People only familiar with Raymond Burr from his "Perry Mason" shows might be very surprised to see him in his many films before hitting it big as Mason. That's because instead of the nice-guy defender of the helpless, his earlier roles very, very often including preying upon the helpless and being a very, very menacing thug. Again and again, Burr would kill, beat or rob--and in a manner so cold and brutal that you have to admire the guy! Heck, to fans of film noir, Burr is like a god--up there with great noir actors like Edmund O'Brien, John Ireland and Paul Stewart--reliable and tough. Here in "Desperate", one again Burr plays a sociopathic thug--and I enjoyed every minute he was on the screen.
Mr. & Mrs. Steve Randall (Steve Brody and Audry Long) have only been married a short time and are struggling to make ends meet. So, when Steve is offered a lot of money to do a late night trucking job, he jumps for it--only to find it's actually a job working with some thugs. He inadvertently gets mixed up in the middle of a robbery and shooting--and the crooks slug him and force him to drive the getaway vehicle. Randall tries to warn the cops--and the gang decides to make him pay. They beat him demand that HE turn himself in and take credit for the crime--or they'll make sure his wife "ain't so pretty any more"! Instead of going to the police (which any sane person would have done), Randall manages to escape from his captors. He then arranges for his wife to meet him at the station and they set off on a cross-country trek to get her to safety. By this time, the police are looking for him--and still Randall does NOT stop and ask for their help or explain himself. In fact, this is a major shortcoming of the movie--we are to expect the leading man to behave in a way 98% of us would not in the same situation. Then, when he DOES decide to go to the police, he says he needs to drive 200 miles there! Why not pick ANY police station between here and there--why drive all the way back home? Regardless, when he turns himself in, they don't believe him--probably because he'd been running for so long! But they decide to release him--assuming he'd be bait to attract the rest of the gang. Eventually, Burr and the rest of the gang catch up to where the Randalls have been hiding. See the movie to find out what happens next.
Despite its plot problems which I pointed out already (as well as a baby that seems to arrive awfully fast!), it IS a good example of film noir. While it lacks some of the great cinematography some of the best noir has (except in the excellent staircase scene), the dialog is snappy, the plot pretty good and the villains truly villainous. A very good and enjoyable example of the genre.
Mr. & Mrs. Steve Randall (Steve Brody and Audry Long) have only been married a short time and are struggling to make ends meet. So, when Steve is offered a lot of money to do a late night trucking job, he jumps for it--only to find it's actually a job working with some thugs. He inadvertently gets mixed up in the middle of a robbery and shooting--and the crooks slug him and force him to drive the getaway vehicle. Randall tries to warn the cops--and the gang decides to make him pay. They beat him demand that HE turn himself in and take credit for the crime--or they'll make sure his wife "ain't so pretty any more"! Instead of going to the police (which any sane person would have done), Randall manages to escape from his captors. He then arranges for his wife to meet him at the station and they set off on a cross-country trek to get her to safety. By this time, the police are looking for him--and still Randall does NOT stop and ask for their help or explain himself. In fact, this is a major shortcoming of the movie--we are to expect the leading man to behave in a way 98% of us would not in the same situation. Then, when he DOES decide to go to the police, he says he needs to drive 200 miles there! Why not pick ANY police station between here and there--why drive all the way back home? Regardless, when he turns himself in, they don't believe him--probably because he'd been running for so long! But they decide to release him--assuming he'd be bait to attract the rest of the gang. Eventually, Burr and the rest of the gang catch up to where the Randalls have been hiding. See the movie to find out what happens next.
Despite its plot problems which I pointed out already (as well as a baby that seems to arrive awfully fast!), it IS a good example of film noir. While it lacks some of the great cinematography some of the best noir has (except in the excellent staircase scene), the dialog is snappy, the plot pretty good and the villains truly villainous. A very good and enjoyable example of the genre.