Nina Foch

(On Cable TV, July 2022) In most aspects, Johnny O’Clock is an acceptable film noir that should be much better than it is. Its most noteworthy element is male lead Dick Powell, in what’s one of the best films to illustrate his transition from musical song-and-dance man to noir leading roles—he’s got both the charm of his earlier roles and the growing darkness of his performances to come and this film lands at an interesting junction for him—for me, this is the film that puts Powell’s career in focus despite better performances both before and after. Evelyn Keyes and Nina Foch are also lovely playing sisters brought into the ever-expanding mess of the film’s plot—some rather good lines can’t quite paper over a plot that most will charitably call complex—one step short of saying it doesn’t make sense. (Film historians note that the script was rewritten throughout production.)  The cinematography approaches peak noir, but seems aimless like much of the film. It’s regrettable, really, because while Johnny O’Clock has most of the ingredients for a terrific film, it merely settles for being watchable. It’s a smooth piece of nonsense for noir aficionados, but the untapped potential here is significant enough to be frustrating.