Category: Crime

“The Bikeriders” starring Austin Butler, Jodie Comer, Tom Hardy and Norman Reedus – The Poster & Trailer are Here!

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Deal me in.

The Bikeriders, starring Austin Butler, Jodie Comer, Tom Hardy and Norman Reedus, follows the rise of a midwestern motorcycle club, the Vandals. Seen through the lives of its members, the club evolves over the course of a decade from a gathering place for local outsiders into a more sinister gang, threatening the original group’s unique way of life.

#TheBikeriders is only in theaters June 21.

“Black Angel” (1946) starring Dan Duryea, June Vincent, Peter Lorre & Broderick Crawford / Z-View

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Black Angel (1946)

Director:  Roy William Neill

Screenplay: Roy Chanslor based on the novel THE BLACK ANGEL by Cornell Woolrich

Stars: Dan Duryea, June Vincent, Peter Lorre, Broderick Crawford, Wallace Ford, Robert B. Williams and George Ford.

Tagline: DURYEA! …that fascinating tough-guy of “Scarlet Street”!

The Plot…

Martin Blair (Duryea) wants to see his estranged wife, Mavis Marlowe.  It’s their anniversary and he’s sent Mavis a large ruby brooch in an effort to win her back.  Yet, she’s told the doorman to NOT allow Martin up.  Dejected and rejected, Martin goes to get drunk.  He then stumbles to his room, where a friend locks him in for the night.

Later, Kirk Bennet goes up to see Mavis.  He finds her on the floor.  She’s dead.  Kirk notices she’s wearing a huge ruby brooch.  When Kirk hears a noise in the apartment, he realizes he’s not alone.  As he carefully makes his way through the bedroom, he hears someone running out.  Kirk goes back to find the brooch missing and the front door open.  Kirk realizes he’s in a bad spot and runs to the stairwell.  He’s seen as he flees.

When the cops pick up Kirk, it becomes clear that he was having an affair with Mavis, despite being married.  Kirk’s wife, Catherine (Vincent) doesn’t believe her husband is a killer.  Kirk claims Mavis was blackmailing him. This just gives the cops more reason to think he killed Mavis.

Catherine is grasping at straws to find evidence to clear her husband when she meets Martin.  Catherine believes he could be the killer.  Martin says the police thought so too at first.  Except he couldn’t have killed Mavis since he was knock-down drunk and locked in his room when the murder occurred.  Martin takes pity on Catherine and offers to help her find the killer.

Kirk is on death row and the clock is ticking.  What chance does a housewife and functioning alcoholic have of finding the real murderer?  Tick tock tick toc…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Black Angel is loosely based on Cornell Woolrich’s novel of the same name.  Woolrich is said to dislike the film because of the changes made.  Since I haven’t read the book, I wasn’t hindered by expectations. I thought I knew how it would play out.  Boy, was I wrong.  I was surprised by twist ending.

This was the last film directed by Roy William Neill.  He died shortly after the release of Black Angel.  Neill is best known as the director of several Sherlock Holmes‘ films as well as the classic Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman.

Dan Duryea, on the other hand, had a career that was heating up.  He’s even the subject of Black Angel‘s tagline.  Broderick Crawford has a small but important role.  Four years later Crawford would win an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for All the King’s Men.

Black Angel (1946) earns 4 of 5 stars.

“Naked Alibi” (1954) starring Sterling Hayden, Gloria Grahame & Gene Barry / Z-View

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Naked Alibi (1954)

Director:  Jerry Hopper

Screenplay: Lawrence Roman based on the story Cry Copper by Gladys Atwater, J. Robert Bren

Stars: Sterling Hayden, Gloria Grahame, Gene Barry, Max Showalter, Billy Chapin, Stuart Randall, John Alvin, Dee Carroll  and Chuck Connors.

Tagline: The Cop, The Killer and the Border Town Woman!

The Plot…

Albert Willis (Barry) is brought in for questioning about some recent robberies.  Although drunk, Willis has no record, is married and owns a local bakery.  Willis becomes more and more angry as the questioning continues.  He ends up hitting a cop.  In retaliation, they work him over.  Willis, vows to get even with the cops who beat him.

Willis’ lawyer gets him released with no charges.  This only angers Chief Joseph E. Conroy (Hayden), who has no doubt Willis is guilty.  That evening one of the cops who beat Willis is murdered.  Chief Conroy is sure WIllis is the killer.  Conroy and a couple of his buddies begin tailing Willis everywhere he goes.  When Conroy is told to back off, he refuses.  Conroy is then fired.

Now, more than ever Conroy is determined to prove that Albert Willis is a thief and murderer.  Willis tells his wife he needs to get away from the publicity and to clear his head.  He decides to go to Border City for the weekend.  Little does he know Conroy is close behind.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Naked Alibi doesn’t play out at all like I thought it would.  I like that.  Who’s the “good guy” or better yet, who’s the bad guy?

Gloria Grahame is always good.  It’s fun seeing a young Chuck Connors years before The Rifleman fame.

Naked Alibi (1954) earns 4 of 5 stars.

“Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.” starring Eddie Murphy – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Deal me in.

