September 02, 2021, 09:29 PM
GWbikerShield for Murder, 1954.
IMO, a pretty good cop drama from 1954. Some good supporting actors....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NGRKhD2A_YSeptember 02, 2021, 10:13 PM
parabellumAn Eisenhower-era L.A. film noir; suburbia and TV sets. A crooked cop dreams of domestic tranquility in his own tract house in a Southern California Leavettown development and rips off a bookie to get the money for it, and murders a couple of guys along the way. Wife, station wagon, dog and 3.2 kids is what he was wanting. The American dream turned inside-out. That's noir for ya- nightmares for adults.
It's not a bad film, a low-budget B with an unremarkable cinematographer. There's some decent noir lighting but also some flatly-lit scenes which are on par with TV productions of the time.
Edmond O'Brien holds the film together, sweaty and desperate throughout. During the era the Production Code was in force, a bad cop always got caught or killed, so he never had a chance. But, even knowing his fate, the film is still worth watching, at least for crime film buffs and anyone checking films off a list of films noir, or interested in American culture during the Eisenhower era. Best estimates are approximately 800 films shot in the noir style in the classic noir period of 1941 to 1959. There are worse ways to spend 80 minutes.