So Dark the Night (1946)

So Dark the Night: Directed by Joseph H. Lewis. With Steven Geray, Micheline Cheirel, Eugene Borden, Ann Codee. Paris police detective Cassin has a well needed vacation at a rural inn, where the owners’ adult daughter shows interest in him but she has a jealous boyfriend. Will Cassin need his skills?

“u0026quot;So Dark the Nightu0026quot; is a frustrating film to watch. Thatu0026#39;s because itu0026#39;s such a high quality film and yet the finale is amazingly unsatisfying. In fact, up until near the end of the movie I might have give the film an 8 (a great score for a low-budget B-movie)–but because of the ridiculously improbable ending, I think it earns a 6.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAs I mentioned above, this film is a low-budget B-movie. None of the stars of the film have household names, though if you adore old films, you will at least recognize the face of the leading man, Steven Geray. Geray has a very rare chance to star here–usually heu0026#39;s a supporting actor and is hardly the leading man type. However, heu0026#39;s wonderful in this role and shows he really was a fine actor. The other star of the film is the director–Joseph H. Lewis. He was able to make the movie look great–a lot better than a normal B-movie. And, youu0026#39;d swear the project took more than just 16 to complete.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe story is about a famous French detective. Heu0026#39;s highly respected but also a workaholic who desperately needs a vacation. So, he goes to a quite rural town where he is warmly welcomed. However, soon there are a pair of murders–and the detectiveu0026#39;s vacation is brought to an end. However, this killer is no ordinary murderer–this one has the detective totally stumped. At this point in the film, I was pretty impressed. What did NOT impress me was the weird psychological twist at the end of the film–it seemed a bit silly and just didnu0026#39;t work for me. Itu0026#39;s a shame, as up until then it really was a pretty good film. Still, despite this silly twist, itu0026#39;s not a bad movie. See it yourself and let me know what you think about the ending.”