Movie Time: Act Of Violence

 Yesterday's  movie themed post  looked at a fun, provocative 21st century film about being stuck in a time loop and being unable to escape the fate of reliving the same day over and over.

Today's movie themed post goes back to the 1940's and it's a different sort of movie, a film noir about a man threatened by an implacable menace. 

But it does have something in common with Palm Springs, questions about morality and philosophy as well as the overriding notion you just can't beat fate.

It's... Movie Time! 

Directed by Fred Zinnemann, this 1949 film is called Act of Violence and it stars Van Heflin, Robert Ryan, Janet Leigh, Mary Astor and Phyllis Thaxter.

Uh oh! Robert Ryan is in this thing? Of course, he's gonna be the "implacable menace" with the grudge on that just won't quit.

We begin in Sunny southern California where war veteran Frank Enley has settled down with his wife Edith and infant child. Life is good for Frank with a nice family in a nice house with a good job and the respect of his community.

Joe Parkson has arrived in town to blow all that wide open. 

Joe is a grim sort of guy with a busted leg, lurching about, always scowling. Joy and pleasure are for other people.

(The sort of role that Robert Ryan is especially adept at.) 

Joe spends several days stalking Frank and Edith, waiting for his moment to strike.

Frank is aware Joe is in town stalking him and he's frightened.

And Edith is also frightened.

• Who is that wierd dude lurking outside the house?
• Why is Frank so scared of him?
• What terrible secret is Frank keeping from Edith?

Frank is determined to keep his secrets and avoid whatever fate Joe has planned for him.

But wherever Frank goes, whatever he does, Joe is always right there, always waiting, always watching. 

Finally enough is enough and Edith gets some back story time! 

Joe and Frank were prisoners in a Nazi POW camp.  

Joe and the other prisoners concocted an escape plan that Frank knew was doomed to fail. They were just going to get themselves killed. 

So Frank alerted the SS Nazi camp commander to the prisoners' plan with the proviso that that commander will "go easy" on the men. The commander gives Frank his word that the men will not be harmed.

Yeah, about that...

The prisoners were bayonetted and left to die.

Goddam Nazis! 

Joe survives by playing dead but his leg is badly and permanently damaged. 

Joe is determined to make Frank pay for the betrayal of his friends, their brutal murder by the Nazis and his own constant pain. 

In his efforts to escape from Joe's relentless quest for vengeance, Frank's path crosses with people with mob connections, a prostitute, a shady lawyer and a thug. 

Frank has an "understanding" with his newfound "friends" they will "take care" of his little problem with Joe.

In exchange for maybe Frank helping them with something in the future. (Wink! Wink!) 

Frank goes back home to Edith, secure in the knowledge that he will now be safe from Joe's quest for vengeance.

But Frank is riddled with guilt.

Damn it! He's done it again. He's betrayed Joe to people who are going to kill him.

Frank leaves the house to intervene and save Joe from the hit he has arranged. 

Maybe Frank can save Joe.

But can Frank escape his fate? 

Can he escape answering for his betrayal of his men in the POW camp?

While much of the movie centers around Frank and Joe, Act of Violence does have some strong performances from the female supporting cast.  Janet Leigh was just getting her career started provides a particularly strong perfomance as Edith.

And nearing the end of her career, Mary Astor as Pat the prostitute nearly steals the film (in Mary's own words) "playing a sleazy, aging whore".  Mary was making Act of Violence at the same time she was making Little Women.   The director of the latter film was freaked out when Mary Astor once showed up on set in her "aging whore" make up. Mary appreciated the reaction, validating she was doing something right in her role as Pat.  

While a lot of the shoot for Act of Violence was done on the MGM lot in Culver City, the movie makes extensive use of location filming.  Some of the nighttime city scenes were shot in the slum neighborhoods of Los Angeles.

Act of Violence is an extremely powerful film noir, evoking a constant sense of dread and suspense with strong acting performances and beautiful black and white cinematography.