous (almost everybody is a villain) and are all well cast.Despite the flaws that are very well set forth by other reviewers in this section (probably better than I could recount them) this movie somehow kept me entertained, if a bit confused at times. So yes, it is possible to make a fairly satisfying film on a shoestring budget. That is the bottom line on "Shoot to Kill".

Unremarkable but entertaining enough minor noir. Russell Wade is spirited as the newspaper man with a cause, Edmund MacDonald is the aspiring District Attorney but sales a little close to the wind and spends much time brooding in a Vincent Price sort of way. Luana Walters is the girl in the middle and halfway through the film brings everything to life with one of the very many twists. Unfortunately it has been a rather slow beginning and before the end tips back down. There is always an inherent problem with movies that are flashbacks and this one is no exception. Worth it though for Walters' performance when for a time the film revolves around her and we seem to be going places.

I expected little from William Berke's 1947 Shoot To Kill. In fact, my expectations were so low, I left the DVD until late at night. I was just about to retire, but thought I'd take a quick look at the opening sequence. The movie hooked me straight away. Not only was Berke's direction way more polished than his norm, the movie was most atmospherically photographed by Benjamin Kline. Deft writing by Edwin V. Westrate also helped, and the actors were great too, especially Edmund MacDonald (who reminded me of a young Citizen Kane), heroine Luana Walters, reporter Russell Wade, gangster Robert Kent, the boogie-woogie piano player Gene Rodgers, and is-he-honest-or-is-he district attorney Charles Trowbridge (in noirish close-ups, giving the best performance of his lengthy career).

Before you begin watching this movie, I suggest you keep your eyes peeled and ears open for the really neat piano number early in the film. Though this low-budget Noir film was made before the Rock 'n Roll era, this piano bit is a good example of "pre-Rock"--R&B that led to Rock in the 1950s. It reminded me of a number by Bee Bumble--and it really kicked.This is one of two films included on a DVD entitled "Forgotten Noir" and also includes the movie SHADOW MAN. Both are low-budget Noir titles and I would agree that both are forgotten--films you don't usually see on TV and that "lesser" Noir films--made by smaller studios with lesser stars. In fact, with SHOOT TO KILL, there really are no stars though there are a few faces you might recognize.The film begins with a car careening over an embankment. An escaped con as well as the District Attorney and his new wife are thrown from the car and the only survivor is the woman. When she awakes, she begins to reminisce about what led to this crazy accident.Some time back, the lady came to work with an Assistant DA and eventually he would win the coveted DA's job. However, this young and respected attorney is actually working for the mob. Along the way, he dates his secretary and eventually marries her. Here is where a GREAT twist occurs--though I'd rather not say more about the story--it would ruin the film.The bottom line is that this cheap film still has a good story and packs quite a punch. While not among the higher echelons of great Noir, this one should be better remembered as it's a very good film and well worth your time due to the complex story that is fraught with twists and turns.