Too Late for Tears

So what would YOU do if someone chucked a suitcase containing $60,000 into the backseat of your car? Well, if you're film noir "bad girl" Lizabeth Scott in the 1949 picture "Too Late For Tears," the answer is a no-brainer: Drive off as fast as you can and try to keep your greedy mitts on it! For Arthur Kennedy, playing her husband, the issue is not quite so cut and dried. And things become even more problematic when the tough guy who this payoff was intended for, portrayed by the great Dan Duryea, comes knocking at their door, all leading to gunfire, a poisoning, double crosses and still more double crosses, in this very entertaining if minor noir effort. The film is a somewhat contrived affair, made on the cheap--it almost strikes one as a "B picture" with an A-list cast--but ultimately succeeds in winning the viewer over, largely due to some fine performances. While Scott's sexpot charms have always been lost on me, it is hard to deny her great acting abilities, and Dan Duryea here almost single-handedly manages to turn a routine potboiler into something quite memorable (hardly the first time he did this for a picture; Duryea was certainly one of the great character actors of the 1940s). Director Byron Haskin, who would go on to helm some of my favorite pictures, such as "The War of the Worlds," "The Naked Jungle" and "Robinson Crusoe on Mars," here shows that he was quite capable of creating a film in the noir genre, as well. Kudos also to Don DeFore (whom baby boomers may remember from the 1960s TV show "Hazel") for his mysteriously motivated snoopy character. In all, a fun if lesser noir. Too bad that the DVD in question here is another crummy-looking one from Alpha Video. This is a company that has a gigantic catalog of "public domain" films, most of which have been put onto DVD with zero effort at film restoration. While the company does serve its niche, watching its films CAN be a bitch!

Byron Haskin of Arsenic and Old Lace and War of the Worlds fame teamed up with Roy Huggins to create this solid film noir entry. Huggins writing is superb for the genre - neither pretentious nor overly manic. The pace is brisk but not painfully so. And the film is very well conceived, well directed, well edited and very well acted.

The remarkable Lizabeth Scott (Jane Palmer), married to a young Arthur Kennedy (Alan Palmer), is the focus of our attention. The coupled are driving to a friend's house when a car flashes them and its occupant tosses a leather bag with 60,000 dollars into their car and drives off. Jane wants to keep it, Alan wants to turn it in. Soon, this windfall becomes a mixed blessing, as it reveals a rather frightening side of Jane's personality. The plot intertwines noir twists and turns and incessant mystery and, frequently, winds up in unanticipated places.

Lizabeth Scott is PERFECT, and really MAKES this film as much as the intriguing story and successful directing. Don Defore also turns in a notable performance as does Kristine Miller. Dan Duryea was nicely cast in his role as the heavy, but his performance here was just a sliver below his usual par.

This is very nice bit of noir cinema and will satisfy most noir fans, as well as modern crime drama aficionados. Recommended!

My 6th Noir in a self-managed study of Noir.

The web of deceit weaved by this crazy blond is a marvel to behold. Her brazen disregard for common sense, and the way she controls people around her, make her quite hate-worthy, which would make the actress Lizabeth Scott pleased to know.

Kristine Miller stole my heart with her grace and femininity as the innocent in-law, trying to make sense of the mad house of characters dropping in and out of her brother's apartment.

The toxic, manipulative love/hate relationship portrayed by Dan Duryea and Lizabeth Scott radiated sparks of electricity. See if *you* can figure out where that thing is headed. Only one of them can get the upper hand in this caper.

As I watched the version on Archive.org, I found myself wondering, "How are they going to wrap this up with only a few minutes to go?" knowing the clock is running out only heightens the tension of this nifty Noir.

Why aren't more people suspicious around such toxic characters? Maybe we all dread looking behind that curtain. Classic tragedy speaks to this.

This is some excellent story-telling, and is highly recommended.

This is a solid and sometimes memorable crime drama, filled with tension, and featuring some pretty good performances from the cast. The noir atmosphere works well, and the story, while perhaps far-fetched at a couple of points, is quite involved and grabs your attention from the beginning.

Lizabeth Scott gets one of her best roles, as a hard-hearted woman who seizes her opportunity to play the male characters against each other so that she can get what she wants. Scott is slightly lacking in the glamour that would make her a really memorable femme fatale, but she has plenty of strength, and her voice works well for the character. Dan Duryea gives one of his many fine noir performances, taking good advantage of his many opportunities with his shady character. Arthur Kennedy and Kristine Miller are both sympathetic as the more innocent of the main characters. Don DeFore's character sometimes seems a little out of place, but he is often crucial in advancing the plot.

The story starts with an unlikely coincidence, with a bag of money that gets tossed into the wrong car. But from there, most of the story developments follow naturally, and the tension is built up rather well as things get more complicated. It's an entertaining movie that has most of the things that fans of film-noir and crime drama would want to see.

Came across this one by accident. A hard-to-find forgotten film of the 40's turned out to be right behind "Out Of The Past", in my opinion the best of the Noir genre. A cheapie 'B', It is Miss Scotts' picture and she is ably assisted by an 'A'cast. Dependable Arthur Kennedy plays her befuddled husband and Dan Duryea is the heavy, complete with trademark sardonic grin.

'B's don't usually get a script or a storyline of this calibre. There are several plot twists which make the film completely absorbing and make it a very swift 99 minutes.I found it in a DVD collection but if it ever shows up on TCM, do yourself a favor and try not to miss this one - it is exceptional.