The first half of 'Kansas City Confidential' is amongst the best of the noir cycle with style and verve and intelligent writing but the second half becomes less convincing and less compelling until dissipating into a necessary "happy ending".
The lead, played by John Payne is usually convincing as an ordinary Joe, who has however been round the block and been to war indeed, but has however, been thrown into the deep end as an inadvertant patsy for a criminal plot and a suspect for the brutal police and press. Physically he knows how to handle a roughing up and he's almost as good at giving it as he is at taking it. However, for me, the performance is limited in more emotive and tense scenes and particularly in an utterly unconvincing romantic plot.
Here also the main female character is oddly unrealistic and determined to function as a plot conceit for both Payne's character story and the criminal gang leader which is asking a lot of a thinly characterised part: Lawyer and willful pretty much sums her character up in its entirety.
The direction maintains a great first 40 minutes and throughout 'Confidential' physical violence is well staged and shot, in an unusually uncomfortable way for a 50's film. This is especially true of police brutality scenes early in the picture.
Scenes are well composed with close up shots of characters and props adding style to narrative.
It's interesting to see a film lead by an average Joe who has been the incidental fall guy of a criminal plot and the desperation of his state is well put across: he's broke, jobless and with a bad reputation, none of which are necessarily his fault but that's the play he's been dealt.
It's also interesting to see such a lowly assessment of the police and police officers as we follow the tale from the beginning with the crooks then via Payne's characters experience and finally the showdown with the crime boss.
I wish that the latter parts of 'Confidential' were as vital and forceful as the earlier scenes and less contrived, and dramatically constrained by convention, as they build to a pretty predictable and relatively straightforward climax.
The first half I rate a genuine 9/10 but the second half just a normal 6/10; overall my rating is a strong 7/10 and a personal recommendation to all Noir fans to find the best copy available and watch 'Confidential'!
The lead, played by John Payne is usually convincing as an ordinary Joe, who has however been round the block and been to war indeed, but has however, been thrown into the deep end as an inadvertant patsy for a criminal plot and a suspect for the brutal police and press. Physically he knows how to handle a roughing up and he's almost as good at giving it as he is at taking it. However, for me, the performance is limited in more emotive and tense scenes and particularly in an utterly unconvincing romantic plot.
Here also the main female character is oddly unrealistic and determined to function as a plot conceit for both Payne's character story and the criminal gang leader which is asking a lot of a thinly characterised part: Lawyer and willful pretty much sums her character up in its entirety.
The direction maintains a great first 40 minutes and throughout 'Confidential' physical violence is well staged and shot, in an unusually uncomfortable way for a 50's film. This is especially true of police brutality scenes early in the picture.
Scenes are well composed with close up shots of characters and props adding style to narrative.
It's interesting to see a film lead by an average Joe who has been the incidental fall guy of a criminal plot and the desperation of his state is well put across: he's broke, jobless and with a bad reputation, none of which are necessarily his fault but that's the play he's been dealt.
It's also interesting to see such a lowly assessment of the police and police officers as we follow the tale from the beginning with the crooks then via Payne's characters experience and finally the showdown with the crime boss.
I wish that the latter parts of 'Confidential' were as vital and forceful as the earlier scenes and less contrived, and dramatically constrained by convention, as they build to a pretty predictable and relatively straightforward climax.
The first half I rate a genuine 9/10 but the second half just a normal 6/10; overall my rating is a strong 7/10 and a personal recommendation to all Noir fans to find the best copy available and watch 'Confidential'!