"Portland Exposé" follows a tavern owner in Portland, Oregon in the mid-20th-century who finds himself a linchpin to a crime syndicate's gambling racket after installing their pinball machines in his business. His attempts to overthrow them endanger the life of himself and his family.
This low-budget film noir is one of the more slick, gritty, and iron-fisted out there, but it's unfortunately been largely forgotten. It's a B-movie through and through, and while it does suffer some pacing issues and a lack of development, it is at times surprisingly shocking. It depicts rape attempts (including a preemptory one from a teenage girl's boyfriend), and other types of violence that are a bit shocking given the time it was made. It also depicts prostitution in a manner that is frank, reminiscent of how the subject is treated in pre-Code films like "The Story of Temple Drake."
Based on a series of crimes committed by real-life kingpin Jim Elkins, the screenplay never really fleshes out the inner workings of the syndicate or how exactly all of this ties together in the context of the labor unions, and that is probably its biggest trouble. At a quick-paced 72 minutes, there is not sufficient time to elucidate all of this. Where the film makes up for it is in its photography and acting, particularly that of Edward Binns as the tavern proprietor, Virginia Gregg as his concerned wife, and genre favorite Carolyn Craig (probably best known for her role in the original "House on Haunted Hill") as their tormented teenage daughter. All of the acting is surprisingly believable, and the scenarios pack a further punch because of it. The film possesses a borderline-documentary style that recalls 1955's "Kiss Me Deadly," though this film is far less surreal.
All in all, "Portland Exposé" is a solid film noir/thriller that largely succeeds on the basis of its performances and overall tone. It's a dark and gritty film noir, and has a certain kind of bitterness about it that makes it memorable even though it has narrative shortcomings. 7/10.
This low-budget film noir is one of the more slick, gritty, and iron-fisted out there, but it's unfortunately been largely forgotten. It's a B-movie through and through, and while it does suffer some pacing issues and a lack of development, it is at times surprisingly shocking. It depicts rape attempts (including a preemptory one from a teenage girl's boyfriend), and other types of violence that are a bit shocking given the time it was made. It also depicts prostitution in a manner that is frank, reminiscent of how the subject is treated in pre-Code films like "The Story of Temple Drake."
Based on a series of crimes committed by real-life kingpin Jim Elkins, the screenplay never really fleshes out the inner workings of the syndicate or how exactly all of this ties together in the context of the labor unions, and that is probably its biggest trouble. At a quick-paced 72 minutes, there is not sufficient time to elucidate all of this. Where the film makes up for it is in its photography and acting, particularly that of Edward Binns as the tavern proprietor, Virginia Gregg as his concerned wife, and genre favorite Carolyn Craig (probably best known for her role in the original "House on Haunted Hill") as their tormented teenage daughter. All of the acting is surprisingly believable, and the scenarios pack a further punch because of it. The film possesses a borderline-documentary style that recalls 1955's "Kiss Me Deadly," though this film is far less surreal.
All in all, "Portland Exposé" is a solid film noir/thriller that largely succeeds on the basis of its performances and overall tone. It's a dark and gritty film noir, and has a certain kind of bitterness about it that makes it memorable even though it has narrative shortcomings. 7/10.