Dark City
Posted by martinteller on September 29, 2010
No, not the sci-fi film that Roger Ebert jizzed all over. Charlton Heston in his first major role as a gambler who fleeces the wrong guy, and finds himself the target of vengeful wrath from the victim’s brother. Heston’s all right here, and there are some enjoyable supporting performances including Ed Begley, Jack Webb and Harry Morgan, but leading lady Lizabeth Scott is a cold fish in this. And she gets far too many torch songs, which she’s not especially good at. The film has some great moments (I like how the killer is only identified by his distinctive ring throughout) and a nice Waxman score, but really flounders in the third act, where it takes a forced, unlikely romantic turn and loses a lot of momentum. Some noticeably shoddy rear projection, too. Pretty blah overall, even for a diehard noir fan, could use a little more zing. But it’s watchable. Rating: 6
