The Last Crooked Mile (1946)

The Last Crooked Mile: Directed by Philip Ford. With Don ‘Red’ Barry, Ann Savage, Adele Mara, Tom Powers. After a bank robbery, the loot disappears and is sought after by an insurance investigator, the police and the surviving robbers.

“u0026#39;Shortyu0026#39; being pint-sized u0026quot;Redu0026quot; Barry, erstwhile cowboy hero of the 40u0026#39;s and 50u0026#39;s. Brash and cocky but without the menacing air of James Cagney, Barry lights up the screen with his portrayal of a Private Eye in this noir entry from Republic pictures. Here he is paired with u0026#39;Bu0026#39; picture cult figure and femme fatale Ann u0026quot;Bad Newsu0026quot; Savage, who does, indeed, have the menacing air of Cagney.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026quot;The Last Crooked Mileu0026quot;, in my estimation, is one of the best films ever to come out of a Poverty Row studio. It offers a crackling script full of snappy dialogue and a first-class plot. Barry is investigating a bank robbery for the reward money of $30,000, a pretty good payday in those days. The robbers were killed when their getaway car crashes but the stolen money is missing. Barryu0026#39;s investigation brings him to a nightclub at an amusement park, where much of the movie takes place. Savage is a singer at the club, and her rendition of u0026quot; The One I Love Belongs To Somebody Elseu0026quot; is not to be missed, even if it was dubbed. Adele Mara is his girlfriend, in a one-dimensional part with little to do. Also in the cast are seasoned bad guys Sheldon Leonard, Ben Welden and John Dehner as well as good guys Harry Shannon and Tom Power.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe big surprise is Barry, who holds the picture together with a magnetic on-screen presence. Throw in Ann Savage, a good story and you have a movie thatu0026#39;s worth an 8, in my book. There are a couple of plot holes and contrivances but theyu0026#39;re easy to go with. The hard part is trying to find this picture in any format.”