Shakedown

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It was said of Joseph Pevney by a colleague that 'some former actors become good directors and some become hack directors. Pevney is no hack and is more than good.' Although this marks Pevney's directorial debut his undeniable flair and precision are already in evidence, aided immeasurably by one of Universal's most respected editors Milton Carruth. This is minor Noir to be sure but grips throughout its eighty minutes and reflects not just post War cynicism but the Fourth Estate's questionable ethics when catering to the public's desire for sensationalism. Pevney is excellent with his actors and the casting is spot on. Not exactly renowned for his sympathetic persona, Howard Duff has arguably his best role as a narcissistic sociopath, a type that the female of the species finds impossible to resist and the troublesome Lawrence Tierney again convinces as a nasty piece of work. On the distaff side there is lovely Peggy Dow who quit filming to raise a family whilst classy Anne Vernon in her only Hollywood appearance provides the Gallic 'Je ne sais quoi'. Solid Bruce Bennett plays a newspaper editor whose conscience is mollified by increased circulation figures. Brian Donlevy has star quality in spades and steals all of his scenes. The eagle-eyed might spot an uncredited Rock Hudson as a doorman. They all have to start somewhere. The old Hollywood Rule Book requires Duff's loathsome character to get his just desserts but the climax in which he finds redemption has been aptly described by one critic as 'ingeniously ironic'.

"Shakedown" featured an antihero protagonist, to wit a talented photographer, arranging all kinds of interesting business opportunities for himself, mainly by manipulating a variety of criminals and racketeers. At one point I was hoping/suspecting that the movie would introduce an extra layer of intrigue, by disclosing that the protagonist was pitting all these gangsters against each other because he had an ulterior motive. (For instance : he wanted revenge against gangster X for knocking down his mother during a blood-drenched getaway.) This turned out not to be the case, our protagonist was behaving like a callous and greedy opportunist because he was, well, a callous and greedy opportunist. Anyway, watching "Shakedown" was time well spent : I thought it was a suspenseful noir with a well-constructed plot, memorable characters and quotable dialogue. The ending provided an ingenious example of an engineer hoist with his own petard. Movie lovers interested in "contrast and compare" may want to take a look at the much later "Nightcrawler" (2014), which is a compelling thriller/drama in its own right. (Wrote a small review there too.) Although different in style and plot, both movies raise similar underlying questions, for instance with regard to the public's craving for striking and violent images. If you and me and the postman ask for dramatic pics of victims jumping from the third floor of a burning building, there will arise people willing to satisfy the demand - quite possibly at the expense of the victims and the rescuers.

I do not know a great deal about Director Joseph Pevney, but his work includes THIEVES' HIGHWAY, so SHAKEDOWN was no beginner's luck. It is a well-directed film anchored in a cast of considerable quality, including Howard Duff in one of his better roles, the always duplicitous Brian Donlevy, Lawrence Tierney, French actress Anne Vernon, Bruce Bennett, and the incredibly beautiful Peggy Dow, who always reminds me of Audrey Hepburn. Boasting a thought-provoking script with greedy, selfish and ruthless reporter Jack Early (as in the early bird that catches the worm) driving the action, this film may well have served as blueprint for NIGHTCRAWLER (2014). I find it surprising that the puritanical U. S. codes of the 1950s, the HUAC investigation, Senator McCarthy, etc, let this attack on the American Dream show in moviehouses... but I am grateful they did! Fitting and effective cinematography by Glassberg and editing by Carrugh. Definitely worth watching!