The Films of Lewis Allen

The Uninvited

Our Hearts Were Young and Gay

Those Endearing Young Charms

The Unseen

The Perfect Marriage

The Imperfect Lady

Desert Fury

So Evil My Love

Sealed Verdict

Chicago Deadline

Appointment with Danger

Valentino

At Sword's Point

Suddenly (August 8/18)

Directed by Lewis Allen, Suddenly follows Frank Sinatra's John Baron as he and a couple of cohorts hold several characters (including Sterling Hayden's Tod Shaw and Nancy Gates' Ellen) hostage while they await the arrival of the President's train - with the Baron's decidedly loquacious demeanor often threatening to derail the gang's plan to assassinate the lofty political figure. Filmmaker Allen, working from a screenplay by Richard Sale, does an effective job of establishing the various protagonists (and antagonists) and the perilous situation in which they eventually find themselves, with the movie's opening stretch also benefiting from an impressive bit of misdirection involving the true nature of the aforementioned criminals (ie they initially pass themselves off as helpful FBI agents). The reveal heightens the picture's energy level, as well, given the appreciatively smarmy bent of Sinatra's work here, although it's equally apparent that Suddenly's promising vibe takes a somewhat palpable nosedive once it enters its comparatively sedate midsection (ie the movie begins to resemble a stage play). The film's shift from engaging to merely watchable is a little disappointing, admittedly, and yet there's little doubt that the whole thing rallies for a fairly stirring climactic stretch - which ultimately does confirm Suddenly's place as a decent (and appreciatively brisk) little B movie.

out of

A Bullet for Joey

Illegal

Another Time, Another Place (July 27/05)

Though Another Time, Another Place isn't technically his first movie, Sean Connery is nevertheless "introduced" in the film's opening credits. And while he's undeniably quite good and very charismatic, Connery's role essentially amounts to about 30-minutes worth of screentime. Instead, the story revolves around Sara Scott (Lana Turner) - a reporter who's been having an affair with a married colleague named Mark Trevor (Connery). When Mark perishes in a plane crash, Sara feels compelled to visit his wife (played by Glynis Johns) and young son - and though she doesn't intend to stay, Sara winds up spending a few months living with the widow (who, of course, has no idea that Sara was sleeping with her husband). Another Time, Another Place plays out like a typically over-the-top 1950s melodrama, something that's reflected in the broad performances and distractingly flamboyant score. Stanley Mann's screenplay places the emphasis on unusually inane dialogue, while the film contains a number of unintentionally hilarious moments (ie after learning a secretary has just lost a son to the war, Sara offers her condolences and immediately assigns her some more work). Another Time, Another Place is, at least, rarely out-and-out boring, yet it's the sort of movie that one forgets almost immediately after it's over.

out of

Whirlpool