Born to Kill (1947)

RATING: 3/10

Born to Kill is a deadly waste of time.

This 1947 film noir from director Robert Wise (The Sound of Music, West Side Story) starts with plenty of promise.

TWO GUYS, ONE GIRL, A BIG PROBLEM

Laury Palmer (Izabel Jewell) is playing two boyfriends off each other. That approach to man management turns out badly when fella No. 1, Sam Wild (Lawrence Tierney), spots Laury with fella No.2 at a casino. Sam's a bit of a loose cannon, the type of man who snaps and acts violently before he thinks.

See some symbolism here? He's wild. The three find themselves in a casino, taking their chances.

Wild murders Palmer and her other beau in a tense scene in the kitchen of the boarding house where she lives. This is Born to Kill's best scene. Wild is a brutal killer.

Helen Brent (Claire Trevor) is a short-term resident of the same building. She's in Reno to get a divorce. We don't learn much about her former better half, but we learn early on she doesn't think much of most men. They're turnips, a term this movie-goer has not heard before, suggesting they are useless or not wanted.

ON THE ROAD TO SAN FRANCSICO

Brent spotted Wild at the casino. There's more symbolism as she places bets for, and against, him as he throws the dice. She finds the two dead bodies, considers calling police, but doesn't. Brent was already due to head back to San Francisco where she lives with her very well-off foster sister, Georgia Staples (Audrey Long).

Wild's buddy, Marty Waterman (Elisha Cook, Jr.) suggests he clear out of town and head to San Francisco while he tracks the police investigation into the murders.

He and Brent meet up on the same train. There are sparks between them.

Born to Kill is a very entertaining film up to this point. But, boy, do the wheels fall off the bus quickly. I appreciate things move along a little faster on the screen than in real time, but come on. Within about five minutes of screen time Staples and Wild are married.

HEY LANDLADY, DID YOU MISS THE CLUE?

Brent still has the hots for Wild. Wild is cold to Staples. With all those romantic entanglements going on, boarding house landlady Mrs. Kraft (Esther Howard) has hired private eye Matthew Albert Arnett (Walter Slezak) to find Laury's killer. Maybe all that beer drinking has affected Mrs. Kraft's short-term memory. Laury did make mention of her physically impressive boyfriend who appeared likely to get very angry if he was double-crossed.

Born to Kill's best moments come from the supporting cast. Cook is the eager-to-help friend who has no qualms covering the tracks of a murderer, including doing some killing on his own, if needed. Howard is a weary older woman who wants justice for the young woman she admired. Slezak is a private eye with ethics that are hard to see. He's eager to look the other way for a price. "I am a man of integrity, but I'm always willing to listen to an interesting offer," he says. "Obstructing the wheels of justice is a costly affair."

OH, BROTHER

The last five minutes of Born to Kill rank as the most ludicrous 300 seconds of film I have watched in some time. I jotted "Oh, brother" in my notepad upon the first viewing. The second time around I sat slack-jawed at how silly things became.

There are many better film noirs to watch. Leave this one in the dark.

Champion (1949)

Watch this film and you may feel a little punch drunk yourself.


Champion earned six Oscar nominations, winning one for best editing.


Decide for yourself if this early Kirk Douglas effort from director Mark Robson (Earthquake, Von Ryan's Express) deserves to be crowned or send back for some much-needed conditioning.


TWO BROTHERS, ONE DREAM


Midge Kelly (Douglas) and his brother, Connie (Arthur Kennedy), are riding the rails and hitchhiking to Los Angeles. The pair bought a share in a restaurant.


These boys have grown up poor. Their new business venture doesn't turn out well when their supposed partner dupes them out of their cash. Instead of owning the joint, the siblings are clearing tables and washing dishes.


Midge takes a shine to the greasy spoon's waitress, Emma (Ruth Roman). When he puts the moves on her, restaurant owner, and Emma's father, Lew Bryce (Harry Shannon) gets angry. Real angry.


UH, WHAT JUST HAPPENED AND WHY?

In one of Champion's first strange, head-shaking moments, he pulls a gun on the lovers. Really? If that wasn't strange enough, moments later the pair are getting married. What??? She's not pregnant. There's no suggestion they've been sleeping together. Midge wants nothing to do with the marriage and leaves. Connie follows.


Midge earned a few much-needed dollars when heading west by filling in at the last minute as a boxer. He gets smacked around, delivers a few good punches himself and catches the eye of boxing manager Tommy Haley (Paul Stewart). Haley sees potential in the young buck. The pair reunite.


Cue the montages of Midge training and beating up on his opponents as he becomes known in the boxing world.


MIDGE'S MANIFESTO


Midge makes good on his earlier vow to Emma. "Nice guys don't make money. I'm going to get somewhere. I'm not going to be, "hey you," all my life." He becomes the champ. The money starts to flow. Nice meals and sharp fashions follow, not to mention more than just keeping an eye on some fine looking dames.


When Midge refuses to throw a fight, he gets beat up by folks who lost their shirts betting on the wrong man. Here's another strange moment. Manager Haley warns him to get moving pronto after the fight fearing what's to come. Even after scrumming with the press (hey, these guys are on deadline, interviews wouldn't last hours), the arena is dark and absolutely devoid of humanity except for said thugs. No cleaners? No fans wanting an autograph? No one taking down the ring? Security? Very strange.


But to reach his goal, Midge is quick to dump anyone who threatens to slow him down or not deliver results. Don't blink or you'll miss Midge dropping one bombshell, Grace (Marilyn Maxwell) for another Mrs. Harris (Lola Albright). By this point, I needed a score card to keep track of the women in Midge's life.


Emma is back with Connie in Chicago to take care of his ailing mother (Esther Howard). Grace is fuming at being left behind. Jerome Harris (Luis van Rooten), who just happens to be Midge's new manager, is less than impressed his wife is seeing his talent on the side.


Heading into his fifth defence of his title, there are suggestions Midge is enjoying the good life too much and not spending enough time training at the gym. He's spending more cash than he's earning. Will he buckle down and remain the champ or will he take a licking from his hungry opponent?


MIDGE, YOU'RE A LOUSY HUMAN BEING

Champion is no Rocky. Both characters are underdogs. But Midge isn't a nice guy. He's a user with a quick temper who threatens to beat up his ignored wife. It looks like he rapes her too.


Dimitry Tiomkin earned an Oscar nod for best music, but I found his contributions distracting. Better efforts were to come from Carl Foreman with High Noon and The Guns of Navarone.


RATING: 7/10


FUN FACTS: Douglas and Albright are the only principal actors from this production still alive. Tiomkin also scored It's a Wonderful Life, High Noon and Dial M for Murder. Van Rooten's film debut was as Heinrich Himmler in The Hitler Gang. Kennedy starred with Michael Douglas, Kirk's son, in Hail Hero. Stewart and Shannon appeared in Citizen Kane.