On B List of Movie Reviews
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Black Angel (1946)
Rate:
8
Viewed:
11/15, 12/24
11/15:
Dan Duryea and June Vincent light up the screen as possible star-crossed lovers in Black Angel, a
simple film noir directed by Roy William Neill.
It's as if they belong together. The story is engaging, and the mystery is interesting to follow. Nothing
predictable happens, especially when the killer is revealed.
Style is all over the film with great-looking apparel. Peter Lorre's presence is a bonus to make it darker than
usual. Other characters are perfect to reflect the noirish setting of Los Angeles.
All in all, Black Angel is one of the better atmospheric films noirs from the 40's with terrific
performances by Dan Duryea and June Vincent.
12/24:
I know I was high last time on the pairing of Dan Duryea and June Vincent in Black Angel, but now, I
realize that the latter is just ordinary.
Nevertheless, it's the best performance of Dan Duryea's career. The plot twist is a huge surprise yet makes sense.
Imagine being the wrongly convicted's wife and going through all of the work with the true killer. Peter Lorre has
always been a bad guy in the annals of cinema, but this time, his character had nothing to do with
the case. That's another shocker. Hence, what a fine dark picture Black Angel is.
By the way, that's not George Sanders but Freddie Steele. Yeah, they look almost alike. Believe it or not,
Steele was a middleweight champion of the world in boxing, having fought in 142 matches and lost only five times.
All in all, filled with a lot of strong noir elements, Black Angel needs to be seen because of
Dan Duryea.