A Bullet for Joey *** (1955, Edward G Robinson, George Raft, Audrey Totter, George Dolenz, Peter Hansen, Peter van Eyck, Kaaren Verne) – Classic Movie Review 7719

‘THE SCREEN’S TOP TOUGH GUYS MEET FACE TO FACE!’ Director Lewis Allen’s 1955 Cold War film noir spy crime thriller A Bullet for Joey stars Edward G Robinson and George Raft, two legendary stars a little past their prime, along with noir favourite Audrey Totter, and George Dolenz, Peter Hansen, Peter van Eyck, Kaaren [Karen] Verne, Ralph Smiley, Sally Blane and Steven Geray.

The star duo and co-stars help along a routine film noir crime thriller, with Robinson rather improbably cast as Raoul Leduc, a Royal Canadian Mounted Police inspector on the trail of shady mobster Joey Victor (Raft). Van Eyck plays the Communist spy boss Eric Hartman, who sends Victor and his girl Joyce Geary (Totter) to Montreal to kidnap atomic scientist Dr Carl Macklin (Dolenz), a nuclear physicist, for the communists.

The stars are still good old troupers, and on good form, there is a strong character cast too, James Benson Nablo’s story is acceptable, though formulaic, and the atmospheric Canadian setting, shot in black and white by Harry Neumann, also helps, too.

Also in the cast are John Alvin, Toni Gerry, William Bryant, John Cliff, Joseph Vitale, Henri Letondal, Stan Malotte, Frank Hagney, William Henry, Peter Mamakos, Paul Marion, Rory Mallinson, Frank Richards, Carlos Rivero, Bill Neff, Alan Wells, Paul Toffel, Sandra Stone, Joel Smith and Sandy Sanders.

A Bullet for Joey is directed by Lewis Allen, runs 85 minutes, is made by Bischoff-Diamond Corporation, is released by United Artists, is written by Daniel Mainwaring [Geoffrey Homes] and A I Bezzerides, based on James Benson Nablo’s story, is shot in black and white by Harry Neumann, is produced by Sam Bischoff and David Diamond, is scored by Harry Sukman and is designed by Jack Okey.

It was shot in the studio at RKO-Pathé Studios, Culver City, California, and on location at Montreal, Canada (for the background scenes).

Filming started on 10 December 1954 and it was released in cinemas in New York City on 15 April 1955.

Robinson paid Bezzerides $5,000 to polish his dialogue. When Raft found out, he paid the writer to do the same for him.

A Bullet for Joey was released on Blu-ray in November 2015 and on DVD by Kino Lorber Studio Classics on 10 July 2007 and 17 November 2015.

The film, originally entitled Canada’s Great Manhunt, was inspired by a magazine article by Stephen Brott, turned into a story by James Benson Nablo, and optioned by Sam Bischoff, who  owned a production company with Raft in the late Forties.

Robinson and Raft previously starred together 14 years earlier in Raoul Walsh’s Manpower (1941) with Marlene Dietrich.

Daniel Mainwaring’s final published novel Build My Gallows High (1946) is regarded as his best and his adaptation of it as the film noir classic Out of the Past assures his place in film history.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7719

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com