Johnny Gunman (1957) Poster

(1957)

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8/10
Nifty 50's mobster noir item
Woodyanders3 June 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Vicious Allie (a solid and credible performance by Johnny Seven) and laid-back Johnny G. (well played with engaging cool by Martin Brooks) are a couple of rival New York City gangsters who have known each other since childhood. After mob capo Lou Caddy gets busted by the authorities for tax evasion, Allie and Johnny G. find themselves caught up in a fierce territorial dispute over who will have exclusive control of the mob racket.

Writer/director Art Ford relates the compact and compelling story at a steady pace, makes neat use of the Greenwich Village locations, does an ace job of crafting a brooding sober mood, and states an interesting point about the bitter and lonely emotional price one must pay for being a mobster. The sound acting by the capable cast holds this picture together: Seven and Brooks both do ace work in the lead roles, with sturdy support from Carrie Radison as scheming mole Mimi, Ann Donaldson as sweet and naive aspiring writer Coffee, Woodrow Parfrey as pathetic and pretentious playwright Sidney Wells, and Anatol Winogradoff as friendly old-timer Max. Walter Holcomb's stark black and white cinematography provides a beautifully shadowy and stylish noir look. Worth a watch.
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Another rare gem from the deep USA
searchanddestroy-12 November 2014
Warning: Spoilers
I guess this is the perfect type of film made by the independent studios and destined only for drive in releases. The kind of stuff available on Sinister Cinema catalogue. Offbeat but non experimental movie although. A sort of film noir, with a good jazzy soundtrack that suits fine to this story. Yes a drama and a film noir in the same time. A poor girl in love, a desperate love with a handsome hoodlum, in a big city, with most of the action taking place at night. Good try for this director outside Hollywood, with a pretty photography. A desperate romance, as many more features like this one. Good cute little scenes, touching, but again with dramatic results.
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