Following his triumphant portrayal of Willy Loman in Arthur Miller's stage play 'Death of a Salesman,' Lee J. Cobb takes on the role of hard-nosed detective Lt. Edward Cullen in 'The Man Who Cheated Himself.' However, the film falters due to a miscast femme fatale and a lack of chemistry between Cobb and Jane Wyatt, who plays the wealthy socialite Lois Frazer.
The inciting incident occurs when Lois, planning to divorce her husband Howard, discovers he has acquired a gun and becomes convinced that he intends to kill her. She calls Edward, her boyfriend, and in a moment of panic, shoots and kills Howard with his own weapon.
Unlike more psychologically complex noirs, the reasons behind Edward's immediate infatuation with Lois remain unclear-presumably an attraction to dangerous women. Similarly, Lois lacks depth, offering little insight into the protagonist's motivation and resulting in a weak character dynamic.
In the second act, Edward finds himself navigating a world of crime as he attempts to cover up the murder. Knowing that Howard was scheduled to take a flight to Seattle that night, Edward transports Howard's corpse to the airport to make it appear as if he fell victim to a robbery. The only witnesses are an elderly couple, with the husband misidentifying Edward's car color as green instead of blue.
The introduction of Edward's younger brother, Andy (John Dahl), who also serves as a police officer investigating Howard's murder, adds intrigue to the story. In the first half of the second act, Edward displays his investigative competence by eluding Andy's suspicions. However, the plot thickens when the bullets found in Howard's body match those used in another murder during a liquor store robbery. Complicating matters, Edward had previously discarded the murder weapon off a bridge into the San Francisco Bay before arriving at the airport.
It is later revealed that the gun landed in a fishing boat's net and was brought home by an Italian immigrant. The immigrant's son, Nito (played skillfully by Alan Wells), utilizes the weapon to commit the liquor store robbery. During Nito's interrogation, Edward attempts to pin sHoward's shooting on him, but Andy discovers inconsistencies that exonerate Nito.
As the second act reaches its crisis point, circumstances turn against Edward. Andy finally uncovers his brother's direct involvement in Howard's murder. Andy catches Edward in a lie when he claims that Lois is asleep, while Andy witnesses her awake through her bedroom window across the street. Moreover, the original witness at the airport, who initially reported a green car instead of a blue one, is revealed to be color blind.
In a desperate attempt to escape, Edward knocks out Andy and flees with Lois. They seek refuge in the abandoned ruins of Fort Point beneath the Golden Gate Bridge, a location also featured in Hitchcock's later film 'Vertigo.'
Despite some impressive cinematography capturing the desolate atmosphere with ambient sounds of wind blowing, the third act feels somewhat anticlimactic as Andy pursues the fugitives. Following a hunch, he heads to Fort Point, reminiscent of their childhood play area. Initially unable to locate them, he departs but has called for backup off-screen, leading to the subsequent arrest of his brother and Lois.
The film concludes with Edward waiting outside the court, awaiting his final judgment, while Lois is overheard promising her attorney a share of her fortune in exchange for extricating her from the legal quagmire-a fitting consequence for falling for a femme fatale.
The ending proves unsatisfying as it leaves viewers without a sense of resolution. It would have been more intriguing to explore the possibility of mitigating circumstances surrounding the crime, such as Lois's genuine fear for her life and Edward's status as a first-time offender. Instead, the film abruptly concludes, adhering to the genre's tradition of punishing the fallen protagonist.
One notable cast member I neglected to mention is Lisa Howard, who portrays Andy's wife, Janet. Her real-life story is as captivating as any compelling noir tale. After retiring as an actress, Howard became the first female ABC News producer with her own show in the 1960s but found herself blacklisted by the networks after attempting to work as an intermediary between the State Department and Fidel Castro. Tragically, she took her own life in 1965.
In summary, 'The Man Who Cheated Himself' suffers from a miscast femme fatale and a lack of chemistry between the lead actors. The film features an engaging inciting incident and an intriguing second act but falls short in delivering a satisfying conclusion. While it offers some nifty cinematography and a notable supporting cast, it fails to reach the heights of other compelling noirs. I would rate 'The Man Who Cheated Himself' a modest 6 out of 10.
