Crossroads

I was drawn to this by the presence in the cast of William Powell, an actor whose graceful charm always lent class to any movie he appeared in. His work in this surprisingly good story of mystery and blackmail, lives up to expectations. The plot manages to surprise one throughout and keeps one's interest going right to the end. Good script, good direction, and a nice setting in 1920's France. Basil Rathbone turns in a nice bit as a villainous character from the past. Worth seeing.

I don't think that's redundant. Think of how many mysteries in which the culprit/villain/murderer is known from the beginning of the film (for instance, "Sleuth"). Those are 'cat-and-mouse' stories, and it's a matter of time before the perp is found out.

"Crossroads", however, remains mysterious until the very end, and the mystery deepens as the film unfolds. William Powell, at his urbane best, is the amnesia victim who may or may not have been a criminal before his accident. Hedy LaMarr is his devoted wife and is gorgeous but with little else to do. Basil Rathbone is in one of his patented Loathsome Villain roles and gives the picture the rating I gave it.

The picture is extremely well written and holds the interest throughout its 84 minutes, which in this case fly by - no chance to check your watch in this one. Don't know if it was an 'A' or a 'B' at the time, but "Crossroads" is one of the best unheralded movies ever made.

WILLIAM POWELL and the gorgeous HEDY LAMARR co-star in a tale of an amnesiac who can't recall what happened to him when a train wreck wipes out part of his memory. Two very cunning crooks (BASIL RATHBONE and CLAIRE TREVOR) take advantage of him by posing as people who want to help him and then plotting to extort money from the wealthy French diplomat and his wife in order to hush up the crime they say he actually did commit.

While the story itself seems far-fetched at points, it does make for an intriguing tale and it's played to the hilt by a very competent cast--although Powell as a French diplomat is a bit hard to swallow.

The sinister overtones are well played by Rathbone and Trevor, both of whom always excelled at playing shady characters in films of the '40s, with Rathbone shifting from his Sherlock Holmes roles to those of the villain. They do much to give the film a flavor of film noir, as does the B&W cinematography.

It's a clever tale, well directed by Jack Conway, and gives Powell and Lamarr a much better chance to emote than they would have two years later in a misguided comedy called THE HEAVENLY BODY.

Not a lot to add to what others have suggested, but this is a very lovely bit of movie making.

Powell really gets to display the acting chops that he had in spades. His ability to show pain, uncertainty and angst is not something that he got to do a lot, and it's enjoyable here. And the writing really helps. Powell seems, in so many ways, to be a contemporary actor, despite the thin mustache! He was just such a natural!

Hedy is mostly eye candy, but that's not her fault. Felix Bressart puts in a spot-on performance. He really nails his role beautifully. Trevor and Rathbone are solid, as always.

And this movie is really shot well, too. Great B & W photography that helps maintain a noir- esquire mood.

William Powell plays David Talbot, a French diplomat. When he receives a cryptic letter seeming to ask him for repayment of an old debt, he involves the police, who capture the apparent blackmailer. When the mysterious apprehended man goes on trial for extortion, the story of David Talbot develops. He was in an accident 13 years prior, leaving him with no memory of the previous years. Because he cannot absolutely deny things attributed to him before the accident, we are not sure of the truth. It would have been interesting to see how Hitchcock might handle this story.

We wonder if Talbot, the man with he dubious past, really suffers from amnesia. The evidence, as it is revealed, pulls us back and forth. Is Talbot's behavior due to his confusion? Is he angry at the charges leveled against him? Or is he feigning forgetfulness? Perhaps every new development is bringing his memory back to him?

It is William Powell's acting that creates the ambiguity that keeps this story interesting. Hedy Lamarr, Basil Rathbone and Claire Trevor perform admirably in their supporting roles.

It's a simple premise. But the action develops the story in such a way that the viewer's interest is always engaged. Clues--at least what we think are clues--are parceled out cleverly. Powell's reactions are well-studied, always maintaining the veil that clouds his intentions. It is totally believable because we know that Talbot is probably confused too. This is a mystery worth watching.