Like what?Like me.
I like the look of film noir, and I'm also fond of its narrative twists and switches, the way fairly regular people find themselves locked into a destructive cycle just because of a stupid or rash decision - that feeling that life can never be fully trusted or depended on, that you are never more than a heartbeat away from having the rug yanked out from under you. And of course there's the snappy, sassy dialogue. Roadblock (1951) is an ultra-low budget effort that contains all these elements, and races home in just a little under an hour and a quarter.
"Be careful what you wish for..." a cautionary phrase we've all heard and probably used too, and it could be said to sum up the moral of the tale here. After a deliciously teasing opening where we, and one of the characters, are treated to a fine piece of misdirection, we get to meet Joe Peters (Charles McGraw). This solidly named guy is presented to us as morally solid too, a sound and upstanding insurance investigator who's relatively happy with his lot. A bit of innocent flirting in an airport departure lounge sees him make the acquaintance of one Diane Morley (Joan Dixon), a self-confessed chiseller who is aiming to hit the big league and live in style in Los Angeles. Both of these people will be bitten by the same bug, the one promising something alluring and apparently unattainable just the other side of life's rainbow. Joe succumbs first, losing his heart and then his head as he brushes aside a lifetime of honesty for a shot at wooing an amoral temptress. And that same temptress then sees her own priorities flipped as the mink-draped luxury she yearns for brings an unexpected chill. For a brief moment, it looks like something positive may come of this. But this is film noir folks, and it's only a matter of time before those louvered blinds get tilted just so and the shadows grow deeper.
There are a limited number of films noir which make reference to Christmas, and I do like to find one, where possible, to flag up at this time of year. I think I've covered a fair few others in the past, though I'm still hoping to source a decent copy of Beware, My Lovely at some point. Roadblock isn't a Christmas movie of course, the holiday season just happens to feature in the early stages, and I suppose at a push one could draw some inference from the characters dreaming of glittering riches. On a more serious note though, the whole thing really is based around that old staple of dissatisfied people striving for that which is always just a little beyond their reach, and then discovering that what they desired so strongly isn't all it's cracked up to be.
If the director of Roadblock isn't a name I can claim to know well - Harold Daniels - then there's plenty of others involved in the production that are very familiar. Seeing Steve Fisher featured among the writers usually interests me as the man behind is sure to grab my attention. In addition, knowing that Nicholas Musuraca was behind the camera and in charge of lighting the whole business is encouraging. Perhaps the presence of the latter is a little disappointing here - you kind of expect the whole movie to be drenched in inky shadows with this man - as quite a bit of the production has a flat, even overlit appearance. That said, the cinematographers trademark darkness does show up from time to time - the opening sequence is particularly atmospheric - and it's a genuine pleasure to see him go about his work.
There are actors who were essentially born to play in film noir, and Charles McGraw has to be one of them. He didn't get the lead all that often - this film and Richard Fleischer's stone cold classic The Narrow Margin being notable exceptions though - but gave plenty of value in memorable supporting roles for the likes of Robert Siodmak and Anthony Mann. McGraw looked tough and sounded tough, and had the presence to hold your attention every time he appeared on screen. I think the switches his character undergoes in Roadblock are maybe too abrupt and too convenient to be wholly convincing, but that's not the fault of the actor. The same could be said for the writing of Joan Dixon's siren. She starts out as a brazen noir dame, a femme fatale in training and then she's suddenly not. I can understand that the script wanted to exploit the irony of two people getting what they think they want only to find out that they themselves have changed in the meantime. So no, the character shifts don't quite work for me. Nevertheless, I still had a good time watching McGraw and Dixon wind their way along the path fate has laid out for them. In support it's nice to see Louis Jean Heydt handed a much larger role than was normally the case.
Roadblock is available on DVD in the US via the Warner Archive, and it looks about OK. There is some softness and moments of indifference but it still entertains. This may not be the best known example of film noir and I'd not seen it myself until quite recently but I reckon it's worth a viewing.
