The Scarlet Hour (1956)

☆ ☆ ☆ ½

The Scarlet Hour (1956) – M. Curtiz

This is definitely a late B-noir that echoes a lot of finer films (Double Indemnity, principally) with unknown leads sporting that well-known wooden acting style.  Yet, somehow director Michael Curtiz (Casablanca, Mildred Pierce) manages to make it suspenseful and even lets us care about the “hero”.  Familiar character actors Elaine Stritch, James Gregory, E. G. Marshall, and Edward Binns flesh things out and comedy writer/director Frank Tashlin somehow had his hand in the story (an illicit affair leads to a desperate robbery and murder and then the rest is all denouement as the cops close in).  Worth a look if you can find it.