Alias Nick Beal

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Will G This was a good noir film. There were criminals and detectives. There is some suspense. My favorite noir movies are “Double Indemnity”, “The Maltese Falcon”, and “Mildred Pierce”. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 06/01/25 Full Review Audience Member A stranger with mysterious powers corrupts an honest politician. Milland at most smooth 40s best, debonair and diabolical as the devil himself… maybe. Film Noir meets the supernatural, but never tips over into outright horror. Tight, well-made and there isn't a mis- step anywhere in the film. Audery Totter as the temptation is sleazy and manipulative but it's Milland's show from start to finish - and I love the Rembrandt comment! Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Ken R This strange story of an honest crime-fighting district attorney certainly has several haunting moments. They involve a dark stranger who has the uncanny ability to appear and disappear at precisely the right moments. This suave, eerie gentleman offers vital evidence to our honest DA against a highly corrupt criminal - that would allow him to be put away forever. No self-respecting DA could pass this up at any cost – but what is the cost? With fog bound meetings on a lonely pier at the wrong end of town, the too good to be true deal is struck. - Now to cover the unrevealed cost. Wonderful direction and shadowy cinematography combined with superb performances make this a must-see rarity. Most unfortunately, it's been locked away in the MCA vaults since Paramount sold it in a package in the 50s. TCM HD is your only hope to see the newly re-printed copy - struck off for one of their Noir festivals. Let's hope they may offer it for sale on DVD sometime in future! Some Public Domain copy houses are offering M.0.D. Off-Air copies, some of which are poor but one from the UK has a reasonably good/OK transfer on offer. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 07/27/20 Full Review Audience Member Interesting plot with judge unknowingly collaborating with the Devil in human form. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Audience Member A beautifully shot Faustian tale which relies rather heavy-handedly on the power of a prop at the conclusion but has a lot to enjoy along the way. Ray Milland as Nick Beal looks an awful lot like he might have been an inspiration for the look of Robert Mitchum's Harry Powell in NIGHT OF THE HUNTER. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Audience Member A murder taking place after following the killer and the unsuspecting victim into the dark, then seamlessly transitioning to the next scene starting on the back of a character's coat, which is an identical black to the darkness. Some time later, another character passes through the dark just long enough for us to think something sinister is going to happen like before, until the character unassumingly comes back into the light. A character materializes and disappears inexplicably, aided significantly by the seaside fog. This is the quintessence of noir, a genre where an allegorical modern take on Faust is right at home, especially with the presence of an ace trifecta of lead actors. I mean, Milland was born to play the devil. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Alias Nick Beal

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