This blog entry is part of my “movie year countdown”. To read more about that check out my first Spout filmblog entry.
Born to Kill
I really wanted to see an old Lawrence Tierney film. Sadly my only exposure to him had been his comical role in The Naked Gun and his elderly but hardass role in Reservoir Dogs. Seeing the latter and hearing all of the stories about him from various sources made me want to see him in his younger days!
I wasn't sure which movie of his to see, although I was a little hesitant about picking this one because it's directed by Robert Wise. Now I've only seen a few of his movies, and they are ok, but they just seem a little too tame and traditional in style to make me expect any more from him. The Day the Earth Stood Still, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, West Side Story. Criticize me if you want for not loving these, but they do not stand out for me.
However Born to Kill is a COMPLETE STANDOUT! And I will give some credit to Wise. I will also give a lot of credit to the screenwriters and the novelist as well. Biggest credit may have to go to the actors though. Tierney has such a presence! Elisha Cook Jr. and Esther Howard are just as stand out as well though, with most of the rest of the cast filling in perfectly as well.
Why I love this is because this is noir at it's grittiest. From my memory we have all of the vices already in the first ten minutes. Drinking, sex, violence, gambling, and more. These people are dirty and I love it.
It's a tragedy that the title of this movie was changed from the original title. "Deadlier Than the Male" is so much more appropriate.
Rating: 10/10