Any film that opens with a vixen being shot in the back to death then simply tossed into an open pit like yesterday's garbage is sure to get your attention from the get-go, even if it is only dramatizing the filming of a TV show. This is "Crime of the Week", a 1950's version of a TV reality show where real-life crimes are dramatized, even if they remain unsolved. Even without the narration of Robert Stack, these solved mysteries are thrilling, and once you meet the actress (Kathleen Hughes) dumped into the pit, you know it's only a matter of time before she becomes a victim herself. She's the typical film noir villainess, not as savvy or deadly as Barbara Stanwyck, Lizabeth Scott or Jane Greer, but determined to use men to get ahead in her business, then toss them aside once she's gotten from them what she desires. Two of the show's staff members (Edward G. Robinson and John Forsythe) become engulfed in her web with Robinson tossed out like a potato peel and Forsythe a victim of blackmail. Throw in an estranged husband of dubious moral demeanor, and it is obvious that the pit awaits her.
But amoral or not, a victim of murder deserves their death to be solved, and through writing the crime onto the TV series, that's exactly the revelation expectable, yet how the denouncements are made makes it gripping throughout. Forsythe adds much dimension to his brooding character, loving with wife and son (even if he is cheating on them), yet threatening when he goes to end the brief affair. Robinson stays in character at all times, smooth and confidante, yet touching and vulnerable as he warns the actress not to hurt him. Satisfactory in practically every way, it won't confound the most novice of noir viewers, but is intriguing and fun to watch develop.
But amoral or not, a victim of murder deserves their death to be solved, and through writing the crime onto the TV series, that's exactly the revelation expectable, yet how the denouncements are made makes it gripping throughout. Forsythe adds much dimension to his brooding character, loving with wife and son (even if he is cheating on them), yet threatening when he goes to end the brief affair. Robinson stays in character at all times, smooth and confidante, yet touching and vulnerable as he warns the actress not to hurt him. Satisfactory in practically every way, it won't confound the most novice of noir viewers, but is intriguing and fun to watch develop.