The inciting incident occurs when Lois, planning to divorce her husband Howard, discovers he has acquired a gun and becomes convinced that he intends to kill her. She calls Edward, her boyfriend, and in a moment of panic, shoots and kills Howard with his own weapon.
Unlike more psychologically complex noirs, the reasons behind Edward's immediate infatuation with Lois remain unclear-presumably an attraction to dangerous women. Similarly, Lois lacks depth, offering little insight into the protagonist's motivation and resulting in a weak character dynamic.
In the second act, Edward finds himself navigating a world of crime as he attempts to cover up the murder. Knowing that Howard was scheduled to take a flight to Seattle that night, Edward transports Howard's corpse to the airport to make it appear as if he fell victim to a robbery. The only witnesses are an elderly couple, with the husband misidentifying Edward's car color as green instead of blue.
The introduction of Edward's younger brother, Andy (John Dahl), who also serves as a police officer investigating Howard's murder, adds intrigue to the story. In the first half of the second act, Edward displays his investigative competence by eluding Andy's suspicions. However, the plot thickens when the bullets found in Howard's body match those used in another murder during a liquor store robbery. Complicating matters, Edward had previously discarded the murder weapon off a bridge into the San Francisco Bay before arriving at the airport.
It is later revealed that the gun landed in a fishing boat's net and was brought home by an Italian immigrant. The immigrant's son, Nito (played skillfully by Alan Wells), utilizes the weapon to commit the liquor store robbery. During Nito's interrogation, Edward attempts to pin sHoward's shooting on him, but Andy discovers inconsistencies that exonerate Nito.
As the second act reaches its crisis point, circumstances turn against Edward. Andy finally uncovers his brother's direct involvement in Howard's murder. Andy catches Edward in a lie when he claims that Lois is asleep, while Andy witnesses her awake through her bedroom window across the street. Moreover, the original witness at the airport, who initially reported a green car instead of a blue one, is revealed to be color blind.
In a desperate attempt to escape, Edward knocks out Andy and flees with Lois. They seek refuge in the abandoned ruins of Fort Point beneath the Golden Gate Bridge, a location also featured in Hitchcock's later film 'Vertigo.'
Despite some impressive cinematography capturing the desolate atmosphere with ambient sounds of wind blowing, the third act feels somewhat anticlimactic as Andy pursues the fugitives. Following a hunch, he heads to Fort Point, reminiscent of their childhood play area. Initially unable to locate them, he departs but has called for backup off-screen, leading to the subsequent arrest of his brother and Lois.
The film concludes with Edward waiting outside the court, awaiting his final judgment, while Lois is overheard promising her attorney a share of her fortune in exchange for extricating her from the legal quagmire-a fitting consequence for falling for a femme fatale.
The ending proves unsatisfying as it leaves viewers without a sense of resolution. It would have been more intriguing to explore the possibility of mitigating circumstances surrounding the crime, such as Lois's genuine fear for her life and Edward's status as a first-time offender. Instead, the film abruptly concludes, adhering to the genre's tradition of punishing the fallen protagonist.
One notable cast member I neglected to mention is Lisa Howard, who portrays Andy's wife, Janet. Her real-life story is as captivating as any compelling noir tale. After retiring as an actress, Howard became the first female ABC News producer with her own show in the 1960s but found herself blacklisted by the networks after attempting to work as an intermediary between the State Department and Fidel Castro. Tragically, she took her own life in 1965.
In summary, 'The Man Who Cheated Himself' suffers from a miscast femme fatale and a lack of chemistry between the lead actors. The film features an engaging inciting incident and an intriguing second act but falls short in delivering a satisfying conclusion. While it offers some nifty cinematography and a notable supporting cast, it fails to reach the heights of other compelling noirs. I would rate 'The Man Who Cheated Himself' a modest 6 out of 10.