Detective Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) is back on the beat in Beverly Hills. After his daughter’s life is threatened, she (Taylour Paige) and Foley team up with a new partner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and old pals Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and John Taggart (John Ashton) to turn up the heat and uncover a conspiracy.

From Producers Jerry Bruckheimer, Eddie Murphy, Chad Oman, and Director Mark Molloy.
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. Only on Netflix, Summer 2024.

THE ABRUM FILES: A BISHOP RIDER BOOK by Beau Johnson

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THE ABRUM FILES: A BISHOP RIDER BOOK by Beau Johnson

First sentence…

I tell him I was a child when my father is ripped apart.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Marcel Abrum was the worst kid of predator, a human trafficker.  Rich and powerful, he thought that made him safe. But when Marcel Abrum brutally murdered Bishop Rider’s wife and sister, he discovered the truth,  Bishop Rider extracted a payback on Abrum equal to the horrors Abram had inflicted on so many women and children,

Then Bishop Rider made it his mission to hunt human traffickers and end their lives in ways that would make his name whispered in fear by those who targeted the weak.  Along the way others joined Rider’s cause. But nothing prepared Bishop Rider for the day when Jeramiah Abrum, the son of Marcel Abrum became a part of Rider’s group.  It took time for Rider to fully trust Jeramiah.  But the fire for vengeance that burned in Rider also blazed in Jeramiah.  For years they worked together brutally wiping out pedophiles and human traffickers.  The mission looked to be over when Rider’s cancer finally finished him.

But it wasn’t.

Jeramiah Abrum decided the operation would continue.  He and other like-minded individuals would carry on Bishop Rider’s work.  They would hunt down and brutally murder those that preyed on the weakest members of society.

THE ABRUM FILES: A BISHOP RIDER BOOK by Beau Johnson is a series of short stories detailing the work of Jeramiah Abrum.  It’s violent, brutal and bloody.  One reviewer called it “chainsaw noir”.  I like that description.

Every review speaks of the book’s violence.  It permeates each story.  Thankfully, Johnson adds just the right amount of humor to take the edge off. He also has his main character, Jeramiah Abrum, realize that he’s not a good guy.  He’s wanted by the police.  The ways he kills are terrible.  But Jeramiah is doing these things to perverts and criminals who do much worse to their victims.  It’s old school, medieval, old testament justice.  And I like it.

The stories are self-contained.  When all are read the bigger picture forms.  Johnson has a unique format that usually takes us right to the start of the criminal’s certain demise.  It’s amazing how many unique ways Johnson comes up with for Rider to get justice.  The book is a fast read.  Because of the brutality and violence readers may want to pace themselves.

This was my first book by Beau Johnson.  It won’t be my last.

Rating:

Meet Eric Beetner!

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Eric Beetner has made his living in the film and tv industry for over 30 years.  In addition, Beetner is a musician, an artist and a writer.  He’s written over 30 novels and 100 short stories.  If you’re a regular reader here, you know I’m a huge fan of Eric Beetner’s crime yarns.

Over at Canvas Rebel, Eric Beetner talks about his career, the “mission” of his creative journey, the importance of resilience and more.  It’s worth a read.

“Mayhem!” – The Trailer is Here!

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I like the looks of Mayhem!  I just hope the violence doesn’t get too graphic.

Opening in theatres January 5.

Starring: Nassim Lyes, Loryn Nounay, Olivier Gourmet
Director: Xavier Gens

A martial artist and ex-con Sam (Nassim Lyes) starts a new life in Thailand to escape a local gang lord, but a kidnapped family member sucks him back into the underworld he’d left behind in this propulsive action spectacle.

“Mr. & Mrs. Smith” starring Donald Glover & Maya Erskine – The Trailer is Here!

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Mr. & Mrs. Smith looks like fun.

Deal me in.

Two lonely strangers land a job working for a mysterious spy agency that offers them a glorious life of espionage, wealth, world travels and a dream brownstone in Manhattan. The catch: new identities in an arranged marriage as Mr. & Mrs. John and Jane Smith. Now hitched, John and Jane navigate a high risk mission every week while also facing a new relationship milestone. Their complex cover story becomes even more complicated when they catch real feelings for each other. What’s riskier, espionage or marriage? Mr. & Mrs. Smith Premieres on Prime Video February 2nd, 2024.

“The Brothers Sun” starring Justin Chien, Michelle Yeoh and Sam Song Li – The Poster & Trailer are Here!

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I like the looks of The Brothers Sun.  Since it is on Netflix, it’s a no-brainer to check it out.

Blood runs in the family.

When the head of a powerful Taiwanese triad is shot by a mysterious assassin, his eldest son, Charles (Justin Chien) heads to Los Angeles to protect his mother, Eileen (Michelle Yeoh), and his naive younger brother, Bruce (Sam Song Li) — who’s been completely sheltered from the truth of his family until now.

But as Taipei’s deadliest societies and a new rising faction go head-to-head for dominance — Charles and Bruce must figure out what brotherhood and family truly means before someone takes them out.

Streaming only on Netflix January 4th, 2024.