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Simply Perfect

Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

The first must-see film of the year.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

There's not enough happening in the way of plot to make Robert Rossen's "Johnny O'Clock" a classic of its genre. Suffice to say that it has most of the elements and a few extra touches added in---but it all seems a bit contrived. Dick Powell plays the title role; he's a casino owner with a shady past and a quick delivery (dialog and punches). He's in cahoots with a mobster played by creepy Thomas Gomez and the two fellows keep it civil while the tension begins to build between them. What's never established during most of the film is whether old Johnny is strictly in business for the money or simply rotten to the core like the rest of the characters. Luckily for him, Evelyn Keyes brings out the best of his ambiguous personality and that's enough for Johnny to survive the final shootout and walk away without bleeding to death. The same can't be said for gangster Gomez. He receives about six bullets in the gut and ends up face down on his expensive carpet. "Johnny O'Clock" is fast moving and the rapid-fire dialog fits the storyline to a tee. Others in the cast include Lee J. Cobb who plays the local police investigator without cracking a smile until the final reel. He sees through Johnny's tough-guy act and cuts him as much slack as he can allow. Ellen Drew is along as Gomez's moll and viewers will wonder what this beauty sees in that fellow's oversize frame and nasty disposition. Not much as it turns out. Look for Jeff Chandler in a small role as a mobster working for Gomez who spends most of his time at the poker table. In the end, Johnny wins a reprieve and the love of Ms. Keyes. I guess he was pretty lucky after all.

I had high hopes for "Johnny O'clock" with its excellent cast. My hopes were dashed after about 20 minutes of listening to its corny script and IMHO, poor direction. I found Dick Powell to be totally miscast in the part. The high point was watching Ellen Drew with those dreamy eyes. Unfortunately, her part was all too small. The film was too predictable and most viewers will be guessing the next line in scene after scene. The script was so ridiculous that I found myself expecting the Three Stooges to show up at any moment! This film would make a great candidate to dub over into a comedy. I'm being kind by giving it a 5 out of 10...maybe just because Jeff Chandler (uncredited) shows up in a few scenes with a couple of lines. Still it's better than a poke in the eye with a hot stick and if you and a friend want some laughs with your popcorn, don't miss it!

This movie pretends to be a sophisticated drama, but it falls way short. A little too much snappy dialogue. Johnny says: "Come here" The girl says: "I've been there". Johnny says: "Who ordered these drinks? The waiter says: Did you ever eat here? Johnny: No. Waiter: You'll need them." What the hell is all that supposed to mean? Typical 40's fashions. Geez, they were awful. Mostly baggy suits and corny hats for the men, and outrageous spangles and hats for the girls. But most of all there's the title. Johnny O'Clock. Johnny Allegro, Johnny Angel, Johnny Guitar, Johnny Omelet, Johnny Sneakers, etc. A few years later they moved on to the Charlies.There is not much of a story. Dick Powell plays Johnny, a full time gambling club owner. He sets his alarm for 9pm every night, and wanders around the nether world rubbing shoulders with the demi-monde. All the girls fall for him and the tough guys fear him. He plays tag with the cops while trying to solve a mystery that involves a suicide, a pocket watch, and a dead cop. Don't expect me to explain. I've had a tough day, and this one requires more concentration than I can muster. Since Mr O'Clock doesn't get up until Nine O'Clock, everything takes place in the dark. That's pretty much where the movie left me. In the dark. I shouldn't be knocking it too much. Some of the performances are halfway decent, but the writer and dialogue coach should have been fired.

Dick Powell once again proves that he can play the tough guy roles, just as he did in the classic "Murder My Sweet." This time he is a slick, even egotistical, gambling hall owner. He is icy with most, gentle with others, and I believe he doesn't know himself which he really is. Harriet the hat check girl has a problem, namely Chuck Blayden, a crooked cop, who works for Johnny and his partner, Guido Marchettis played by Thomas Gomez who would go on to win an Oscar for his role in "Ride the Pink Horse," with Robert Montgomery, another film noir classic. When Harriet is found dead, by Inspector Kotch, a cigar smoking Lee J. Cobb, Kotch goes after Johnny assuming he knows more than he is willing to say about her murder and Blayden's disappearance. In steps Evelyn Keyes as Harriet's sister, who eventually falls for Johnny. Ellen Drew is married to the boss, but has had an affair with Johnny, which Guido suspects, but lays back like a snake and waits for one of them to make a mistake. The mistake comes by the way of two watches, one for the husband and one for Johnny. The difference, Johnny's watch is inscribed with "To my darling with never-ending love." When Guido discovers this and Johnny figures out that he has murdered both Harriet and Blayden, the cross is on. Keyes tries to make Johnny understand that money is no good, the only thing that counts is life, and if he goes back to get money from his partner, then he just doesn't get it. He returns anyway, and in the process kills Guido, after he shoots him. Trying to escape, he is confronted by both Keyes and the cop in a stand off. He eventually gives up and love conquers all. There are some great scenes in the movie, Lee J. Cobb is just superb as the cop and Evelyn Keys and Ellen Drew, are both great as the two women in Johnny's life. Don't miss this one, it is great noir.