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Good story, Not enough for a whole film

best movie i've ever seen.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Was really surprised at how well 'Storm Warning' turned out. Despite having a love for drama, crime and film noir films and finding the Klu Klux Klan a fascinating if harrowing subject to talk about, there was the worry as to how Ginger Rogers and Doris Day would fare in atypical roles and whether Ronald Reagan would be up to the task.'Storm Warning' may not quite be a masterpiece, or an amazing film all the way through, but mostly it does live up to its potential and really does send up a storm in its best moments. It does sink into melodrama somewhat too much in the middle, with occasionally some of the dialogue slightly overheated, Tennessee Williams-esque dialogue (do love his stuff though) didn't seem to belong here. More of an issue was that the portrayal of the Klu Klan, although brutal and menacing at times, could have been more daring and more shocking.There was the sense that the film seemed too careful not to offend (when it really shouldn't have been afraid to tell the truth and express exactly what at the time and now everyone's stance on the Klan was) meaning that there was a glossed over feel.However, 'Storm Warning' is a visually striking film, the noir-ish look is seedy and gritty yet also audacious and luminous. There are some beautiful shots here and some of it has a real creepiness, the atmospheric sets and lighting also help. There is similarly a haunting score from Daniele Amfitheatrof and suitably taut direction from Stuart Heisler, based on their efforts here wouldn't hesitate in hearing and seeing more from them.Regarding 'Storm Warning's' script, it is thought-provoking and tight on the most part, if a little melodramatic and overheated in the middle at times. The story tackles some heavy and dark themes and does so in a hard-hitting and poignant fashion, complete with an ending that wrenches the gut, aside from the too safe portrayal of the Klan itself it's pretty ahead of the time stuff we're dealing with here and it really does not pull any punches. 'Storm Warning' is as dark and gritty as one can get and is less than glamorous, but that is what makes the film as good as it is in its best moments.Casting and the performances are very good. Ginger Rogers and Steve Cochran especially so, it's a courageous dramatic turn for Rogers and one that she handles with grit and sincerity while Cochran is nerve-shredding. Wasn't expecting Ronald Reagan to work, was expecting him to be bland and out of kilter so it was surprising that he was neither, and Doris Day (though she is much better in comedy and musicals, which suit her talent far more) is cast against type in a rare early dramatic role and comes over credibly.Overall, not perfect but a valiant effort and when it's at its best boy isn't it good. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Ginger Rogers and Doris Day are believably cast as sisters in Storm Warning. Steve Cochran plays one of his usual shady characters. And Ronald Reagan appears in his last picture for Warners as a prosecutor who saves the day.The subject matter is rather dark. It's a story about Civil Rights and the Ku Klux Klan. Shot in black and white photography, the film's noir aspects are gripping to say the least, and aside from a somewhat melodramatic ending, the film has a fair amount of social realism in it.Originally Jack Warner wanted Joan Crawford to do this picture at the end of her contract. But she told him that nobody would believe she was Doris Day's sister.

A crackling good melodrama from the socially conscious studio of record, Warner Bros.Director Heisler really knows his way around crowds. The boisterous scenes in the bowling alley and liquor lounge are electric with vitality and look nothing like a bunch of Hollywood extras. At the same time, Jerry Wald was a major producer at Warner's and I expect it was he who made sure the small town ambiance is as authentic as it is. There are elements here that suggest a project somewhere between A and B levels of production.Catch those earmarks of noir in just the first few minutes—the all-night bus, the train whistle, the dampened streets, and the lonely diner. Right away a menacing universe is defined for us. But oddly, this is a KKK film that never once mentions race and shows, by my count, only one black person. Odd for a drama, which by implication takes place in the deep South. My guess is that the writers Brooks and Fuchs wanted to show that the Klan is not only a menace to Blacks, but Whites, as well.It's a fairly plausible script, though how a DA (Reagan) could get elected with such out- spoken anti-Klan views remains a stretch. What really works, in my book, is the chemistry between the sisters (Day & Rogers). Not only do they look alike, but there's genuine warmth between them. Thus, it's no stretch to think that Marsha (Rogers) would do nothing to jeopardize Lucy's (Day) happiness. And how visually right Cochran is for his part as the blue-collar Romeo, though his sniveling seems overdone at times.I really like the way the screenplay embeds the Klan in the very fabric of the town. These are not ordinary hoodlums despite their violent activities, and a bolder script would have shown more fully what the attraction of the Klan was for these townsfolk (there's one loaded mention of making sure women can walk safely down the street). There were a number of these racially charged dramas during this period—No Way Out (1950), The Well (1951), Lost Boundaries (1949)—and all are strong dramas, including this one. However, the McCarthy purges soon put an end to social problem films for the remainder of the decade, and now they await rediscovery by fresh generations. This is one of them.

Watching Storm Warning just now-a movie which takes on the Ku Klux Klan-I had expected a compelling drama about what kind of organization it was and how it was going to be exposed. But instead of widely revealing how it treats anyone who's not white or of a certain religion with complete contempt, this film just glosses over that while concentrating on the attempts to cover a murder of a nosy reporter which gets witnessed by an outsider (Ginger Rogers) as she looks for her sister (Doris Day) and her husband (Steve Cochran). In addition, a crusading attorney (Ronald Reagan) is trying to get Ms. Rogers to spill the beans in court...Because of what I mentioned above, not to mention the obvious stealing of material from Tennesse Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire", this film isn't very good as a history lesson and the score, along with some of the dialogue and scenes, make the whole thing a little melodramatically dated. Still, as such and with good performances by those four leads I mentioned, not to mention many of the supporting ones, Storm Warning is still pretty entertaining and worth a look for anyone curious about how such subject matter was treated in an era of censorship and post-war political atmosphere.