Tension (1949)
In the forgotten noir Tension, Richard Basehart plays a bespectacled, henpecked drugstore manager who gets cheated on by his gold-digging wife, Audrey Totter. Audrey has pretty much the exact same character she had in My Pal Gus, and it’s fun to imagine she really is the same woman but just is on another marriage. When Richard gets fed up by her treatment, he comes up with a plan to murder her lover and not get caught. He changes his appearance, assumes a new identity, and makes an impression on new folks so the fake him can be identified and the real him can go back to his old life scot-free. Something that wasn’t in his plan: falling in love. I didn’t recognize his love interest even though I saw her name in the opening credits, but I kept asking, “Who’s that woman who looks like Ava Gardner?” It was a young Cyd Charisse (whom I always called “the dancing Ava Gardner”).
Although the narration he provides in the first half of the movie is a bit unnecessary, once he gets on the scene in the flesh, everything out of Barry Sullivan’s mouth is brilliant and clever. He’s the smartest detective ever! He’s always ten steps ahead of the other characters, and it’s a real pleasure to watch them dance to his tune. Channeling his inner Franchot Tone, he’s charming and seductive but still keeps his guard up as a man of the law.
Chances are you haven’t heard of this movie, but give it a chance. It has lots of twists and turns in the plot, and it’s a treat to see a B-picture that’s just as entertaining as an A-tier.
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "Mali kirgiz" for posting!
More Richard Basehart movies here!
Although the narration he provides in the first half of the movie is a bit unnecessary, once he gets on the scene in the flesh, everything out of Barry Sullivan’s mouth is brilliant and clever. He’s the smartest detective ever! He’s always ten steps ahead of the other characters, and it’s a real pleasure to watch them dance to his tune. Channeling his inner Franchot Tone, he’s charming and seductive but still keeps his guard up as a man of the law.
Chances are you haven’t heard of this movie, but give it a chance. It has lots of twists and turns in the plot, and it’s a treat to see a B-picture that’s just as entertaining as an A-tier.
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "Mali kirgiz" for posting!
More Richard Basehart movies here!