Gun Crazy (1950, Joseph H. Lewis)

This energetic, stylish “B” movie, should please most fans of noir. The narrative is simple: a kid (John Dall) obsessed with guns grows up to become an expert sharp shooter. He begins committing crimes when he falls in love with a woman (Peggy Cummins) of dubious morality. This powerful variation on the Bonnie and Clyde legend, moves fast and furious, never allowing the viewer to relax. It never escapes its lowbrow mentality, but some of the movie’s set-pieces are very imaginative. Director Joseph H. Lewis gets a little too cozy and he overuses some good ideas – the camera in the backseat of the car is a great idea two or maybe three times, but after a while it becomes tiresome – but this is what you expect to see in a movie with a minuscule budget. The film’s main flaw is Cummins’ femme fatale – she’s unable to master the kind of perverse sensuality that the role is crying for. Still, a neat piece of pulp fiction.

~ by gelpi2008 on Saturday, June 27, 2009.