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best movie i've ever seen.

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

"Crime Wave" is a rock solid little crime melodrama with a cracking pace and a time honoured theme of an ex-con trying to go straight. Its characters are tough and memorable and there are some great moments for not just the leads but the other performers as well. It doesn't have a lot of action but it's just as moody as the best films of its kind and fairly brutal at times. The cast is excellent right down the line; you come to admire Steve Lacey (Gene Nelson) for attempting to get his life back in order and hate his scummy associates for drawing him right back into the crime game.Sterling Hayden is enjoyably cranky, hard-boiled detective Lt. Sims, who subscribes to the idea that "once a con, always a con", and applies it to Lacey, who is visited by thugs including "Doc" Penny (Ted de Corsia), Ben Hastings (Charles Bronson), and Gat Morgan (Nedrick Young). Soon Lacey realizes that he's going to have to go along with Penny and his plans to rob a bank as the gang threatens Lacey's wife Ellen (Phyllis Kirk).This eclectic cast also includes Jay Novello, in a standout supporting performance as slimy veterinarian Otto Hessler, who's tired of humanity and now prefers to tend to the needs of animals, as well as James Bell as Lacey's parole officer, Dub Taylor in a typically hearty turn as a jovial gas station attendant, and legendary eccentric Timothy Carey in a deliciously creepy portrayal of lowlife Johnny Haslett. Bronson is fun as swaggering punk Hastings. Keep an eye out for Hank Worden and Iris Adrian as well.Efficient direction by Andre De Toth (who'd previously worked with Bronson on the horror classic "House of Wax"), impressive hand-held camera-work and use of real L.A. locations all aid in the storytelling in this taut and stylish production.Eight out of 10.

Dancing movie star tried something different in this 1954 film. As Steve Lacey, married to Phyllis Kirk, he is an ex-convict going straight and living a decent life with a good job. All this changes when his former gang pulls a robbery where a police officer is killed, and the wounded bandit comes to Lacey's home before expiring.Lacey becomes implicated and despite the protestations of a very sympathetic parole officer, he is dodged constantly by officer Sterling Hayden, who is as tough as nails and will never forgive or forget Lacey regarding his past.We have the general hostage situation involving Kirk, when Lacey is forced to drive the get-away car in another bank heist.Notice a very young Charles Bronson, as a violent gang member.The story just shows you how hard it can be for a convict trying to live an honest existence. It's as if he is also being pursued by a Jean Valjean character of "Les Miserables."Hayden shows that he finally has heart by the film's end; so does this film.

There's something particularly pleasing about a relatively short, low budget movie which has the power to make a great impact and "Crime Wave" (a.k.a. "The City Is Dark" & "Don't Cry Baby") is just such a movie. It's very well acted, has interesting characters and maintains a lively pace throughout. The story's main protagonist is an ex-con who's trying desperately to go straight and neither the cops nor the criminals believe in his determination or ability to do so. He's pressured and threatened by both and this puts him in a tight spot because if he cooperates with the criminals, he'll inevitably fall back into a life of crime and if he doesn't, he and his wife could find themselves in mortal danger.Since serving out a prison sentence, Steve Lacey (Gene Nelson) has been successful in avoiding further trouble. He's married to Ellen (Phyllis Kirk), has his own apartment and also a well-paid job as an airplane mechanic. His problems begin when one of his ex-cell mates turns up at his home. Gat Morgan (Ned Young) who's seriously injured is carrying a gun and Steve and Ellen are forced to let him stay. Shortly after, Dr Otto Hessler (Jay Novello)arrives to attend to Gat's gunshot wound but it's too late as Gat dies before the doctor can help. Hessler takes the dead man's money to cover his costs and leaves.At the same time, LAPD Detective Lieutenant Sims (Sterling Hayden) has been able to confirm that the three men who had just carried out a gas station robbery and killed a motorcycle cop were a group of escaped convicts who'd broken out of San Quentin. He has a hunch that the men will contact their old cell mate and so arrests Steve and takes him in for questioning. Steve insists that he's unable to help and is eventually released.Steve's situation then gets worse when the other two gang members, Doc Penny (Ted de Corsia) and Ben Hastings (Charles Bronson) turn up at his apartment. Hastings takes Steve's car and goes to Hessler's place where he kills the doctor and then has to escape on foot because a passer-by had witnessed the murder. As soon as the car found close to the murder scene is identified as Steve's, he becomes the focus of a police manhunt. Penny and Hastings then force Steve to help them carry out a bank robbery and the tension builds steadily because Steve has tipped off the cops and also, the heist doesn't go according to plan.Sims and Hessler are the two strongest characters in "Crime Wave". Sims is big, tough and permanently dishevelled and habitually chews toothpicks to help him give up smoking. He's intimidating and deeply cynical and doesn't believe that Steve or any ex-con can be rehabilitated. His unsophisticated method of operation simply involves bullying and threatening everyone regardless of whether they happen to be suspects or witnesses and Sterling Hayden gives an immensely powerful performance in this role.Dr Hessler is a very believable underground physician, a man who's no longer able to practice medicine legitimately and who's turned his attentions to caring for animals instead. He's obviously suffered some misfortune in the past and consoles himself by turning to the bottle. His genuine fondness of animals is a positive quality, which goes some way to balance out such actions as relieving a dead patient of his (albeit stolen) money. Jay Novello does well in bringing out the different aspects of Hessler's character so vividly.The visual style of this movie is quite striking and the nocturnal scenes are particularly well framed and lit. The shadowy streets add powerfully to the atmosphere of the piece and the use of so many location shots is effective in strengthening the movie's strong sense of realism. "Crime Wave" is very enjoyable on a number of levels and certainly merits greater recognition than it's been given in the past.

Sterling Hayden, Gene Nelson, Phyllis Kirk and Charles Buchinsky (Bronson) stars in this relatively forgotten but excellent film that centers on the life of an ex-con (Nelson) who's trying to go straight after mixing with the wrong crowd. Some of his ex-friends are creating a crime wave of robberies and need someplace to hide out. And, when they find him, he tries to tell them to get out. The movie is very adult and in your face with its no-holds-barred attitude and makes the viewer feel as if it could be happening today.Sterling Hayden is absolutely great and thoroughly convincing as a cop, who's gotten burnt out and treats all cons as scum and believes once a thief.... And, Gene Nelson is good too, who incidentally looks great here. I had never really noticed him much in "Oklahoma," but here, wow! And, there is a neat little twist to it at the very end, that you don't see coming. If you're a lover of film noir, then buy this on DVD today in a classic film noir set #4 and watch the whole set and start your own wave.