14 Jahre Sing-Sing (1947)

14 Jahre Sing-Sing: Directed by Byron Haskin. With Burt Lancaster, Lizabeth Scott, Kirk Douglas, Wendell Corey. Frankie Madison leaves prison expecting a share from his ex-partner. But Prohibition bootlegging didn’t prepare Frankie for Big Business.

“No need to recap the plot. Thereu0026#39;s one key scene unlike anything in the rest of 40u0026#39;s noir. Frankie (Lancaster) invades Dinku0026#39;s (Douglas) office to muscle in on what heu0026#39;s owed of Dinku0026#39;s big operation. But Frankieu0026#39;s a gangster of the uncomplicated 1930u0026#39;s, while Dinku0026#39;s a white-collar criminal of the coming 1950u0026#39;s. So. By the time Dinku0026#39;s accountant Dave (Corey) is through answering each of Frankieu0026#39;s threats with another layer of corporate ownership that canu0026#39;t possibly be divided, Frankieu0026#39;s reduced to a bundle of quivering frustration. In short, Dave has beaten all Frankieu0026#39;s assembled thugs with what amounts to a maze of legalese. As a result, piles of paper prove ultimately more powerful than gangs of gunmen in what amounts to a great unexpected scene.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAll in all. The movieu0026#39;s decent 40u0026#39;s noir, long on atmosphere but too long on talk, at least to my liking. I suspect the screenplay was tailored to showcase producer Wallisu0026#39;s top 3 new stars, especially Scott who gets a lot of romantic dialog along with sultry screen time. The overall result is a movie composed of too many under-blended showcase scenes- – some quite good– that nevertheless donu0026#39;t really gel into a compelling whole. Itu0026#39;s the kind of movie where the stars are more memorable than the story.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eScott and Douglas, for example, really shine. Scott does some of the best acting of her career as the conflicted glamour girl. But I especially like Douglasu0026#39;s slimy version of a smooth-talking mastermind whou0026#39;s so self-assured, you canu0026#39;t wait to see him get what heu0026#39;s got coming. Douglasu0026#39;s early career specialized in such compromised types, a revelation to those only familiar with his later, more heroic, career. For his part, Lancaster does well enough with his distinctive looks, but Frankie is a less showy role than the other two.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAnyway, one thing for sure—producer Wallis certainly had an eagle eye for new talent, as this movie more than demonstrates.”