The Fast and the Furious

John Ireland plays a man who escaped from prison and is trying to make his way to freedom in Mexico. Along the way, he takes a hostage (Dorothy Malone) and steals her car. Most of the movie consists of this journey together to freedom.

When I saw that John Ireland starred in this film, I made extra sure to see it as he's one of my favorite "unknown" actors from Hollywood in the 40s and 50s. I love his films because he was a great Film Noir star--kind of ugly and tough--exactly what you'd expect for the genre where "pretty boys" are unwelcome. However, while this film has a few Film Noir qualities (after all, it's about a man wanted for murder), it really isn't exactly Noir and Ireland's character lacks the delicious evilness that I'd hoped to see. While tough and full of snappy dialog, his character is just too likable and the plot too upbeat to be considered Noir by us purists. In addition, having Malone and Ireland fall in love was just wrong--making no sense and thereby damaged the film's sense of realism--something imperative to have in Noir. Plus, all the grainy stock footage of auto races just seemed cheap and out of place. As a result of all these factors, I was very disappointed and so would be other fans of Noir and it's a low budget time-passer and unfortunately not much else.

An escaped killer kidnaps a girl, steals a roadster, and escapes by joining a road race to Mexico.

Well, the movie does make me nostalgic for years ago when a teen in our town rode around in his Jaguar XK like it was a royal coach. Of course, to the rest of us, it was. Anyhow, unless you like vintage sports models and fast cars, skip this otherwise turgid production. Corman shot it in 9 days and it shows. There's plenty of riding around the scrubby LA area, plenty of clumsy process close-ups, an awkward on-again off-again script, and maybe one interior set. In compensation, however, there's the incomparable Iris Adrian doing her patented cheap waitress bit.

I'd love to know what this meagre effort cost the notoriously pinch-penny Corman. He had a real coup, however, getting the luscious Malone, then on the brink of an A-film career, Battle Cry (1955), Written on the Wind (1956). Heck, she even lets her face get dirty. But you've got to hand it to our drive-in impresario. Corman quickly caught on that there was an untapped teen audience out there looking for just such things as silly stories, fast cars, and half-clad women. F and F stands as a stumbling early entry in that direction. His notorious rubber monsters and alien invasions would come later.

This wonderful little picture proves that not every movie shot in black and white on a low budget in the early '50's, with plenty of cops, crooks, and guns is film noir. It starts out hinting that direction, though.

Frank Webster is serving time for murder until he breaks out of jail. Webster is all fatalistic about life and depressed about his circumstances, because he's been falsely convicted. Seems he's trying to make an honest buck as a trucker and his biggest rival tries to put him out of business by running him off the road. It is one of the rival's flunkies who is killed in the attempt, and this is the murder that Webster is framed for.

Enter the femme fatale, Connie Adair (Dorothy Malone). Webster kidnaps her and forces her to drive him to Mexico. Connie is plenty femme but not much fatale. She's decent, you see, wants Frank to give himself up and face a jury, where she is sure when his story is told, he will be exonerated. That pop sound you hear is the sound of my film noir balloon bursting.

Though it didn't live up to my expectations of what it would be, what it is turns out to be pretty good. John Ireland and Dorothy Malone give good performances, though they're the only ones who do. Ireland always presents to me as a Robert Mitchum clone, and he sure did here. Malone is stunning. Webster (Ireland) comments at one point on her figure, to which Connie (Malone) replies, indignantly, "There's *nothing* wrong with my figure!" Webster's response: "I noticed." And, he's not the only one.

Bottom line: This was American International's first picture, and they would go on to do many worse. I liked this picture, even if it wasn't film noir. 7 out of 10.

Frank Webster, (John Ireland) is a truck driver and is accused of killing another truck driver by driving him off the road and John breaks out of jail and finds a diner to eat and meets up with Connie Adair, (Dorothy Malone). John's identity is questioned in the diner by a man and is very suspicious of him and John knocks him out and grabs Connie and takes off in her sports racing jaguar. Connie and Frank go for very speedy rides through out California to Mexico and they even enter a car race with the police following them all the way. Connie & Frank manage to get along after fighting with each other all the time and there eventually becomes a romantic relationship between the two of them. John Ireland was also the director of this film and Dorothy Malone looked very young and attractive and they both gave an outstanding performance in this black and white B Film by Roger Corman.

Surprisingly solid production with an obviously very low budget (this was producer Corman's first film, I believe, and he is true to form). About a man on the run who kidnaps a lovely lady in a sports car. Of course, she falls in love with him when he gives her a picnic. Strictly stock footage and poor rear-projection for the race scenes. Some nice touches in the dialogue. It's actually surprising that this film emerges as watchable, but it even ends up being likeable. Well, it took me years to find it, but I can't say I ever expected it to be any good, so I guess I wasn't disappointed. First film for American International Pictures (then known as American Releasing Corporation or ARC, under the auspices of the infamous Alex Gordon, Jim Nicholson, and Sam Arkoff), whose only producers at that time were Gordon, Corman, and (eventually) Herman Cohen, if I got all the names right. Anyway, as most drive in fans know, these guys changed the world of movies, and I guess this little film is where it all started. Well, fast cars and girls in danger is a good film formula, so I guess they didn't pick a bad place to start off.