Two of a Kind

It's a nifty premise that fails to fulfill an early promise. Seductress Brandy (Scott) lures wiseguy Lefty (O'Brien) into a million-dollar fraud scheme. All it will cost him is time in a swanky beach house and half a finger. But that's okay because he'll still have nine and a-half left, plus a big inheritance from a wealthy old couple. Then too, if he gets cold feet, slinky Brandy is always there to warm him up. Mastermind Vincent (Knox) has hatched what looks like a sure thing.

However, I'm with reviewer bmacy. After that promising start, especially with the slamming car door, the movie takes an irretrievable tumble. And that's when Terry Moore's loopy overacting hits the scene. Catch that night time set-up where Lefty breaks into Kathy's (Moore) place and she squeals with delight over what appears a potential rapist or killer. Sorry, but that's about as poorly written and ill conceived a scene as I've witnessed in some time. And who was it who decided to insert Lefty's face-making as comedic accompaniment to Kathy's description of him. It's not only unnecessary, but unsubtly attacks the whole surrounding mood. As bmacy points out, by the time the movie recovers from such ruptures, it's already too late.

At the same time, director Levin appears to have little feel for the material, his career being mainly in light comedies. As a result, the story simply unfolds in pedestrian fashion without any distinguishing touches or development. As a result, and despite its two noir icons, the 80-minutes comes across as more disappointing than gritty crime drama.

It Seems that the Sharp, Dark, Rough World of Film-Noir was just too Much for the Newly Emerging Conservative 1950's.

The Forces that be were Out to Tame Film-Noir and Morph the Style into Police Procedurals, and Other Easily Digested Movies "Sweetening" the "Sour".

Case-in-Point, "Two of a Kind", this one had All the Signs of the Genre .

But were Proven a Slight-of-Hand, sort of, or a Mis-Direction.

Starring Noir Icon's Edmond O'Brien and Lizabeth Scott and a Poster that Shows Not a Hint that it will Take a "Detour" to Comedy, and a Light-Hearted Approach as the Con-Game is Played-Out.

When Terry Moore's "Screwy" Character Shows-Up, it No-Longer even Tries to Maintain its Bona-Fides as a Film-Noir.

It has One Extremely Disturbing Scene, "The Car-Door", but the Rest of the Story is so Breezy and Aloof as to be Distracting to Anyone who was Expecting a More Serious, Gritty Story.

Overall, it can be Enjoyed as a Light-Crime Con-Game with Good Actors and Good Cinematography.

The Genre of Film-Noir, to This Day, is Exploited and the Label is Slapped on Movies that Just Don't Cut-It. The True Essence and Meaning of the Descriptive has been Lost Almost Completely.

This Whole Thing Started Around 1950-51 and is Still Around Today.

For Film-Noir Purist, be Prepared for a Let-Down.

This con involved a lot of research and putting a lot of pieces in to place to go after a 10 million dollar inheritance of an elderly couple who lost their son at the age of three. It falls apart at the last minute and one of the gang can't give up on the plan...thinking murder is the answer. At least some of the rest of the con artists draw the line at murder.

Lizabeth Scott is beautiful in this light film noir and plays exceptionally well alongside Edmond O'Brien. Lizabeth Scott reminds me a lot of Lauren Bacall, they both really knew how to give a sultry...if not beautifully cold face.

Terry Moore plays a delightfully screwball niece that likes to reform bad boys. Great character that was fun to watch...but maybe a little outside of what I would normally expect in a true film noir film.

This came over as a film noir with a little screwball and a light ending. If that is your thing this might be for you!

"Don't forget to come over, Snow White."-Lefty.

This is an uneasy blend of mystery, suspense, and comedy. I am always dubious about mixed genre films, and I believe this could and should have been better as a straight film noir. However, it is still a good film and for all like myself who admire Lizabeth Scott and enjoy watching her films, it is a must. She was most famous for playing Dusty four years earlier, opposite Humphrey Bogart, in the stunning film noir DEAD RECKONING (1947). She was one of the best femme fatale actresses in film noir, though she could also show a warm, kindly, humorous and smiling layer underneath, as we see here. That entitled her to be 'redeemed' from her wicked ways from time to time in films. It is always nice when a femme fatale can be redeemed, but it does not happen very often, in life or on film. Scott is entrancing here as usual, and is the main reason we keep watching. The male lead is Edmond O'Brien. I wonder how Scott really felt when she repeatedly flung herself (with excessive force, I felt) into O'Brien's arms and began giving him passionate kisses. She does it often here. Doth the ladye embrace too muche? O'Brien was a very fine actor, and it was Ida Lupino who seems to have realized this most enthusiastically, for she daringly cast him in the lead for her provocative film THE BIGAMIST (1953, see my review), which was a triumphant casting coup. O'Brien also won an Oscar and an Oscar nomination in other films. But he was no handsome hunk, was podgy and a bit sweaty. It all goes to show how talent can overcome lack of looks. Terry Moore plays a dotty young niece in this film, with wide-eyed insistence and a very broad interpretation. She is meant to be the comedic character, and despite the ridiculous nature of her role and the absurdity it adds to the plot, she manages it nicely. In fact, one wants to give her an indulgent hug. So it all sort of works. Henry Levin directs this mixed pudding of a film and delivers a watchable product. Oh yes, I almost forgot the story. An elderly couple lost their child at the age of three on a street in Chicago and have never found him. Their unscrupulous lawyer and his girl friend Lizabeth Scott want to 'find' a man who will play along, pretend to be the long lost son (that's O'Brien), and inherit ten million dollars which they will then all split between them. But of course things turn out not to be that simple. After O'Brien is accepted as the son, things begin to unravel. As to what then happens, I ain't sayin'.

Two of a Kind is directed by Henry Levin and written by James Edward Grant, James Gunn and Lawrence Kimble. It stars Edmond O'Brien, Lizabeth Scott, Terry Moore, Alexander Knox, Griff Barnett, Robert Anderson and Virginia Brissac. Music is by George Duning and cinematography by Burnett Guffey.

Plot has O'Brien, Scott and Knox try to con a rich old couple that their son, who disappeared when he was three, has resurfaced in the older body of O'Brien. Thus they hope to get the $10 million inheritance due to the heir upon the death of the parents…

It all starts so very well, Scott's sultry blonde hunts out O'Brien's shady player to do a major con and he falls for her feminine whiles hook line and sinker, even agreeing to have his little finger mangled in a car door for the con cause. Sadly this is where the picture falls apart and unfurls in a lightweight manner.

Interesting possibilities are ignored, such as Moore's sprightly niece character who likes to straighten out bad men (it ends up playing as something that should be in a Cary Grant screwball) and a murderous plot that threatens to make the ending more lively (by this time the O'Brien/Scott pairing has become sickly nice), to leave us with what turns out to be a quite repugnant ending.

Guffey's black and white photography is crisp but just like the film itself, it really isn't noir at all. Levin and the cast try hard, but saddled with an unadventurous screenplay it rounds out as a minor B movie of little substance. 5/10