Review of Johnny O'Clock (1947) by Kevin R — 03 May 2015

Do you mind if I laugh in your face?

In an underground gambling casino led by gangsters a woman mysteriously dies leading to her sister coming to the casino and poking around. She falls in love with Johnny O'Clock, the gang leader's muscle. Johnny makes plans to settle down with the girl but he may find getting out of the gang harder than he anticipated.

"Come here.".

"I've been there.".

Robert Rosen, director of All the Kings Men, The Hustler, The Roaring Twenties, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, and Island in the Sun, delivers Johnny O'Clock. The storyline for this picture is fairly straightforward but contains interesting characters and an old school murder mystery plot. The cast delivers solid performances and includes Lee Cobb, Dick Powell, Evelyn Keyes, Ellen Drew, and Nina Foch.

"If you get in my way, I'll kill you.".

"You took the words right out of my mouth.".

I came across this movie on Turner Classic Movies (TCM) and thought the plot sounded interesting and decided to DVR this old school picture. The movie was okay and worth following but wasn't an all time great or contained enough unique elements to truly standout in the genre. Overall, this is worth a viewing if nothing else is on.

"All you ever think about is yourself.".

"You and me both.".

Grade: C+/B-.