Sunday, September 27, 2015

Raw Deal (1948)

Raw Deal is a 1948 film noir directed by Anthony Mann and starring Dennis O'Keefe, Claire Trevor, Marsha Hunt, John Ireland, Raymond Burr, and Whit Bissell (who has a Star Trek connection).

The man is in prison after taking the fall, but he manages to escape. The poor sap doesn't stand a chance. The escape was arranged for him so that he would be killed in the attempt, and the mob boss isn't happy when he survives because the boss doesn't want to split the heist money.

He has two women in his life -his faithful moll and his lawyer's assistant- who both want what they think is best for him. Burr is the mob boss who is aiming to take him out. Heartache and tragedy, a perfect film noir.

I can't find a trailer, but here's a clip featuring Raymond Burr:



Senses of Cinema says, "It’s one of those noirs where you hold your breath, where its tension gets your heart rate up almost so you can hear it beating." Noir of the Week praises it. Rotten Tomatoes has a 100% critics score.

2 comments:

  1. I´m exam-studying and have no time, but HAD to look a bit at Raymond Burr, what a beauty he was! And the noir-feel is just wonderful. I also love the fashion of the day, the dresses, suits, watches (!), hair, all of it. I´ll bookmark this for later. You find such amazing stuff!

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    1. Burr's eyes are gorgeous, aren't they. I was always a big fan of Perry Mason.

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