Author Archives: Danilo Castro

Film Noir Review: He Walked by Night (1948)

Posted on October 9, 2017 by Danilo Castro

“Police work is not all glamour and excitement and glory. There are days and days of routine, of tedious probing, of tireless searching.” Rarely have a director and cinematographer worked as succinctly as Anthony Mann and John Alton. During the … Continue reading →

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Film Noir Review: His Kind of Woman (1951)

Posted on August 30, 2017 by Danilo Castro

“This place is dangerous. The time right deadly. The drinks are on me, my bucko!” There’s an old saying that all films are made at least three times: once, when the screenwriter commits the story to paper; again, when the … Continue reading →

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Film Noir Review: The Sniper (1952)

Posted on June 30, 2017 by Danilo Castro

“Stop me — Find me and stop me. I’m going to do it again.” By 1951, filmmaker Edward Dmytryk was persona non grata in Hollywood. Blacklisted as one of the Hollywood Ten in 1947, the Oscar nominee was jailed for … Continue reading →

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Film Noir Review : The Hoodlum (1951)

Posted on May 31, 2017 by Danilo Castro

“You cheap hood. Always looking for a fall guy and never realizing you’re it.” Most films noir have a flicker of hope in them; a dangling carrot for characters to chase despite their seemingly impossible odds. Without it, they’d be … Continue reading →

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Film Noir Review: Harper (1966)

Posted on April 26, 2017 by Danilo Castro

“Hey, this detective work is really fun!” Ross Macdonald occupies an odd space in the world of film noir. He started out as an expert hack with The Moving Target (1949), a novel that borrowed heavily from the pulp authors … Continue reading →

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Film Noir Review: Dark City (1950)

Posted on March 30, 2017 by Danilo Castro

“Guys like you seldom get arrested. You get killed first.” Dark City is an interesting addition to 1950s film noir. It stands out for a couple of reasons: firstly, it combines horror and noir elements in ways that were uncommon for … Continue reading →

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Film Noir Review: The Bribe (1949)

Posted on January 23, 2017 by Danilo Castro

“I never knew a crooked road could look so straight.” In his 1998 book Dark City, Eddie Muller coined the term “Steinbeck Noir” to describe the film Thieves’ Highway (1949). In referencing the Southern California backdrop of many of John Steinbeck’s stories, … Continue reading →

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Film Noir Review: The Hitch-Hiker (1953)

Posted on November 25, 2016 by Danilo Castro

“Nobody ever gave me anything, so I don’t owe nobody!” There was once a kid named Billy Cook, Jr. A rotten kid with a chip on his shoulder, Cook shot six people during the summer of 1950, before his arrest … Continue reading →

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Film Noir Review: The Big Steal (1949)

Posted on October 5, 2016 by Danilo Castro

“It’ll be getting dark soon. I hate the thought of spending the night with an empty revolver.” Robert Mitchum was arrested for smoking marijuana in 1948. The scandal shocked few within the industry, but for the reefer-fearing public, his career was … Continue reading →

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Film Noir Review: Lady in the Lake (1947)

Posted on August 22, 2016 by Danilo Castro

“Some cases, like this one, kind of creep up on you on their hands and knees and the first thing you know, you’re in it up to your neck.” Film noir liked to play with first-person perspective in the 1940s. … Continue reading →

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