Fannish 50 S2 Post 35: Amnesia and Noir
Nov. 25th, 2024 12:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
glitteryvThe Crooked Way (YouTube)
A 1949 movie from a v. small independent studio.
The movie begins sometime after WW2. A guy named Eddie (John Payne) is told by his doctor at the VA that he's as close to perfect health as possible. However, the doctors were unable to retrieve a piece of shrapnel from an area of Eddie's brain. Unfortunately, this is the area that deals with memory, so he'll never remember anything from before waking up in the hospital. The military documentation strongly indicates that Eddie was born in Los Angeles. So the doctor suggests heading over there after getting discharged from the hospital. This way, he'll have an easier way to reintegrate back into society and civilian life. It seems like a good starting point for Eddie, so he agrees to do just that.
Once he arrives in LA, he's stopped by two cops who pretty much growl at him abt "daring to return to LA thinking he can show up like a big man once again." Eddie is, understandably confused, but he's able to go along with things. One of the cops takes him back to the precinct to meet up with the chief.
Eddie's genuinely at a loss when the chief shows him a file with his photo under a different last name. This other Eddie has a long rap sheet. The cops let him go after advising him to leave the town because he'll be tempted to step out of line. If he does that, they'll send him to jail.
After walking around town, he meets Nina (Ellen Drew), a woman who (the viewer can tell) recognizes him…
It's a pretty interesting story. I like Payne as Eddie. He played a cooler/more aloof version of a gangster in how quick he is in sussing out most situations. It helps that he has an every white man face too for some reason. His relationship with Nina is SOMETHING ELSE. Drew plays Nina as a woman who is tough yet flexible and that's how she's been able to survive. Now that Eddie's back in her life, she has to face some things she'd buried.
The other great interaction is between Eddie and Vince (Sonny Tufts), their backstory is interesting. Tufts' version of villainy is super unpredictable. And that's something that makes him v. fun to watch.
Do I have any criticisms?
Even though the movie is around an hour and twenty, there are moments when the pacing slows down. Some scenes tend to drag a little. Also the last segment goes a bit too long.
Do I recommend it?
I do even though it's not a memorable film nor does it star anyone famous. However, it's a fine movie to check out for free. I did struggled a bit to grade it, so I'm settling on giving it a 2.6 out of 5.
It's available for streaming at all of the free movie apps as well as YouTube.
Queerness level: Low. IF someone tried hard enough, I can see a full Enemy/Enemy thing happening between Eddie/Vince (with the added layer of betrayal as the reason why they "broke up".)
A 1949 movie from a v. small independent studio.
The movie begins sometime after WW2. A guy named Eddie (John Payne) is told by his doctor at the VA that he's as close to perfect health as possible. However, the doctors were unable to retrieve a piece of shrapnel from an area of Eddie's brain. Unfortunately, this is the area that deals with memory, so he'll never remember anything from before waking up in the hospital. The military documentation strongly indicates that Eddie was born in Los Angeles. So the doctor suggests heading over there after getting discharged from the hospital. This way, he'll have an easier way to reintegrate back into society and civilian life. It seems like a good starting point for Eddie, so he agrees to do just that.
Once he arrives in LA, he's stopped by two cops who pretty much growl at him abt "daring to return to LA thinking he can show up like a big man once again." Eddie is, understandably confused, but he's able to go along with things. One of the cops takes him back to the precinct to meet up with the chief.
Eddie's genuinely at a loss when the chief shows him a file with his photo under a different last name. This other Eddie has a long rap sheet. The cops let him go after advising him to leave the town because he'll be tempted to step out of line. If he does that, they'll send him to jail.
After walking around town, he meets Nina (Ellen Drew), a woman who (the viewer can tell) recognizes him…
It's a pretty interesting story. I like Payne as Eddie. He played a cooler/more aloof version of a gangster in how quick he is in sussing out most situations. It helps that he has an every white man face too for some reason. His relationship with Nina is SOMETHING ELSE. Drew plays Nina as a woman who is tough yet flexible and that's how she's been able to survive. Now that Eddie's back in her life, she has to face some things she'd buried.
The other great interaction is between Eddie and Vince (Sonny Tufts), their backstory is interesting. Tufts' version of villainy is super unpredictable. And that's something that makes him v. fun to watch.
Do I have any criticisms?
Even though the movie is around an hour and twenty, there are moments when the pacing slows down. Some scenes tend to drag a little. Also the last segment goes a bit too long.
Do I recommend it?
I do even though it's not a memorable film nor does it star anyone famous. However, it's a fine movie to check out for free. I did struggled a bit to grade it, so I'm settling on giving it a 2.6 out of 5.
It's available for streaming at all of the free movie apps as well as YouTube.
Queerness level: Low. IF someone tried hard enough, I can see a full Enemy/Enemy thing happening between Eddie/Vince (with the added layer of betrayal as the reason why they "broke up".)
