Most film fans consider The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep as the quintessential films noir. But there is a third.
Film Noir, or dark film, is a category of film that calls up images of down-and-out detectives, dangerous females, gritty plots, gangsters, corruption, blackmail, extortion, murder and a dozen other examples of the darkest of human behavior. Yes, the themes are dark, but often so is the style in which they are shot: with minimalist lighting, and often in locations in which decent people do not venture. Brothels, waterfronts, speakeasies, and backroom offices all lend their grittiness to the specialized category of the crime drama genre.
If you have seen either the Maltese Falcon or the Big Sleep (two of Humphrey Bogart's best), you have seen Film Noir. If you have not, get copies and view these films as quickly as possible. No person, film fan or student, can consider their experience complete without a viewing of the best Film Noir has to offer. Recently I discovered a film that I would say rivals both of Bogart's masterpieces, even though said film is quite Bogartless: The Big Heat.
Glenn Ford (always a solid performer) plays a police detective who is called in to investigate the suicide of a fellow policeman. At least that's what everyone else thinks. But when Ford starts to pick at the case, he is ordered to leave it alone, it's just a suicide. The approach he receives from his fellow officers and supervisors makes him want to investigate even more (which would be my approach also).
Somewhere along the line, organized crime is also tied up in the incident, as Ford finds out when he starts receiving threats against his family. He won't back up, and actually has to suffer through one of his family members being killed. The killing pushes the policeman to the decision line of maintaining proper police procedure or turning vigilante. Ford handles it masterfully, and is assisted by gun moll Gloria Grahame (you know her as Violet from It's a Wonderful Life), and opposed by the thuggish Lee Marvin (who I don't think has ever had a bad performance... oh wait, he was in Paint Your Wagon. Never mind.)
As is the case with classic Film Noir, the story is filled with dark secrets, betrayals, manipulations, double dealing, blackmail, and some pretty graphic injuries for a 1953 film.
IMDB rates Maltese Falcon at 8/10 and Big Sleep 7.9, with Big Heat also at 7.9. I agree that these are legit ratings. See this movie.
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