Born to Kill (1947)

☆ ☆ ☆ ½

Born to Kill (1947) – R. Wise

This is a very strange noir – it isn’t clear who the protagonist is.  I think perhaps that we are meant to identify with Claire Trevor’s character.  After all, we meet her first, when she is getting her divorce in Reno and then slowly find out about her life (engagement to wealthy Fred and dependence on rich foster sister Georgia).  But the film becomes increasingly absorbed by the unusual personality of Sam Wild (played by a young Lawrence Tierney who was later known by my generation as the crime boss in Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs).  Sam is basically a sociopath (or a psychopath) – he is quick to anger, impulsive, and a great believer in his own abilities and entitlements.  He won’t let anyone make a monkey out of him.  So, after murdering a couple of people, he bends the plot to his own needs and desires – and he has a strong influence on Trevor’s Helen, warping her significantly.  Of course, it ends badly, due partly to the efforts of Walter Slezak (from Lifeboat) and his cheap though sophisticated private dick.  Minor, but intriguing, offering from Robert Wise.