Too Late for Tears

Too Late for Tears (1949)

Runtime: 100 minutes

Directed by: Byron Haskin

Starring: Lizabeth Scott, Don DeFore, Dan Duryea, Arthur Kennedy, Kristine Miller

From: United Artists

I finally fulfilled a request made several months ago. A mutual on Letterboxd asked me in a comment if I had seen this film; my response was that I hadn’t but promised that eventually it would be viewed. Despite its constant presence on YouTube, it took until last night for me to finally pull the trigger.

Lizabeth Scott and her beau Arthur Kennedy are driving in a convertible when because of circumstances, $60,000 that was meant for nefarious means literally falls into their backseat. Kennedy is the milquetoast type who wants to turn over what would be almost $800,000 in 2024 to the police but Scott is full of avarice so she wants the money kept. As it belonged to Dan Duryea, that really complicates things.

The cast is fine and all and while I was amused by the ruthless Duryea wearing a bow tie-although the most frightening aspect of him was his pronunciation of the word "tedious"-Scott as the steely cool, ruthless Janet was the highlight. She still had her vulnerable moments but you’d be surprised at how she tried her hardest to gain or regain control despite the obstacles in front of her, despite the twists & turns the plot took.

Too Late for Tears is a dark noir which is not oppressively so. Scott as the main cog of the machine does make it distinctive and it is yet another genre effort which is worthy of tracking down. A swell recommendation, in other words.