Crime of Passion - A Flawed Film Noir

I watched Crime of Passion on FMC, a classic film channel that has commercials, unlike TCM, but I don't really mind the commercials since I grew up watching classic films on the local networks. I suppose it gives me a sense of nostalgia, though back then prescription drug commercials were non-existent (and I wish they still were - ugh - seems like every other ad is for a drug that treats some rare but frightening disorder that you should ask your doctor about - I HATE those ads!).

Anyway - Crime of Passion has all the elements that should have made it a great Film Noir. Barbara Stanwyck plays an ambitious newswoman who throws away a chance at a New York career for a marriage to a stalwart LA detective (Sterling Hayden, who seems kind of sleepy in this film). Of course, she gets tired of the cop wife routine pretty quickly and tries to get her husband promoted in any under-handed way she can think of, including sleeping with his boss (Raymond Burr).

One bad situation leads to another, resulting in a murder and an arrest. I'll leave out the details in case you ever want to watch it. But honestly, the film just doesn't have what it takes to be a great Film Noir. Stanwyck and Hayden's relationship, while passionate in the physical sense (there's a whole lot of smooching going on - LOL) it just lacks something. It doesn't ring true. Nothing in this film does.

The director, Gerd Oswald, did some good things, like Star Trek and The Outer Limits, but this genre just isn't his bag, I guess, and it shows.

Still, it's an okay way to pass the time, especially if you can't get enough of Stanwyck, Hayden and Burr. They try to make the plot work, but I got the feeling nobody really wanted to be in this thing, and they were eager to bolt out the studio doors.