Review of Pushover (1954) by Allan C — 26 Aug 2012

I like a good film noir. I was expecting that this one is a good choice. Directed by Richard Quine, it stars Fred MacMurray, Philip Carey, and Kim Novak in her breakthrough role. The screenplay was adapted from two novels, The Night Watch by Thomas Walsh and Rafferty by William S. Ballinger, and I'll say, wasn't developed enough, and characters remained just film types rather than real people we could relate.

The story of the honest cop Paul Sheridan (Fred MacMurray) and him having a task to recover $200,000 after a bank robbery, most of the time worked well. I like how the little events, each of them relevant to the story, were incorporated while the police officers maintain a 24-hour surveillance on Lona McLane (Kim Novak), a girlfriend of one of the robbers. Of course, it's always something complicated in life, and here is that Sheridan quickly falls in love with Lona, who, when she finds out he's a policeman, tries to persuade him to kill Harry Wheeler (Paul Richards) so the two can take off with the cash...

Film's plot is similar to other film noir, and some critics think that Double Indemnity is the movie to compare. Kim Novak was, at the time, a rising photogenic and acting star. For me, as a blond chick, she didn't do much - overacting was a huge problem and when Fred MacMurray grabs her for a kiss it didn't look romantic or full with passion - last time when I saw a kiss like that was when a Turkish free-style wrestling team member at the Balkan Championship kissed the official when awarded a gold medal. Not a pretty sight!

This is not a great film, but it's immensely entertaining, covering a lot of territory in its 88 minutes.