JimBell Blog

Born to Kill

Under discussion:
Born to Kill (1947)

Under discussion:

Born to Kill (1947)

Born to Kill (1947) sounds like a rough, low-budget B-movie, but it is actually one of RKO’s well-financed A-movies. But the subject matter is dark: An upper class, hard-nosed woman, Helen (Claire Trevor), meets a handsome, virile man, Sam Wild (Lawrence Tierney), who is a psychopathic killer. The attraction is instant, tentative, and wavering depending on who has made the latest successful power move. Although the direction (Robert Wise) and cinematography are middle-of-the road, A-movie style instead of flamboyant, Expressionist film noir style, the public in 1947 found the subject matter too dark and heavy. In contrast, the French loved the femme fatale vs. homme fatal conflict but wished for a more bold and artistic director than the technically adept story-telling Robert Wise. I agree with the French critique, but I’d add that the film is varies from exceptionally fine to surprisingly poor. The script is excellent, with a dynamic plot and some powerful dialogue. Yet it is shot in bland greys without an arrestingly original shot that I can think of. The editing moves the film along at a professional and engaging pace. But the music is unusually poor—sometimes stereotypical and at other times inappropriate. For example, after Sam compliments Helen on her poise when she had discovered two bodies in Reno, they kiss, even though Sam is now married to Helen’s sister, and in the next scene, Helen enters her room, distraught, with stereotypical strings swelling in passionate orchestration. But Helen is upset not because of romantic conflict but because she realized during the kiss that Sam was the killer. The acting also varies wildly in quality. Claire Trevor gives on of the best female performances in film noir—subtle, convincing, complex, and naturalistic. Lawrence Tierney is just fine intimidating people, and Walter Slezak is jovially corrupt and surprisingly effective as the private investigator tracking down the murder. In contrast, some of the other acting is mannered and dated. Although everyone has a soft spot for Ester Howard’s character acting, she is too melodramatic in most scenes. Phillip Terry, playing Helen’s fiancé, is bland, bland, bland—going through the motions more than generating any kind of screen presence. If Born to Kill had had more Expressionist cinematography, a better sound track, and more naturalistic acting from the supporting cast, it would have been a film noir classic.

posted on Monday, May 21, 2007 12:06 AM by JimBell

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Windbreaker
Posted Saturday, June 02, 2007 10:02 PM

I watched this back in the winter and forgot to review it. Overall, I rated it higher than you did but do not disagree with your assessment. I will watch it multiple times over the years, but you're exactly right that a few tweaks would have really elevated Born to Kill.

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