Johnny O'Clock

The plot leads Powell by the nose and he has just enough fight in him to make it interesting and make you believe he can turn the tables. The dialogue is pretty strong but it's the delivery that makes it shine. There are some well done power plays with the actors using non-verbal actions and positioning to establish alternating dominance that help establish characters. I particularly like the way Ellen Drew uses her sensuality to establish both power and vulnerability.

Brisk direction, tough dialogue, an intriguing atmosphere. But the story is not very interesting, the whodunit overwhelmed by sappy romance. True, Drew is exciting, and Gomez delivers one of his specialties, the menacing sad sack, but Cobb chews the scenery in a disheveled, faux-subtle way, Powell looks more brittle than tough, and Keyes shows little of the spark she displayed in "The Prowler." This noir romance needs chemistry between the leads, and Powell and Keyes have none at all.

Impossible not to drown in the foreboding dread of every scene.

Good--not great--noir, a perfectly pleasant way to spend an hour and a half. Worthwhile just to watch Dick Powell and Ellen Drew.

Johnny O'Clock is no fool. Johnny never gambles. For Johnny, when a thing is over it's over. Yeah, good luck with that, Johnny... Great noir.

Some good characters, good performances (Dick Powell, Lee J. Cobb, Ellen Drew, Thomas Gomez), good dialogue... good everything, really. But nothing great. Like a lot of noirs, it doesn't get cooking until the third act. For the first hour, although there are some engaging exchanges, there's just not much tension. The most interesting thing about the film that I can think of is the use of props. Enjoyable, especially for Powell fans, but hardly a masterpiece.

Lee J. Cobb and Ellen Drew made this one of the more enjoyable noirs I've seen in a while.

Not the sharpest constructed of murder stories ever put on screen, but the twists and turns still make it an enjoyable suspense flick with Dick Powell. More one with a pleasant pace than one that truly makes the blood boil.