Schonungslos (1956)

Schonungslos: Directed by Abner Biberman. With Merle Oberon, Lex Barker, Charles Drake, Gia Scala. The co-owner of a dog track is framed for two crimes: the shotgun killing of his ex-partner and the hit-and-run death of an elderly man.

“Like a lot of Universal-Internationalu0026#39;s 1950s output, THE PRICE OF FEAR is a studio-bound soap opera that borders on kitsch, but within that soap opera, star Lex Barker and an exciting plot in the Hitchcock vein struggle to make the film something better. Barker plays the co-owner of a racetrack where the mob is trying to muscle in. One night, he happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people and his life begins unravelling and he goes on the run. Unfortunately, Merle Oberon enters the picture. I donu0026#39;t know if Ms. Oberon had something else on her mind while making this picture, but she seems to be posing for still photographs throughout the film. Oh, sheu0026#39;s gorgeous! glamorous! stunning! But her posing and gown-modeling belongs in a 1920s Gloria Swanson vehincle–or maybe a PARODY of a 1920s Swanson vehicle! Itu0026#39;s hard to believe that a savvy character, such as the racetrack owner played by Barker, would fall in love with such a cipher as Oberonu0026#39;s character. If you can forget the soap-opera elements of the plot, thereu0026#39;s a good mystery here…and the climax and ending are genuinely surprising. However, only devoted Barker fans should try to find this film.”