Black Tuesday

An interesting and surprisingly obscure prisoner-on-the-run crime drama, BLACK TUESDAY is perfectly suited for Late, Late Show viewing in the wee small hours of the morning, when much of the action takes place. Like KEY LARGO (also featuring Edward G. Robinson), THE DESPERATE HOURS and the PETRIFIED FOREST, the second half turns into a confined space stageplay. The large cast holed up in the even larger safehouse is game, however, and despite a few unintentionally funny and seemingly out of place romantic interludes, things otherwise generally remain taut. It's like old TV home week as no less than three players from the Desilu stage (Vic Perrin and William Schallert from Star Trek guest appearances, Peter Graves from Mission: Impossible right next door on the lot) get significant screen time. Also look for Russell (The Professor) Johnson in a minor part. Graves in particular has a much more emotive adult part than he customarily got (other than Stalag 17) and he goes for it with gusto, if not much panache. Still, Robinson is at his melodramatic "Where's your messiah now?" best here, blithely slapping broads, torturing gunshot victims and going out in a Little Caeseresque hail of bullets / blaze of glory.

Seasoned noir veteran Sydney (SIX BRIDGES TO CROSS, ROGUE COP, UNION STATION, THE HIGH WALL and most notably, THE BIG HEAT) Boehm's script is not brain surgery (the prison breakout is dazzlingly improbable) and is frankly a bit derivative of movies like Cagney's KISS TOMORROW GOODBYE and Bogey's HIGH SIERRA. Also, they obviously didn't spend much on production values. Still, there is no one more iconic in this kind of capo titti capi role than Edward G. Robinson and given the lack of exposure this movie has had in the last 40 years, seeing Robinson's performance is akin to unearthing buried noir treasure. Any fan of Edward G. should immediately seek out this elusive screener because his vicious performance is nothing short of breathtaking, and trumps any of the limitations of this movie.

The "Ghosts" of Iconic Characters/Type Never Really Leave an Actor, but Remain to be Summoned Occasionally, if Need be.

Apparently Edward G. Robinson, Reeling from a Career Downslide, somewhat Linked to His becoming a "Friendly" Witness to the "House Un American Activities" (HUAC), Decided to Call Upon 2 of His Former Glorified On-Screen Characters.

Caesar Enrico 'Rico' Bandello from the Film '"Little Caesar" (1931) and Johnny Rocco from the Film "Key Largo" (1948).

The Result is this "Hidden Gem", a Somewhat Under-Seen and Under-Appreciated Crime-Thriller with Heavy Film-Noir Undertones.

It's a Relentlessly Down-Beat, Brutal Movie about Death-Row Inmates Vincent "King" Canelli (Robinson) and Peter Manning (Peter Graves) Planning and Successfully Pulling-Off an Escape on the Eve of Their Dual Electric-Chair Execution. Other Inmates are also Released and Join-In.

The Movie Pulls-Few-Punches in the Determination to Portray the "King" as a Soul-Less, Maniacal, Killer with No Redeeming Qualities from the Outset and Eddie G. Punches and Guns-Down People Routinely.

Peter Graves, on the Other-Hand is the "Soft" Side of the Criminal Gang. He's Sensitive and Artistic ( building matchstick bridges), but still Maintains a Desperate and Severe Attitude Throughout Most of the Running Time.

There are Probably More Gunshots is the Finale then any other Film Up to that Point. In Fact, the Deafening Sound of the Hail of Bullets is used "Artistically" in 1-Scene to Illustrate and Emphasize.

This is a Sharply-Designed, Dark, Story Told with Cut Angles, Deep Shadows, and Claustrophobic Sets and Hardened Criminals (Male and Female).

It's a Winner, with Solid Grounding in Film-Noir with Threads of that Dark Style Woven Throughout.

Was Hard-to-Find for a While and has Slipped Through the Cracks. Needs to be Rediscovered.

For Noir and Crime Fans it's a...

Must See

For All Others...

Worth a Watch.

Edward G. Robinson shows he still could do the gangster role and keep the performances fresh. Unlike the mob bosses Robinson played in

"Little Ceaser", "The Last Gangster", and "Key Largo", the role of Vincent Canelli is more modern and vicious than the typical cigar chewing prohabtion gangster. Canelli and gunman Manning{Peter Graves} await their death sentence with a bunch of other prisoners on death row. Canelli's mob kidnap the daughter of one of the prison guards and

blackmail the guard in helping the death row inmates bust outta the joint!! Canelli needs Manning's money that he stashed away for his final getaway and Manning is just looking for freedom. The story leads

to a moral climatic stand-off with escaped killers vs. the police. The soul-less Canelli shows how low killers will go to survive. Great performance by Robinson and Graves, especially Robinson who plays a

gangster ahead of those times. It's sad that not enough people know about this movie. If your any type of gangster, suspense, or just a Eddie G. fan, GET YOUR HANDS ON A COPY OF THIS FILM... NYA'SEE!!!!!

By the 1950's, twenty years after pioneering the crime/gangster genre, Edward G. Robinson was a kind of elder statesman of the subject... although sometimes he'd play good guys, even cops...

But in BLACK TUESDAY he was back in the previous decade's KEY LARGO mode... an antagonist so vile, everyone surrounding him, here in the initial death row prison setting, is good by comparison: making this crfilm very noir...

As the second lead is the second prisoner set to die, and young Peter Graves has a partial heart-of-gold from the get-go, not even wanting to take part in what's a scheming escape liken to a heist, but with humans...

Winding up in a dark warehouse location as all the characters, including the pretty daughter of a slain guard and a kidnapped news reporter, remain for most of the picture, providing Robinson's best scenes to counterbalance with initial yet progressively reluctant partner Graves...

Who, while suffering a near fatal, rehabilitating gunshot wound from the break, juggles desperate soul-searching romance with the good girl (Sylvia Findley) while Robinson's tightly connected with loyal moll Jean Parker...

And, also backed by nasty gunmen Warren Stevens and Russell Johnson, the famous LITTLE CAESAR icon needed more screen-time leading to an overlong second-and-third act standoff - in a b-crimer that could have used more locations despite keeping its thriller template decently throughout.

"Black Tuesday" is one of Edward G. Robinson's better gangster films...and that says a lot! He plays Vincent Canelli, a convicted murderer who is on Death Row. However, Canelli isn't one bit repentant about his actions. In fact, he's planning to escape...and taking one of his fellow inmates (Peter Graves). Why? Because this other Death Row resident apparently stole $200,000...and Canelli needs it to start a new life.

Instead of explaining his escape, let's jump ahead to the tense ending. Canelli and his fellow crooks are hiding out when the police discover their whereabouts...and soon there is a shootout and Canelli threatening to shoot the hostages he's taken. What's next? Well, you probably won't predict the finale...which I really appreciate.

The best thing about this film is the writing. It's top-notch and never relies on sentimentality nor cliches. Instead, it's tough and very exciting...and well worth your time.