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      The Crooked Way

      Released Apr 22, 1949 1h 30m Crime Drama List
      Reviews 45% Fewer than 50 Ratings Audience Score An amnesiac veteran (John Payne) discovers he was a gangster and that the partner (Sonny Tufts) he cheated is after him. Read More Read Less Watch on Fandango at Home Premiered May 10 Buy Now

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      Critics Reviews

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      Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews A minor film noir. Rated: C+ Sep 2, 2003 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

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      Jack S A well made, above average noir that benefits from a superior visual flair. However, although the fine cast is adequate overall, Payne is a bit of a lightweight to believably impress as a former heartless gangster. Noteworthy early use of CSI (called "Scientific Investigation Division" here) plays a large part in assisting the police to solve two onscreen murders. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/04/23 Full Review dave j Physician in San Francisco examines Eddie Rice (John Payne) after serving in combat only to tell him that he has shrapnel installed in his head which is the main cause of his amnesia, and that the only way to piece together who he really is must go back to LA where he was originally from. He does, and finds out he use to be involved with a criminal thug name, Vince (Sonny Tufts) Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Decent script allows for some meaty performances, which the director let play out. While the Amnesia shtick may have been an overdone premise at the time, it works here in part to the opening scenes. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member good noir from first cycle Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Not a bad Film Noir but not a forgotten classic of the genre either. War hero Eddie Rice (John Payne) has a piece of shrapnel in his brain and has no idea who he was before earned the Silver Star fighting the Axis. The only clue he has is that he enlisted in Los Angeles so he takes the advice of his doctor and, when discharged from a military hospital in San Fransisco, heads south to L.A. He soon discovers, through encounters with hard-boiled LAPD detectives, local thugs, and a mysterious femme-fatale (Ellen Drew) he discovers that he was not such a great guy before he became a war hero. The cinematography is great, the black & white photography is crisp and there is very effective use of shadows and great use of closeups (especially of the lovely Ellen Page) but I thought that Clay Pigeon handled the same setup a bit better. Robert Florey was not one of the genre's great directors and Payne is hardly an engaging hero, seemingly sleep-walking through the affair in a daze. The entire premise hinges on the fact that the U.S. military have no idea who Eddie Rice was before he enlisted in the thick of World War II; maybe no one would have checked very closely in 1943 but when military intelligence is trying to determine who Rice is for the medical corps, they would have taken his fingerprints and checked him out with the FBI? Sonny Tufts is great as the heavy, Vince Alexander, however. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member Notable for the cinematography. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      The Crooked Way

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      Movie Info

      Synopsis An amnesiac veteran (John Payne) discovers he was a gangster and that the partner (Sonny Tufts) he cheated is after him.
      Director
      Robert Florey
      Screenwriter
      Robert Monroe, Richard H. Landau
      Production Co
      Benedict Bogeaus Production
      Genre
      Crime, Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Apr 22, 1949, Limited
      Release Date (DVD)
      Nov 17, 2015
      Runtime
      1h 30m
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