Review of The Reckless Moment (1949) by Roger P — 27 Sep 2011
"The Reckless Moment" is a very entertaining and effective film noir with love story overtones. The story is set in post Second World War Los Angeles suburbia. Joan Bennett (in the kind of role in which I thought Joan Crawford had cornered the market) plays Lucia Harper, a fiercely independent middle-class housewife who is trying to keep things together (she has two teenage children and a father-in-law to look after) while her husband is absent, working in Europe.
When her 17 year-old daughter Bea, played by Geraldine Brooks (who looks rather too old for the part), accidentally kills her older gigolo-type boyfriend, Lucia disposes of the body, only to find herself blackmailed about the incident by a sinister Irish crook, Donnelly (played by James Mason) and his partner in crime, Nagle (played by Roy Roberts).
Things develop from there in what is a stylish, entertaining and imaginatively-directed film. Although its plot is of paramount importance, "The Reckless Moment" - which lasts only about 80 minutes or so - also manages to say something about such issues as middle-class values and security, feminism and motherhood.
The leading actors - Joan Bennett and James Mason - are both excellent. A film that is well worth seeing. 8/10.
This review of The Reckless Moment (1949) was written by Roger P on 27 Sep 2011.
The Reckless Moment has generally received positive reviews.
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