Angel Face (1952)

(On Cable TV, October 2022) If you’re looking for a characteristic of film noir during its 1950ish heyday, it’s somewhere in Angel Face. Robert Mitchum as a tough guy with a weakness for the ladies; Jean Simmons as femme fatale; directed with his usual frankness by Otto Preminger; sombre deaths worth investigating; cynical view of the judiciary system; prickly subtext; moody black-and-white cinematography; up-to-date technological thrills; and an ironic ending that dispenses justice when humans can’t. There’s even some face-slapping that doesn’t stop at the usual 1950s man-slapping-the-woman: she hits back! (There’s also a persistent story that, at the end of the multiple slapping takes, Mitchum gave one to the bullying Preminger.) In other words—this is one crunchy noir from the glory days of the genre, cleanly shot and vigorously delivered. At 91 minutes, Angel Face is crisp, efficient and moves forward at all times. Even its flaws are those typical to film noir—and may arguably enhance the result. I’ll wrap it up here—this is a short review by my standards, but then again there’s only so much you can say when the verdict is that of a good film.