Deadline at Dawn

I can totally understand someone not liking this, it's a strange film with a somewhat absurd plot and uneven tone. But I loved nearly all of it. No doubt Hayward was a big part of that, but the whole movie has a really sweet charm, a varied mix of innocence and danger. Everyone is great in it, from Hayward to Lukas to Calleia and even Williams, as a lead I could easily hate, really makes you fall for that wounded puppy charm. The great characters complement a strange but fun little mystery.

An odd little murder mystery with unusual pace and tone to it, almost wistfully philosophical at times. The script is loaded with idiosyncratic little gems. Hayward and Lukas both have compelling screen presence, but Williams lays on the golly-gee innocence a little too thick for my tastes. I'm not really sure what to make of this movie, to be honest. It's not so out there that I would call it "weird", but it definitely has a different flavor to it. It's not great, but it's interesting.

A good flick for a hot night in the city.

Wasn't really keen on Bill Williams as the leading man, but Susan Hayward transcend what they attempted with her. She really was a angel of the night for this murder mystery. The plot was clever, and another feather in the cap of Paul Lukas. A bit unusual seeing him as a cabby, as he's usually in elegant suit roles, but he brought humanity to this part. Turned out to be a really good film-noir.